Greetings All,

First, my camaro needs a new water pump. I have been looking at parts on autozone.com and there are many different water pumps you can buy for my model and engine. Does anyone have any recommendations? Will they all be compatible? Are they all pretty comparable?

My other question is for the AC. I need a new compressor and need to change the system over to R-13A. Has anyone done this themselves that they have advice on how to save money on this? Also do the compressors on these cars have a clutch or no clutch?

Thanks


Mark Kuether

 

As far as the water pump goes. Get the heavy duty pump which Autozone carries and make sure you get the (long) water pump.

Also make sure it is the right pump for your application because the ones for cars with serpentine belts spin the opposite way from the ones for vbelt cars.

AC Compressors are pretty easy to replace. You can do it yourself for much cheaper. Yes, your AC compressor has a clutch. You will want to get a new one that has a clutch with it.

Depending on whats worn out, you may need to replace more than just the compressor, but it's still cheaper in the end. I was able to get away with only replacing my compressor when the original one burned up and my car was 19 years old at the time.

 

Stay away from chain store units unless you get a new Bosch or AC Delco pump. GM pumps are brand new, not rebuilt. Bosch has a line of brand new units also. Check the coolant condition and flushing may be a good idea since its going to be open anyway. After installing the pump and adding new coolant/water use a package of the powered Bars Leak or get GM sealing tablets from the dealer. It will help the new pump bearings lap in and prevent it leaking until they do. As far as the AC, it's not as easy as the other post stated. You will need to evacuate the old refrigerant unless it's empty. After you open an AC system it will have to be purged of all moisture and contaminates, usually done with a vacuum pump. Any moisture in the system or contaminates will damage or destroy the new comp. To properly convert to 134A(not a good idea) you need to replace the accumulator, the hoses, O rings and the orifice tube. 134 components are different from 12. System pressures are different between 12 and 134. 134 will NOT cool as well as 12. Depending on the condition of the rest of the system you may well be better off refilling with 12 despite it's cost. Many AC shops still carry 12, shop for price. You can do it on the cheap, but you will be adding a pound a year if you don't convert properly. Even factory 134 systems are problems, talk to some dealer techs. Unless you have the guages for AC service it might be a good idea to let a shop handle that end of the repair.