How to Remove and Replace an AC Compressor - High Detail 

Becky Blanton You could’ve just got a bypass pulley for your AC compressor it’s only 45 bucks

@@nibroc1356 And do without the A/C? Why would she want to do that?

👍🏻

You are correct - I noticed the same thing. Interestingly, the conversion from grams to ounces is .0353, which is almost the same as the conversion from cc to fluid ounces, which is .0338. Considering that 1 gram of water has a volume of 1 cc, he's only off by about 10% since the specific gravity of oil is about 90% the SG of water. He actually adds about 160 cc which weighs about 5 ounces.

Yes, short and sweet. Thanks for your comment.

christian wiskoski np, let us know how it goes and gl. cheers

Frank Dielii good info thanks.

Tisa Hardin yes, youtube is pretty cool. thanks for commenting.

Very helpful Thanks,

+Nate N np, glad you liked it. cheers

Mark Tomory Interesting, thanks for sharing this useful bit of info! cheers

+Mark Tomory so what you are saying is that it was dumb luck for him that 5.0 oz by weight worked out to about the correct fl oz required! His customer in this case was fortunate!!

Jimmy Mac That little scale is very useful to have around the shop, AC system repair shouldn't be difficult as long as one has the right tools, good instructions and can follow them exactly. Thanks for you comment,

Read the comments, they already answered this question.

Steve Frailey yea you rite wont harm it tho seeing how alot of people do it that way..but i use a beker for cc to convert the oz to the rite cc

Glad you like it, thanks for commenting.

Well yeah and no...Its a certain amount of "PAG" oil you have to add 1st.....The autozone R134 only has a little PAG oil....Not enuff for the whole system...Remember, The freon evaporates, but, the oil stays behind when you just do a recharge....Whole system redo , you gota add the right amount of PAG oil....Otherwise...Your new compressor will just burn up...Now, you gota do this all over again and cost even more money.....Chris Fixx has a great vid on recharging the whole system...and , if I remember right....You can get the gauges on loan from Auto Zone...Happy Huntin'.....

@ 8:36 , Personally, i'd have used either a double end capped PAG or 525 SUS mineral oil (the one used for R-12) to lubricate the o-rings, or even the Nylog. The oil you used doesn't state anywhere on its container that it's double end capped, so i assume it's a single end capped PAG. Reason is, single end capped PAG oil is hygroscopic, just like Ester. Double end capped PAG, mineral and Nylog aren't. Only ways to remove any oil are to replace parts, recover the refrigerant fast enough or flush parts. Vacuum isn't going to affect oil quantity in any way. There's no more refrigerant that can carry the oil with it, while you vacuum. There isn't any other agent that can dissolve it either. Also, PAG and POE oils are polar. They cling to the metal. That's why workshop manuals tell you to add a certain amount of oil after replacing an AC part, without even bothering to drain and measure. A certain amount of oil resides in every component, since PAG and POE oils are polar and cling to the metal, covering anything in a thick oil film. Workshop manuals tell you to add a certain amount of oil when you replace any component, including the dryer. The safest thing period is to flush the whole system and add the whole oil charge into the new compressor. Another relatively safe way, when you're not dealing with a seized compressor, is to remove the old compressor, drain it of any oil and refill it with the same amount of oil that you drained, plus half a fluid oz to compensate for anything that clinged to the metal inside the compressor and you couldn't drain, plus any oil that came out while recovering the refrigerant, and plus any other oil amount that the workshop manual asks you to add for any other component you replaced together with the compressor.

I hope thats what the mechanic did with mine recently. He just said its in, gonna charge it. How fast would it make the new compressor bad if not done right?

You’ll need to evacuate the AC system with vacuum pump

Curtis W Good info, thanks for sharing.

you don't use fluid ounce for oil,there is so many different densities with oil depending on the type of oil you're dealing with,oil is the exception to the rule,oils are never measured in fl oz,there can be up to a quarter 3rd fill difference with the same container .A PAG 46 lb/cubic inch refrigerant oil's kinematic viscosity is high enough to be nearly considered as solid matter,therefore that guy in the video is pretty accurate when he uses an ounce scale .

As long as your scale reads the same as the weight on the side of the bottle. Anything over is the weight of the bottle itself.

You can. Prob be worth a shot if you dont mind going back and redoing things if it doesnt work out for ya. Since it was 9 months ago i'm sure you chose what you wanted to do by now. Curious as to which route u went. And is it still good this year, summers already here in some places(like where i'm at in charleston, sc!) Hot already!

Yeah but your supposed to have it safely removed first at a mechanic shop

+Stephen Maurer It has held up great so far, and thats getting regular use in socal too.

+RatchetsAnd Wrenches Awesome video! I have to do this repair to my 2009 Toyota Tacoma. Chrisfix makes a video on this topic also. Thank you for the reply!!

If it's a system that uses txv, might have to "jump" compressor at first. After just a couple ozs, put relay back in and it should be running on it's own. Finish filling other 15 to 20 oz or whatever it calls for. If uses orifice tube, jump it there if you got to. But those systems may not need a "jumper" to get them to start taking refrigerant. Good Luck!

