1994 A/C compressor housing leaking.

[IsaacHayes]

My 94 compressor is leaking in the middle of the case/housing. Can I fix this some how or do I have to shell out $300 for a new one? Is it possible to put a new gasket inside it or something? What If I JB weld all around the seams of the bitch?

What other cars use this compressor? would the 4cyl car have the same compressor? I need to figure out what model# it is so I can shop on ebay perhaps for rebuilt ones.

TIA

[IsaacHayes]

also, where is the expansion valve located? I dont remember seeing one...

[gpse3400]

If you got a u pull it yard by you I'd suggest going there and getting a used one. The chances are that you will get a good unit. Just make sure that when you spin the nose end that you hear suction noises comming out of the ports. You can use '94-'95 W body ones, as they have the old mounting bosses but are calibrated for 134a.

[IsaacHayes]

But what if I get a leaky one? This is a common problem on this style, IIRC 93 and older didn't have this problem.

A friend with a newer grand prix just had his do the same thing. And I have another friend with a brand new impala and his gas leaked out. I'm thinking same problem... Another guy I know with a 96 low mileage corsica had his go out too.

I guess I should check the yard, and see how much it would cost. But $30 a pop for 134a would get expensive if I got a bad one. If not for the freon being so expensive, it's actually kind of fun putting it on a vacuum and using the gauges to fill it back up!

[gpse3400]

Well I just replaced the one in the lobster. That particular one hasn't been run in like 4 years. I went and charged it up and ran it.Because I did that it leaked, I asummed the seals went dry and crisp. Plus it wasn't that strong. Myt experiance is moslty with R12 V5 comperssors. My thing with these compressers is that they get weak, possibly do to bad compression or a bad control valve. This is the first one I had that leaked. If I don't hear it working I know it's going to be a weak performer. That why I say make sure you har th suction when you salve ge a comperssor. Once in my '94 Z28 I had a bad schrader valve, once again the car was sitting several months, otherwise it worked great prior. That is my experiance with leaky systems. I say the newer the better, maybe you can switch to the '96 style which bolts directly to the block, you'll need the matching hoses. I say if you got a cheap yard by you, it isn't wortrh spending $300 for something that'll perform the same for 10,15 or 30 dollars. Even if you gotta keep searching. And when you find a good one use it even in the winter, keep the oil circulating. That is one way you can prevent the system to leak.

[tractorman]

You can get a seal kit off the Advance Auto Parts website for about $40. I re-sealed the compressor on my '96 achieva when it was leaking between housings like that. It was a little complicated, but not too bad.

[IsaacHayes]

gpse3400: I already repalced my shrader valves, those were the only other thing leaking. My compressor IS the same style as a 1996. My compressor was used in winter (with the defroster) until it passed gas.

tractorman: 40? I saw much cheaper prices. Some where for the shaft, and one I think was for the case, which was $2. I'm thinking about going this route if I can get the stuff cheap. Did you also replace the shaft seal? I figure the compressor is junk, might as well see if I can re-build it with seals.. How many hours did it take you?

Thanks

[tractorman]

It actually might've been more than $40 including shipping and all... I don't remember exactly. I got the shaft seal kit, which includes the shaft seal and SOME of the gaskets you'll need. I also got a plain ol' 'seal kit' that had pretty much everything but the shaft seal, so I had stuff left over. Still cheaper than a new compressor.

I took the compressor off at the house, plugged the lines, and took it to work with me the next day. With a nice clean area and all the tools I needed, taking my time, it took an hour or so to re-seal the compressor. Then I took it home, installed it and all that.

Now, if I still lived in the city like I used to, I might've just gone down to the junkyard and got a used compressor- they were only $20 or so IIR. I re-sealed the one I had mainly 'cause I now live way out in BFE, and there are no decent junkyards around.

If you do re-seal the compressor, you'll lose some oil. I just guestimated how much had been in there and it worked fine. But keep in mind that these Harrison V5 systems don't take plain ol esther or PAG oil that you usually buy. You gotta get the oil at the dealer- it's a blend and it's a lot thicker than the usual stuff.

[IsaacHayes]

Hmm good to know about the oil. Was yours leaking at the shaft too? That seems to be the most expensive seal, and if I can just replace my housing seals, for 6 bucks or so, then I might go that route.

[tractorman]

You have to pull the front housing off the compressor (among other things), so the shaft pulls out of the seal. The old seal was still intact and might've worked, but considering the price of R134A lately, you wouldn't want to chance it.

[IsaacHayes]

Hmm in that case I might try to just find a junkyard one that doesn't seem to leak (random chance), as that probably will be cheaper than the seal kit. If it still doesnt work, then I'll rebuild one of em..

Thanks for the info.

[IsaacHayes]

tractorman: did you need any special tools to take the compressor apart?
And do you know the model# or brand of these compressors?
Thanks.

[IsaacHayes]

Bump!!!! !!!!

[tractorman]

First, remove the drain plug and drain the oil out so you can guestimate how much to put back in. I THINK the drain plug was around the 'bottom' of the front housing. I measured how much came out, then put just a little more than that back in the drain plug hole once it was assembled.

If I recall, the hub came off easy enough. You gotta take the nut off the clutch shaft and use a puller to pull the clutch off the shaft- lots of parts stores will loan the puller out. After that I removed the snap ring and tapped the pulley off with the bearing. There may be some better way to do it, but a hammer worked for me. It's be a good time to replace that bearing too if yours in loose- they're pretty cheap. The front piece of the compressor was held on with a few bolts, and it came off with the seal still in it. There's probably a special tool to install the seal, but a socket worked fine for me. The seal was a teflon seal- it's harder than a rubber seal and you have to be careful and not damage it. Also, if it's a teflon seal- make sure it's installed dry. It'll leak if you get oil on it or the shaft. The rest was straightforeward unbolting stuff and replacing seals.

The compressor I worked on was on a 1996 achieva. I've looked up parts for my 1994 corsica, and the advance website shows different numbers even though the compressors LOOK the same. I do know that these are Harrison V5 compressors and that there were multiple different versions made... so there may be some minor differences. I've seen V5's with different mounting bosses and different pulleys in other applications. Just in case yours has a different style seal- I re-sealed a different (radial) harrison compressor on my old ford truck years ago. It used a carbon/ceramic seal with a couple of o-rings. I didn't know for sure whether or not to lube a carbon seal, but I installed it dry and it's worked for years.

[IsaacHayes]

Ahh great thanks thats the info I needed! Answered questions I didn't even ask yet.