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AC Compressor is toast

9

97XJ_Country

NAXJA Forum User
Location
North Alabama
The AC compressor clutch went first and now the bearings are going. Right now the job situation is in flux and I don't want to spend the cash until the contract is resolved late this year.

So I'm thinking of going with the compressor bypass pulley and dealing with the compressor in the spring of 2013.

The worry I have is how much I'll have to remove. I want to leave as much of the system in place so I can repair the AC.

What's the least amount of 'damage' that I have to do to the system in order to get the bypass pulley in? Do I just remove the compressor and bundle up the wires and lines out of the way? Do I need to plug any lines? Anything I have no idea about...?

I realize getting it up and running again next year will require changing out more than just the compressor (drier, orifice tube, lube, refrigerant, maybe evap core, etc.). Being here in the South...it's worth it.

I just need to wait a few months...and the compressor bearings aren't going to make it that long. Thanks for any tips or advice.

1997 Cherokee Country
4.0L, Auto, 4x4
 
You still have a/c. Wow! Ditch it and roll down the windows lol.

On the real just grab a JY one to mount in its place that has good bearings. Save some doh in the long run. But if you run bypass make sure you cap the lines to keep crud like even air out as best you can. With a junkyard one i would add a few drops of oil before reattaching the lines just to help with the moisture that does get in.

My way of thinking could be way off just saying what i would do.
 
If you go the JY route, I would drain the oil completely out of the JY compressor and replace it with new...no telling what might be in that oil that you don't want to get mixed in with the rest of your system.

Fortunately the AC Compressor is very easy to remove...one bolt holds the lines to the top, then 3 or 4 hold the actual compressor in place.
 
UNCC_99XJ said:
If you go the JY route, I would drain the oil completely out of the JY compressor and replace it with new...no telling what might be in that oil that you don't want to get mixed in with the rest of your system.

Fortunately the AC Compressor is very easy to remove...one bolt holds the lines to the top, then 3 or 4 hold the actual compressor in place.
Click to expand...

Yep that would be best
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'll see if I can find a decent take-out wrangler compressor on the cheap. If the cost isn't too much more then it's a no brainer.

Is there a particular year range of JY I need to look for?
 
Last edited:
The only thing to watch out for on Wranglers (TJ 4.0's for sure)...they swapped the location of the AC Compressor and the Alternator vs. an XJ 4.0. Not sure what that would do for mounting hole locations, as well as how the line comes into the compressor....haven't really looked deep into it to see if it's a direct swap.
 
I've got a compressor out of my 96 that was in good shape when i took it out for an alt relocation id be willing to sell it. Just pm uncc_99xj for my number since I dont get on here much and shoot me a text. Ive got the whole ac system I took out lines, compressor, condenser, and drier. if someone wants it all id let it go for a deal.
 
Last edited:
Jamescad04 said:
I've got a compressor out of my 96 that was in good shape when i took it out for an alt relocation id be willing to sell it. Just pm uncc_99xj for my number since I dont get on here much and shoot me a text. Ive got the whole ac system I took out lines, compressor, condenser, and drier. if someone wants it all id let it go for a deal.
Click to expand...

If you're interested in this deal let me know. I'll be going to the Crawl in Kentucky in 3 weeks and i'm pretty sure we have some people coming from AL to the event. I'd be happy to bring it with me and send it back with one of the AL guys to help save you on shipping.
 
Just a parts update:

The following compressors are interchangeable between XJ and JY:

1997-2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ 2.5L, 4.0L
1997-1998 Jeep Wrangler JY 2.5L, 4.0L

Before and after those years the compressor bolt locations, inlets and electrical connectors are different. If you are searching for used (or new) parts, look for those.
 
Good to know!

And just to clarify, 97-98 wrangler will be a TJ, not a JY. :)
 
Took a while but I now have all the parts: accumulator, orifice tube and used compressor. All these parts have to be changed to make sure there aren't any metal fillings or blockages that will destroy the compressor again.

I have been quoted $200 for a shop to do the work. They said if I did the work myself, they would pull the vacuum and do the recharge for $49.

The more I read about it, the harder is seems to do it right. It would need a flush, then all the pieces changed. Not sure about oiling the compressor (shop may do that with the recharge?).

A buddy at work who has done AC work on older cars said it may be worth the extra cash to have the shop do it so they can deal with the leaks, oil, flush and making it all work.

So...what do you guys think? Do the work myself and save $150 up front in labor, and risk possibly that much in fixes later, or let the shop do it at the quoted price and call it a day?
 
97XJ_Country said:
Took a while but I now have all the parts: accumulator, orifice tube and used compressor. All these parts have to be changed to make sure there aren't any metal fillings or blockages that will destroy the compressor again.

I have been quoted $200 for a shop to do the work. They said if I did the work myself, they would pull the vacuum and do the recharge for $49.

The more I read about it, the harder is seems to do it right. It would need a flush, then all the pieces changed. Not sure about oiling the compressor (shop may do that with the recharge?).

A buddy at work who has done AC work on older cars said it may be worth the extra cash to have the shop do it so they can deal with the leaks, oil, flush and making it all work.

So...what do you guys think? Do the work myself and save $150 up front in labor, and risk possibly that much in fixes later, or let the shop do it at the quoted price and call it a day?
Click to expand...

Any advice?
 
I guess it depends on how the shop will stand behind the work if they do the whole thing, given that you are supplying the parts. Most shops don't like it when you bring the parts because they don't know where they came from..especially since you said you picked up a used compressor.

$200 isn't too bad a price, especially with you providing the parts. A/C work isn't all that hard, and neither is adding the oil. Best way to oil the compressor is drain it completely of what's in there now, then add the correct amount per the repair manual. When you're dealing with a new compressor, or a re-manufactured one, you'll find oil in there from the factory testing process. The instructions with those will tell you to drain the oil so you know it's empty, then add the correct amount, once again per the repair manual specs. Aside from that, adding oil to the rest of the system is as simple as literally adding oil to each part as you install it. By this I mean, roughly 2-3 ounces in the condensor (literally add it into one of the lines before you bolt/connect everything, roughly 2 ounces in the accumulator...etc. Once you get everything bolted up, pulling a vacuum on the system as well as running it normally will circulate the oil you've added through out the system.

Personally, I would do the work myself...but that's because I have all the tools to do it. If you still wanted to do the work yourself, $49 isn't a bad price for them to pull a vacuum on it and recharge it. You need about (2) 12 oz cans to get a good charge, and the cheapest place to get them is wal-mart for $10 a piece. So there's almost half the $49 they want, just in parts alone. The other $30 is probably the minimum labor amount they charge for anything less than 1 hour.
 
Just an update:

Had the shop do it. It was $180 in labor with another $100 for recapture of refrigerant / flush / vacuum and refrigerant top off.

Ice cold A/C on the way home (nose was getting numb). I'm happy...
 
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