I finally got the chance to take my car to the mechanic today for what i thought was just a freon recharge. I got a call about 45min later and the owner said the freon pressure was good and everything looked good. BUT, when they hooked up the gauges and turned on the AC the clutch would engage but the compressor wouldn't pump, the freon pressure wouldnt move when the AC was turned on. Meaning that the compressor is blown apart on the inside. The mechanic told me that the condensor would also have to be replaced since the compressor blew pieces through the lines into the condensor. Okay, so how much would this cost to replace? $2,249.08!
Condensor $623.65
Compressor w/ clutch $879.98


Are these good options?

Compressor
http://www.acpartshouse.com/showitem...ompressor26498
Condensor
http://www.drivewire.com/search/?N=0.../C%20Condenser)

My question is, has this happened to anyone else on here and if so what did you end up doing? My parents are getting a divorce and kicking me out of the house so i really don't have any money to be spending so if i would like do this myself and find the parts as cheap as possible. Thanks for the help! Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.




I was just thinking about doing something like this, Just to save a little money...

TLcoats, I'm sorry for sidetracking this thread, but for the love of God...please email me.

thomasp23@hotmail.com

Maybe it's just because you're in Cali, that's why the price is out the roof, but i'm having to replace my Compressor right now and I just got one for $350... W/ the clutch prolly $410.. And + labor = around $650 or so.. Try and find someone who you've known for a long time and can get them wholesale, that's what i'm doing. If I were to go to Auto Zone to get it all done it would've ran me like $1100? That sounds like a bit much to pay for that, but then again everything is like 5x as expensive in Cali and i'm in Texas so yeah :/. Just my 2 cents, gl though man.

And if you can try to get a used compressor. I've talked to plenty of people and they say that a used one will work just fine and will be trustworthy.

Cali is not that hot... Windows are good enough. But if you got money then go for the game.

So I think I'm going to try and repair this myself. Does anyone have any idea where the best place for parts would be? Also does the condensor have to be replaced also, my mechanic said it did because the compressor blew pieces into the condensor.

Anybody else have any input?

"so i really don't have any money to be spending"
man what part of cali are you in?
Its august Summer is about to end
its not even that hot of a summer anyways
Save up some money find some good deals on the parts and do it later maybe you will come up on a deal or find someone to do it for you cheap but right now seems like you will be spending some money even if you get the parts cheaper its still gonna be something

just get the parts.....make sure anywhere u open to put new oring ....and about the condensor.... he might be right???? unknown ...but how can he tell it blew???? but if it did and u put a new compressor in ..it might go bad again.... tough decision... but non the less if you have the know how to work on car ....go for it is not that complicated....
also when you put freon back in make sure to put the right mix of freon and oil or you will have another compressor go bad very fast

Npt sure if this helps the OP, but I had an AC issue for the past few weeks. The only reason why it took so long to fix was because the drier/accumulator took forever to arrive. But I ordered a remanned compressor from ebay for like 250 or so after shipping, 15 bucks for a drier (also on ebay), and 186.10 to have them both installed, system evacuated, and refilled.

All in all, even I think that I got lucky by finding a shop to do it for so cheap compartively. Lexus quoted me 2400 (not including expansion valve, which I did buy for 15 and do not need now, so if anyone needs it, pm me!), I had 2 other shops quote me 750-900 and 1200, one shop quote me 350. Then my wife stumbled upon a local guy that did totyota work for the 186.10 as long as we brought parts.

My compressor was seized and would not spin freely, and developed a leak somewhere in the front seal area. Symptoms were: flashing A/C light, warm air, and a slight refrigerant smell in the cabin the day the compressor seized. I thought the expansion valve would be necessary, but the guy said since he did the compressor and drier and everything was reading perfect, that there is obviously no leak from behind the dash (thank goodness!).

I dunno if my experience helps at all, but if you want the ebayer names of where I got the parts, pm me. The compressor I was worried about since someone here had a bad experience with one that was too weak....but this one came with unlimited warranty and works like an OEM one. And the drier and expansion valve were so cheap it's ridiculous to pay more than 15-20 for either.

BTW, as for DIY, there's a pic walkthrough on these boards. I was actually going to do it myself as well, but my bimmer's AC just blew, so I needed a car with AC ASAP since I shuttle my kids around with me. So I just sucked it up and had a shop do it to save time....but based on what I saw, it looks pretty easy to do for a DIYer (I would call myself a MODERATE DIYer...ie...rotors, brakes, suspension, electrical, interior work, NP...but no rebuilds, heads, trannies, etc.)