Write-Up: AC Compressor & Clutch Replacement

Mr.Riviera wrote:

Aaron, i guess i dont have as good of luck as you do with a/C systems.
My compressor decided to finally die today. It has been making a clicking noise because i got debris in the system and the check valve wasnt metering fluid correctly. Now it just spins but the compressor is so torn up inside it doesnt compress the refrigerant, assuming there is still some in there. Drove home in stop and go traffic for an hour and the temp gauge read 101° the entire time. (least i got a little more tan )

I know i need to replace the compressor, orifice tube and dryer/receiver. Are there any other components that need/should be changed when rebuilding a A/C system?
Which compressor does everyone recommend? (keep in mind i live in FL) there is a pretty big price difference between the seasons name brand and denso. ($166 vs $330)

Is it as simple as vac'ing the system, changing the parts and refilling it with R134A and oil? Anything i should watch out for?

Last question: where is the orifice tube located? i have looked but cant find anywhere that it would go.

You for-sure want to get the variable orifice tube.

Albertj

Sorry if I'm skipping over any big developments here, but if your compressor is trying to run with a bad clutch, you'll see the inside of the pulley skip and stutter. The clutch on my Si's compressor just went at 105k, and I'm using what I learned from what happened when my Riv's went too:

Replace the whole thing. If the clutch is bad, it's already sent metal shaving crap down the line into the drier and your orifice tube will be a solid rod of metal. I paid to have the clutch fixed, then 3 weeks later the compressor was shot and I had the Buick right back in the shop. Replace the compressor, drier, orifice tube, and never have to touch it again.

IBx1 wrote:

Replace the compressor, drier, orifice tube, and never have to touch it again.

i plan to but i wanted to make sure that was all i needed.

Anyone know the difference between the $210 acdelco and the $250 acdelco compressor?? Neither say reman, is it just a model change?

alright, here is what i bought:


Hope that will do the trick. so far it is costing less than i was anticipating (still need to add about $50 in refrigerant)

i installed my new compressor, drier and orifice tube over the weekend. Man, it's nice to have A/C again.

not saying what i did is the right way of doing it, but i have 69° at the vents when its 100 outside and so far all is OK. Im sure there are a few things i could have done different but this was my first time ever working on anything A/C related. I took pics and can make a write up if anyone is interested.

Always interested in Write-Ups!

Hi Aaron.
As you may remember, I specifically recommend to other guys that they gut their air box lids because of the isolation of the IAT sensor... Your mods here are terrific in that respect.

What is bothering me is your original problem with the A/C. Everything I've ever read about the Climate Control says that the system uses the Cabin Air Temp sensor, the Sun-Load sensors, and the Ambient Air Temp sensor in front of the radiator... The IAT sensor should have nothing to do with A/C clutch engagement.

WRITE-UP: REPLACING AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR AND OTHER COMPONENTS

If you need to change your compressor or any component of the A/C systems you need to also replace the accumulator/drier and the orifice tube. It is also a good idea to do a line flush if the compressor failed.

Here are the steps i used to fix my a/c in my 1996. This was my first time ever working on an A/C system so i may have missed something. My end result was a working and quiet A/C that is still working today.

You will need an A/C manifold gauge set, deep state vacuum, hand tools, R134A refrigerant (~30oz for full refill), PAG 150 oil (8oz), about 4-5 hours of time if you dont have any issues.

Here are the ACDelco replacement parts i purchased (orifice tube not shown)


Step 1:
Remove all of the old refrigerant from the system. You can take it to any shop that does A/C work have have them vac the stuff out and hold it for you.
Step 2:
To allow room to work jack up the passenger side and remove the tire, fender line (or at least pull it back), and the bottom air deflector from the car.
Step 3:
Unplug the sensors that are in the way of removing the components. There is one on the A/C compressor and one on the line muffler. To make things easier you will need to take off the battery terminal connection, fuse box and some of the wires going to the KR sensor and oil pan.



Step 4:
You will be removing as many lines as possible to make removing components easier. I was not able to get the line off the bottom drier port while on the car. It is not fun to try and remove things with the lines still attached. If i did it again i would go buy the right size wrench rather than try and use vice grips.
The main line goes from the back of the compressor to the bottom of the drier in the passenger fender and to the condenser(not pictured). You will need a 13mm to remove the line on the condenser.




