hey guys,

Im in dear need of a new compressor and i need to know how hard it is to change to a new one and the steps i need to take in order to put in a new one and the tools and other parts i need in order to put in a new one.

 

Go ahead and convert it to R-134. Get a compressor for R-134. They all should take R-134 now days, but make sure. Your compressor is probably the same as mine. I've never changed mine, but it would be a snap. Just drain the old refrigerant, disconnect the two metal tubes in the back. I think it's a bolt in the middle of both. Note how the washers are on there so you can install the new ones on the new compressor the same way. If it has washers that is. There are three bolts that hold the compressor on there, and a wiring harness. Take all that stuff off and you're good to go. Oh, remove the serpentine belt before you do anything. Also, you will need a new accumulator drier, it's the big silver canister thing behind the compressor, and you'll need an orifice tube as well. The accumulator and orifice tube are about $30 for both. Make SURE that the accumulator is for R-134. This is a simple job on the TPI engines. I could do the whole thing in less than an hour. The orifice tube goes in the pressure line behind the accumulator. It's really simple. I changed the compressor on my Cadillac last summer. Had to lift the engine up. It's on the bottom front side of the engine on that car. It took all day and really sucked. Your car will be a snap. Matt

 

thanx a lot man, but now that i have the knowledge of removing and putting the new one in, how do i go about charging the system?

 

This is easy as well. You will need one can of R-134 oil, and about three cans of coolant. You can buy this stuff at Wal-Mart for less than $4 a can. R-12 will cost you at least $60 a can. You will also need a pressure guage, and the adapter fitting to connect the guage and the can to the low pressure side. You also need the servicing hose. All of this stuff is dirt cheap at Wal-Mart. You can get everything you need for about $40. What you need to do, is put the proper fitting on the low side servicing port. There will be one on the R-134 accumulator you buy. Some people will tell you that you need to purge the AC system to get all the old R-12 stuff out. But if you're changing the compressor and the accumulator, you don't need to do that. Once you have your fitting on, you'll be able to hook up your servicing hose, and your pressure guage. You have to hook them up seperately by the way. The hose is about a foot long, and so is the hose on the guage. Start your car, and turn the AC on max cooling. You want to start with the R-134 oil. screw it in to the hose on the end that accepts the can. Make sure the pin that punctures the can is screwed all the way out. Now, hook the other end up to the low pressure fitting. Screw in the screw on your hose to puncture the can, and unscrew it to let the oil flow. Hold the can upside down and shake the can and make sure all the oil goes into the system. Once it is empty, disconnect the hose from the low pressure side. Now, start with one of the refrigerant cans. Do the same thing you did with the oil can. Get as much emptied in there as you can. If your compressor kicks on, you can keep going. Sometimes, they don't kick on though. If it senses low pressure, it won't kick on. So, get in the car and turn the AC off and on a couple times and get your AC clutch to engage. You can tell if the clutch is engaged by looking at the center of the compressor. It will be turning with the pulley wheel. Whe the AC clutch is engaged, it moves the stuff through the AC system and lets you service the rest of it up. Sometimes, you may even have to turn the car off and turn it back on to get the AC to reset. I had to do this to a Cadillac. No big deal. Do the second can of refrigerant the same way. Now, make sure your AC is on max cooling, and hook up your pressure guage. With the AC clutch engaged and the car and AC system running, you should have around 35 to 40 PSI on your guage I think. It says on the guage. If the AC system isn't running, you'll have a much higher pressure. You may have enough pressure, too little or too much. If you have too little, service up the third can. If you have too much, let a little out until you get the proper pressure with the AC system running. Once you see these parts and the cans, you'll understand how it all works. They have instructions with them too. Make SURE you put the orifice tube in when you change your AC components. If you don't, the R-134 won't work right and you could even damage the AC system. Don't skip that part. The Orifice tube costs less than two dollars at Auto Zone. Anyways, when you're servicing your system, the trickiest part can be getting the compressor to kick on. I doubt it will be a problem on this car since it has manual AC controls. A car with climate control can be a pain in the ***. If you're having trouble, tap on the low pressure sensor which is on your accumulator. Sometimes they stick. Make sure you take your low pressure sensor off your old accumulator, and put it on your new one. You could even get a new one. They're about $7 and just screw into one of the fittings on your accumulator. Anyways, this is an easy job, and you'll be proud of yourself when you get it done. It's pretty self explanatory, but if you have any more questions, let me know! Matt

 

You may want to consider flushing out the old incompatable a/c oil that is in the condenser and evaporator, the oil for R-12 will not mix with the oil for R-134a.
You should also have the system evacuated to remove the moisture that gets into the system when you open it up.(the water and the R-134a combine and form acids).

But hey, that is just my opinion, and I could be wrong.