First of all I'm a single mom doing what I can on my own. This past week my ac stopped cooling. I got some advice and adapted my 93 Ford Ranger to the new refrigerant and then added leak detector with red dye and a can of freon with lubricant. AC worked like new, but the noise that was being heard from my compressor was still present. The compressor had stopped it's noise initially, but :-(. I added enough coolant to fill the system and suspect from metal shavings and lack of red dye that my compressor clutch is the issue. How can I tell if I need to replace the whole compressor or just the clutch. I don't want a total lock down, because she is my only vehicle and I'm in at home sales (lots of driving). I have purchased a new clutch and could use any diagnostic and technical advice. I do some work on her myself, but don't want to cause more problems.

 

I am note an AC guru, but a couple of years back I had my system redone which they said needed a new compressor because the internal parts of the old one were failing. There was a slick knock that could be heard. Now if you need a clutch from what I understand you will also need new seals and they will leak once the clutch is pulled as you will be disturbing the shaft etc.

So I dont think this is much help but it may give you more information to base your decicion on.

 

When you changed over to r134 did you vacuum the system? You vacuum to get rid of moisture and remove all traces of the lubricating oil from the old r12(original freon) as it's not compatible with the newer r134. Also did you replace the drier? The drier removes moisture and also has a screen to catch debris. Both of these should have been done. If your compressor is toast it's probably more cost effective to get a rebuilt one complete with a new clutch as a unit. Advance shows around 80 for a clutch versus starting point of 186 for rebuilt compressor w/clutch . The additional is money well spent. Add another 24 for the drier. A/C work other than a simple refill is not really DIY as you need to have all the tools (vac unit, charging hoses with gauges etc). If your old compressor has failed and thrown metal particles into the system it is crital to get it all out or the replacement will be short lived. Another thing to consider is the expansion valve which has a small orifice that meters flow into the evaporator to give you your cooling. If it is full of crud that will also cause issues. I would get an estimate from a mechanic to see what you are up against and then you can decide if you want to tackle it yourself.

 

This is not normally a job for a diy'r although my son and I just replaced the ac unit on his Taurus and it took us two days this past weekend. The original problem was the ac clutch, but we put on a new compresser with new clutch. While we were in there we put on a new water pump, idler pulley and new serpentine belt as the car has 182k on it and it's a big job removing everything to get down to the ac unit. Took it to my friend this morning and had it all recharged. You must get PAG oil and put into the new compressor and follow the instructions or it could void the warranty. The air temp from the dash vents was 25F after charging. (I couldn't believe how cold it was)