Step 5:
Once the line is disconnected pull it out of the car. I found it easiest to remove through the passenger fender well.
Step 6:
Remove the accumulator / drier by disconnecting the top port from the line that runs under the washer fluid reservoir. The black cover is held down by a small (7mm) screw and a push tab.
Step 7:
Remove the A/C compressor by removing the 3 13mm nuts and them the 3 screws at the front of the compressor (you will need a small 1/4" or 6/7mm socket to get them out).
There is also a 15mm screw on the back of the compressor.

Step 8:
The orifice tube is located inside the A/C line right next to the alternator.

As you can see mine was badly clogged and probably should have been replaced a long time ago.

Step 9:
After all of the lines are removed from the car you will need to flush them to get any debris out. They sell cans with special flush fluid that evaporates and doesnt leave a film.
Step 10:
The new A/C compressor has a small amount of oil in it from the factory but you will need to add more. Remove the cap at the back and fill it to the top with PAG 150. I believe the whole A/C system takes 8oz of oil but my compressor was filled with 2 or 3 oz from the mfg.

Step 11:
Install the new components. Bolt up the A/C compressor trying not to spill out the oil you just filled it with. and install the new orifice tube and drier.
Step 12: reinstall the now clean A/C line and bolt it back up. Take care not to cross thread anything since these components are all aluminum. The line going to the back of the compressor can be a little tricky to get properly seated.
Step 13:
You will now need to put the system in a deep state of vacuum. Connect the A/C manifold gauge set and the vac. Run the vac for about 5 min then turn it off. If you start to loose vacuum you have a leak and need to recheck the connections. (start with the one on the vac itself )
Step 14:
Once you are confident the system has no leaks run the vac for AT LEAST 30 minutes to remove all air from the system.
Step 15:
Make sure both the red and blue valves are OFF and disconnect the yellow line from the vac. Attach the first can of R134A and begin filling the system. You will want to add the refrigerant to the LOW pressure side. (red knob should be off)

Step 16:
Once you empty that can add another and turn the car on.
The entire system is supposed to take 32oz of refrigerant but it will depend on a few factors how many cans you will need.
Once the system has reached a certain pressure, the compressor should kick on.
Turn the AUTO A/C to full cold and continue adding R134A to the system through the Low side port.
Resist the urge to turn the can upside down. That will cause liquid refrigerant to enter the system and its not a good idea to try and make the compressor compress a liquid. You should however shake the can a little to speed up adding.
The target pressure will be about 45PSI on the blue gauge. The high side should be reading between 2.25 and 2.5 times the ambient temperature.
In my case it was a really hot day (98°+ in the garage). The high side should show between 220 and 250psi.

Step 17:
Enjoy a drink in the now cold cabin of your car. (but dont drive anywhere with said drink)



Also, you may want to hold onto the gauge set for a few extra days to make sure the pressure doesnt drop, which would indicate a small leak.

Hope this write-up helps someone else. i know its no fun sitting in stop and go traffic without A/C.

OK, i finally got around to finishing this write-up. Anyone have anything they want to add?
Im sure my method wasn't by the book since i didnt have a book to go on .
BTW my A/C still blows cold air and its been almost a month since i fixed it.

It isnt ice cold like some other new cars (most new Japanese cars) but im reading about 69° at the vent on a hot day. My only complaint is the blower isnt powerful enough to really circulate the air and kill the heat when you get into a hot car. Some cars blower motors are like a leaf blower on max. Either mine needs replacing or the riv wasnt designed to have that kind A/C.

Congratulations on completion, Matthew!

- As for questions: Was there an instruction regarding where to add the oil and how high to add it?

- As for 'output': FWIW, considering it's feeding a dozen front & rear vents, my own blower velocity is in the same ballpark as any other pre-'98 car I've owned.

I have wished for icier air in my car, and with a new pump, drier & orifice tube you ought to be doing well... In general, I'll remind you that these V-5 compressors work in tandem with the outside temperature - if the ambient air isn't super hot but you're climbing into a sun-baked car, it can be annoying. On the other hand, this pump hardly ever cycles, burns out clutches, or affects gas mileage...

