a/c problem

[fishdog72]

My vz has a problem with magnetic clutch in a/c auto leaders quoted me $675 or $1500 for compressor seems expensive !!!!

[leethal1]

ouchtime... they are an expensive compressor.... however $1500 seems a little rich, are you sure that is for the compressor and fitting? they did not slip the months rent in there as well? I would assume they compressors would e the same as the older sanden ones and you should be able to replace the clutch and electromagnet on front of the compressor without pulling it out. I would suggest getting more quotes.

[Pharaoh]

Hi Fishdog,
I agree with leethal1 - the compressors are expensive and $1500 is a bit pricey. I had my compressor go on me a few months back. The particular compressor model is not really designed to be rebuilt (I had a look at the broken one and you wouldn't be bothered!) and you will save much pain and heartache just paying for a new one.
However, can I offer a few points from my recent experience:
1. Ring around - the base price for a new compressor (genuine) was about $900. The most expensive price (for the same model from a different supplier) was $1,600.
2. Note that, assuming all other parts of your a/c system are ok, the system needs to be de-gassed (to remove the old compressor and install the new one) and then regassed - you may pay anywhere between $100 and $250 for this service (so definitely shop around!!).
If you do the job yourself:
3. The bolts holding in the compressor are actually longer than the width of the empty area in the engine bay - the only way to actually get the compressor off is to loosen the engine mounting screws and jacking the engine up (to give you some clearance to slide the bolts out).
4. Make sure you draw yourself a reference diagram to refit the serpentine belt correctly on completion.

Cheers & good luck.

[keygen]

+1 leethal1 & Pharaoh .
i've had a similar problem recently . a/c just stopped working . was working well , gas in system , power everywhere , earth on harness side of a/c wiring connector .
thought the coil? for a/c clutch was kaput . didn't want to hope someone could repair it , so got a new 1 for $550(mates trade price) with dryer : )
about $600 for the compressor alone after ringing around . mine is a delphi brand compressor .
i also found after removing the mounting nuts that i couldn't remove/slide the compressor off the studs , so i removed the lower & rear studs . think it was a 5 or 6mm single hex stud.
access to the compressor was much easier after removing the air filter box (t50 torqx i think) etc .