by "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
Published 03/03/2017 at 18:22
by "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
Published 03/03/2017 at 18:22
No Tags
STARS: 0
Some of you may recall, on a family vacation our serpentine belt snapped and a somewhat shady mechanic told me he thought it was my ac compressor pulley bearing that locked up and then caused the belt to break. I was hesitant and wanted a second opinion I trusted. So, we arranged a AAA tow home by a driver who was headed our way anyways(he was happy to drive a car 130 miles over a mountain pass) and some trip insurance to cover our rental.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Eventually I got it to a shop we trust and I just got a call from the shop that my compressor grenaded itself. He said sometimes it’s called the Black Death. And if it’s bad enough, compressor bits end up throughout your AC system. And here is a good explanation of it:
http://www.johnnysradiatorshop.com/files/32336173.doc
The shop said that there are three options. First is, they do it the right way. $2200 for an overhaul of the AC system including lots of replacement parts. Or option 2, I get my own compressor from a junk yard, and put it on and don’t hook it up. Or I guess third, I replace all the parts. The cost for the overhaul almost matches the cost of the car. Whereas I’m guessing with non-functioning AC we could still get $1500-2000 for it. I’m not sure how me doing it fully would play out on cost/benefit but if I find time to wrench lately, my go-to car isn’t our 2006 Ford freestyle.
Sooooo, I sent my wife a link to a kizashi we could afford with a small loan. Cause come summer, she is not going to be having a car without AC.
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
03/03/2017 at 19:47, STARS: 0
Yay Kizashi! :D
"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
03/03/2017 at 19:51, STARS: 0
That seems a bit high on the price, but it is a bit of work. A set of manifold gauges and vacuum pump can be a good investment, just avoid the gauge set from harbor freight. Amazon sells a surprisingly good quality gauge set for reasonable money.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JFHNG0/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/04/2017 at 00:31, STARS: 0
It may be high, they offered the parts list of everything they replace when the compressor grenades so I could price it out on my own. So once I see it, I’ll have a better idea. But honestly, I think putting it on Craigslist for trade in type price will probably be the better way.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/04/2017 at 00:35, STARS: 0
My wifes car is a weird sort of practicality, quality, uniqueness and sportiness. I thought the Kizashi would be a good fit. Although she got on a mini kick lately...
"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
03/04/2017 at 10:33, STARS: 0
Usually a grenaded compressor results in a new compressor, drier, orffice tube/expansion valve, news O-rings throughout, new hoses (maybe, depending on how old the car is) and a new condenser. There usually isn’t a reason to replace the evaporator under the dash. They usually flush out just fine along with the hard lines.