69 degrees sounds sorta' high, but in Florida you may well be at the outer end of the spectrum. The '98 manual (which I believe should be the same as '96) specifies that range of outlet temp when idling in the shade, over 110 degrees/40% humidity.

Eldo wrote:

Was there an instruction regarding where to add the oil and how high to add it?

69 degrees sounds sorta' high, but in Florida you may well be at the outer end of the spectrum. The '98 manual (which I believe should be the same as '96) specifies that range of outlet temp when idling in the shade, over 110 degrees/40% humidity.

No instructions. when i was at autozone i ran into an a/c tech there and that is where he usually adds it. as long as its somewhere in the system the oil will get dispersed and carried around by refrigerant. any extra oil (when the R134A is saturated) will remain in the compressor and the drier.
You could also get the cans of oil to add the same way you add R134A but they are expensive and only 1oz of oil per can.
I have not remeasured the air temp coming back from a cruse on a warm day. The 69 deg was sitting idle in the garage. 60-80% humidity and 100°+ in there with the car running.

I have the same noise..as soon as i get a answer for this question i am either ordering the clutch or the whole thing...

how do i know if the whole compressor needs to b replaced?? its making that same loud screeeching noise .. but my ac works fine.. ..so can i just replace the clutch?

1more question...about how much does this usually run you at a shop or from a mechanic ???? because i was just told about 500 with labor and charging

IM BACK..AND I JUST REALIZED THESE PAST COUPLE DAYS WEVE GOTTEN RAIN..AND THE NOISE ONLY COMES WHEN IT RAINS....THE DAYS WITH NO RAIN..NO NOISE ...DO YOU STILL THINK IT COULD BE THE COMPRESSOR CLUTCH??? DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS????? I NED HELP LOL

What is the noise you are hearing?

its a slight squeak.. earlier in the post people said it sounded like the ac compressor clutch..but now that i haven't heard it in a while ..i realized that it only comes when it rains.. weird i know..but a day or two ago it rained at night when i left for work at 5 am..my car was still wet and i started it up and BOOM the noise..then next couple days no rain..no noise until today .but today it didn't last as long.

maybe you need a new belt

Or a tensioner. I wouldn't say it's the AC clutch for sure. Read through this thread when you have some time:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t5509p15-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-how-much-does-this

ok thanks

I need to change out my Heating/A/C compressor. The part looks easily accessible but I would like to know the degree of difficulty to do this task if any. Any tips or write-ups?
Thanks

Main thing is to evac, capture, and recharge system. You don't want that getting in your lungs or on your skin. Bad news. Shouldn't take anymore than an hour to change the compressor, discounting evac and recharge.

Ok thanks. I heard a bad grinding sound from that area with the engine running and when I went to investigate I saw the pulley (along with the noise) was nearly jumping off the compressor housing, so I decided to change out the whole unit given that its never been changed before. I understand that I may have to change the accumulator and an orfice tube? Would they be easy to locate once the compressor is off?

I also have questions about this procedure.

I have heard you need to leave the system under a vacuum for 30 minutes before filling. Is this just to extract moisture, or to prove a leak-free system, or both? Is it still necessary today, or is this something from the old days? I have also heard you have to change the accumulator drier anytime you open up the system. Does this negate the need for putting the system under vacuum again?

There is a nice write-up of the AC compressor R&R in this thread:
https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t7495p15-new-ac-compressor?highlight=compressor
It doesn't cover the flush part well because user moldymac did not flush his, but covers the rest just fine. I just bought a 95 Riv for my girlfriend last week, and the AC is going to be the first project, so that thread was my intro to this forum!

Got the A/C clutch on.... finally. What a pain. Clutch engages smoothly now, and no more squeal. A/C isn't blowing very cold and the compressor is cycling on/off too often, so I suspect it needs a charge. Has anyone tried one of the DIY charge bottles from Autozone, etc?

Got the new belts on and drove the Riviera around the block under its own power for the first time since I picked it up, and probably for the first time a few years

Brakes are mushy, need bled, but work. Next on the list.

Al