I know there is a lot of information out there covering this material, but I am a little confused and would like some clarification before I proceed and spend tons of money.

Recently, my 1996 Bronco's A/C compressor froze up.. and I thought I would get lucky replacing the clutch (thinking it was just the compressor clutch that went bad.. but that wasn't it..) so I know I need to replace the compressor. After doing a bit of research, I learned that if the compressor needs to be replaced, then the accumulator, orifice tubes and condenser all need to be replaced also.

Now I can do the labor of replacing these parts on my own, but I'm not an expert on A/C and know there is more to it then bolting on new parts.. and I don't have the tools and am a little nervous to rent them to evacuate, recharge, and flush the system. After asking around local mechanics and such, I am under the impression that I can just purchase the compressor, condensor, orifice tubes, and accumulator. Then do the labor to replace these parts, and bring my bronco into the shop to have them flush, evacuate, and recharge the system.

Am I correct in this? Can I just buy the new parts and install them, then leave everything open (tubes and such not attached) so the shop can flush, evacuate, then recharge everything? Or is there something I am missing? And also, are there any O-rings I need to replace? Or will those be replaced in the parts I buy?

Any clarification would be much appreciated! If I can just do the bolting on of the new parts and have the shop do the rest I would be happy!

 

Theoretically you could leave everything open, but some parts are a lot easier to flush out of the truck.

Unless your coolant has leaked out you'll need to take it to a shop to have it recovered.

The only parts you *should* replace along with the compressor are the seals, orifice tube and dryer/accumulator. Unless the condenser is leaking or the fins are FUBAR it should be okay. Ditto the evaporator core. Pull the evaporator core to clean/have tested for leaks. You won't know whether to shout or go blind when you see how friggin dirty evaporator cores get.

I had all my hoses rebuilt because after 20 years why not? Cheaper than replacing the R-12 if they were leaking.

 

You can also buy a compressor that has been rebuilt to run R-134 refrigerant as well.

 

Thank you for the responses. Luckily, I checked under my hood and since my Bronco is a 96, it has r134 instead of r12 ( I didn't realize there was a sticker there saying the type of refrigerant until today when I read it somewhere online. )

I was under the impression that if the compressor has seized up, it was most likely due to contaminants in the system, which is why everything needed to be flushed. However, at least with Fords, that the condenser can't be properly flushed due to the openings being to small, and if it wasn't replaced you would get the "black death" symptom, or basically the compressor would go bad again because the condenser would still have junk in it and eventually ruin the compressor again.

With flushing the components, I don't flush the accumulator or compressor, but I assume I flush all the tubes and evaporator then? I'm thinking if I have to replace the compressor, condenser (unless it can be flushed but I read that you have to replace it), accumulator, and orifice tubes, that I might as well replace the hoses too and the would pretty much just leave the evaporator the only part I didn't replace correct? Would I have to flush the new components or because they are new could I just install them without doing much besides adding the oil to the compressor?

I'm just a little nervous trying to do too much more than the bolting on of the parts because I don't want to forget something and mess up a repair like this.

Also I have another question. If I replace my compressor and leave the system open, would I be able to drive my truck down to the mechanic if I don't engage the AC? Would the compressor clutch just act as a pulley or would I ruin the compressor driving on it with it not connected to the rest of the system?

 

No worries to drive it with the A/C off, but if you want to be double sure you can leave the pigtail unplugged or leave off the belt.

 

In a 96, he would have to change belts to bypass it (serpentine).

 

Okay here is an update, I have been busy with school (engineering and Air Force ROTC) so I haven't had much time to work on my truck but...

I got everything replaced, I replaced the compressor, both AC lines (the two part one that attaches to the compressor and goes to the accumulator and and the condenser and then the line from the condenser to the evaporator), I replaced the condenser, the accumulator, and orifice tube and the evaporator was flushed. I brought my truck to an AC shop to have them evacuate and recharge the system.

However.. here is my dilemma, from asking around my local parts store and looking at some sites online, I was under the impression that the oil for the compressor was supposed to be added AFTER I installed it on the truck, and that oil added would be split and added to the accumulator and the compressor. I wasn't exactly sure how to add the oil (for I was kinda confused) and figured it would be best to have the shop add the oil to the compressor so I didn't mess anything up. Upon going to the shop, the mechanic told me that I was supposed to add oil BEFORE I put the compressor on my truck... The shop went ahead and added oil to the system through the accumulator (I believe, basically added oil with the compressor installed on my truck) and have had the system evacuated and recharged.

Here is my question... is it okay if the oil was added to the compressor this way? I don't want the compressor to blow up and have to replace everything I just did. So if this isn't okay, should I just have the system evacuated again and take the compressor off then have oil added then recharge it? Unfortunetaly I would have wasted a few hundred bucks this way but better than buying all the parts again..

Any suggestions or comments would be helpful.. I really don't want to have the time and money I just spent wasted if the new compressor gets ruined.

 

If the compressor is quite when operating, you're probably OK.
If it sounds like rocks are rattling around inside the compressor, that's a
bad sign

Since the shop knew there was no oil in the compressor they
should have disconnected one end of one of the hoses going to
the compressor and added the proper amount of oil directly into
the compressor. The rest of the oil thru the low pressure port.

If they engaged the compressor when it was dry, shame on them.

You could have added the oil yourself because no oil is removed
when a vacuum is pulled before the system is recharged.

 

Thank you for the reply!

I haven't gotten my truck back yet but I'm swinging by to pick it up tonight or tomorrow sometime. So if the compressor is quiet, then I will assume everything is okay. Otherwise, if it does make a rattling noise, do you think it would be okay for me to have the system recovered, then add oil the proper way to the compressor and have the shop evacuate again and recharge? And if this would be okay, would I have to get another new accumulator since I reopened the system?

Sorry for so many questions but I just want to make sure I am doing everything to avoid wasting the money I spent. This site is amazing for all the great information and I really appreciate all the help I get.

 

If any damage was done to the compressor because there was no oil
in it, there is nothing you can do now.

As the refrigerant circulates, eventually the proper amount of oil
gets distributed through out the system.

If the shop knew there was no oil in the compressor, I would think
they would have added some directly into the compressor
before they charged the system.

You can ask them when you pick up the vehicle.

If for some reason they need to open up the system, they can
look for any debris in the orifice screen which would tell
them if there is any junk from the compressor circulating in the system.

There would be no need to replace the accumulator unless it's
going to be open to the atmosphere for more than a couple of
minutes.

 

If you didn't start the system with no oil you won't have an issue. Once started with the new oil it will run dry for some seconds, then everything will get lubbed, that oil is pretty thin, don't worry, if you got all new parts it will work as intended for several years.

 

Compressors are shipped with oil in them. The usual procedure is to take off the shipping plate, turn the compressor upside down, and turn the shaft in the direction of travel to dump out and pump out the oil. Then add new oil, and turn shaft to pump it until it comes out of the output port. I do a drain/refill twice with the new oil.

This removes oil that was in it during factory testing and shipping, that may have picked up moisture from the air, and also clears out the unknown quantity of oil in it, so you can measure in what you need.

I would not doubt that there are car repair places that don't bother to do this, just bolt the new compressor in and go.

 

Well I got my truck back a few days ago. Haven't had a chance to really drive it yet, but when I tested the A/C, everything seems to be working really well. Nothing seems out of order and the A/C blew really cold right away. So hopefully everything stays that way! Thank you everyone for all the useful information!