I've decided this year to add some modern luxury to my car such as working AC before it gets too hot, it's been dead for over a decade now The only means of cooling the car are T-tops out and 70+ MPH I had put brand new AC lines in with my 383 upgrade, time to get some use out of them I suppose.

I had a local shop charge up the system with refrigerant (and dye to look for potential leaks), it worked great for 24 hours, blowing nice and cold. But then stopped cooling completely and took it back to the shop who got out their backlight flashlight and quickly saw the glowing mess coming from the 1994 vintage AC compressor They want $500-600 to put on a new compressor, filter/drier, expansion valve. I figure I will try putting on a new one myself and save a little money, they will only charge me for the additional refrigerant to charge it up again if I do it.

My question is in regards to which AC compressor replacement should I go with; AC delco 1522135 from Rockauto.com $222.79, 4 seasons 88955 from Rockauto.com $160.79, or get a Delphi CS0123 $219.99 with 2 year warranty from Autozone

I know AC delco is generally considered the best, but Autozone has a generous return policy if something happens to the new compressor....the other 2 compressors say you need a work order from a shop that shows the system was flushed....do I really need to get it "flushed" if all my refrigerant leaked out and I'll be replacing the filter/drier and expansion valve too? Keep in mind the AC lines are brand new and have only held refrigerant 24 hours.

 

Where was it leaking from? It might just be the two seals where the ac lines plug into the compressor. Those are fairly easy to do and cheaper than a new compressor. No need to flush just add the oil and refrigerant until its charged

 

If you open the system it needs to be evacuated to remove all traces of moisture. If you don't have a vacuum pump and equipment you'll have to take it to a shop. I put a Delphi compressor on my '98 C1500, IMO go with them.

 

Make sure you put a new AC drier and expansion valve on there when you replace the AC condenser.

 

I baught a new Delphi on eBay for a great deal and did the same thing. Do the dryer and add the pag oil, then vacuum and charge. 4 years on mine and it's still ice cold!

 

They said it was leaking from all around the pulley shaft...I'm guessing the seals are done.

Hmmm...with all this info, I might just better let them do it because I don't have a vacuum pump and all the tools for AC work, I'd rather just make sure it's done right once and be done with it so I don't have to put on another one on a month later because I didn't flush the system right or something dumb. I'll make sure they put a new expansion valve, drier and everything they are supposed to.

 

It's super simple. Mine was the first I ever did and I've done several since then. Almost all of them died from bad front compressor seals. The dryer is a standard part to replace but I've never heard about replacing the expansion valve. Go service manual doesn't call for it. I did all the work at home and the. Had a shop vacuum it for me. You can actually rent a vac pump at autozone now.

 

$500-600 for a compressor change with drier and service sounds fair. But, MAKE SURE it's an AC Delco or Delphi unit. The other brands will work for a year or two, AC Delco and Delphi will work for another 20.

The vacuum and gauges are available though (I got my pump and gauges from Harbor Freight, their lines suck though) if you do decide to DIY. $300 for both should get you there. Then you'll still be out $500-600, but you'll have the tools to do any other cars too, I bought my own pump and gauges and do all my own cars now; and a few friends here and there. AC swap for me only costs parts.

 

I will get the shop to clarify the brand compressor and quote....they do warranty their work for 3 months 3000 miles, I'll ask my other service manager friend at the local dealership what they charge too to compare; I know the dealership will warranty it a least a year, which is definitely worth something. They will probably try to sell me some $500 AC delco compressor marked up crazy.


If I do decide to try it myself, are you saying I just take it to them to get flushed/evacuated before or after the new compressor/drier is installed?

 

Yep, one guy at my work replaced some parts on his AC and got it sucked down and serviced for $90 at a shop.

 

To add to this, if you use the same shop to evacuate and then vacuum and service, they may only charge the difference in r134a from what they pulled out and what they put in plus labor.

Another plus to having your own AC tools is that you can use compressed air to locate a leak instead of using your AC charge with dye. Then you can pull vacuum and find leaks that way too. The AC system is under pressure though, so using vacuum to locate a leak can work, but you could be sealed under vacuum and leak under pressure. Not that you need this now, but it helps for future or friends.