Prob about the same as in the front. Like if 5 oz in system w out a rear, add 5 more with rear. Find out where to add the pag before pouring it all in only ONE spot! *Good Luck*

Lew, when you get a new compressor(not an old remanned one, but brand new, like form GPD or somewhere) dont they want you to drain the factory oil from it, and do it from the "drain plug"? Then, refill, like you said, with some different oil, and back into the same drain plug port? Not fill from line ports? Just curious what you think about "conditioning" or prepping a new compressor prior to a complete system rebuild(minus evaporator). Thx! Btw, 2000 Chrysler sebring conv Sanden type unit.

nastassia jefferson Google a place like O'Reilly auto parts. You can enter your year, make , and model on their page and find your compressor. They generally run on the north side of 200 bucks. I'd strongly recommend also replacing the condenser. If the condensor clogs, that's usually what ruins the compressor. You don't want a bad condenser to ruin your new compressor, do you? You can have the condenser tested first, but it doesn't help to try flushing it. If it's clogged, then it's clogged for good. Don't let some fool try to tell you otherwise.The A/C system has to be vacuum-evacuated of all the old coolant before it's safe to remove the compressor. Get the evacuating done at a shop with the right equipment. A few home mechanics have sufficient equipment to do this, but they really have to know what they're doing. In other words, don't let some idiot try doing it.

randolph patterson do you advise to flush the system once the compressor is removed? I know i'll need a shop for this because i do not have an air compressor, but everything else i believe i can handle. The idea would be to have a shop allow me to do the work there because the drive belt would have been off... in ur experience is this something that shops allow?

To answer the tail end question first, the answer would be no. I don't know of any shop (unless a family, friends or employers) that would allow you to use their tools and space. Not for free anyway. And even with a price, probably not. Too many liability issues. As for flushing the system, As Randolph stated, you are best off to replace the condenser all together and ditch the old one and flush the other parts and here's why: A compressor contains teflon rings. When these compressors fail the rings then shatter apart and get carried through the system with the refrigerant. And when it gets stuck throughout your system, it's nasty. Teflon is really dirty sticky stuff that will impede any and all passages it cannot overcome. And if we look at our refrigerant flow direction we can see that all those shavings are headed right to your condenser. The passages in these condensers are only getting smaller and smaller as the years go by. JUNK IT! Not worth the hassle to keep. Next is the Orifice/metering device/piston (whatever you wanna call it) or txv. The orifice will surely be restricted beyond all recognition and will need to be replaced. If it's a txv instead, I would change that most certainly. Again, teflon is nasty stuff. I would flush any other components the best I could BEFORE installing said metering device. This flushing will rid any other debri trash or oil that may still be present in your system. GET OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. It's already apart. Then once the system is fully reassembled, you will need to pull a vacuum. This is something that alot of novice DIYers skip and wonder why their new compressor just burned out. To "pull a vacuum" is meant to remove the outside air that has contaminated the system during repair. Air contains moisture. Refrigerant and moisture don't get along. And if they do get along, their relationship is very harsh and toxic. The acids will surely destroy your system. By pulling a vacuum we eliminate this problem. A vacuum of about 500 microns is sufficient. Once achieved should be monitored for about 5-10 minutes to check for vacuum loss due to leaks. If none, move on. The vacuum SHOULD be broken with dry nitrogen and the evacuation process should continue 2 more times to ensure contaminates have been removed. Once in the final vacuum, you will then break that vacuum with your refrigerant and charge to OEM specs. This is a brief and general practice of refrigeration repair and is in NO means a substitute for actual case scenario. Many factors need to be taken in account. This field is both fascinating and if persued can be a good money maker, even as a side hustle. As with anything RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! Don't try attempting something unless you have an accurate understanding. Learn from those who made the mistakes so you don't have to. Hope this helps you or anyone else who had the patience. Any questions? Just holler!

@@guitargeorge1874 that was the most professional info I have heard on this pump replace issue. I am trying to do this replace because my clutch went to lunch and it is a 1997 ford explorer so I figured it would be best to replace compressor, but now I see you say that I should replace the condenser, so I'm ok with that but, now have doubts I can do it at all even with back yard mechanics credentials. I have no gauges or other things to vacuum with. thanks for the instruction! Not sure what im gonna do now.

I know right? That what I'm wondering

Vacuuming the lines does not remove oil.

Only ways to remove any oil are to replace parts, recover the refrigerant fast enough or flush parts. Vacuum isn't going to affect oil quantity in any way. There's no more refrigerant that can carry the oil with it, while you vacuum. There isn't any other agent that can dissolve it either. Also, PAG and POE oils are polar. They cling to the metal. That's why workshop manuals tell you to add a certain amount of oil after replacing an AC part, without even bothering to drain and measure.

If you change the compressor make sure when u get refrigerant for it u get the cans made for first time fill of system because the oil is mixed in with the coolant.

Dijo que son 5 onzas.

Refrigerant? Yes, it needs to be charged. This lets all of the refrigerant out.