ac compressor takes a crap

[HondaBoy]

well i had fixed my ac a few months back. now, it decides to start leaking out of one of the shaft seals. not sure which one, but i think the rear seal. if not then the manifold seal. its not real visible where its leaking. so now i need to get a new compressor more than likely. not that i couldnt live without ac, but its hot as fuck here in south texas and humidity doesnt help when it stays about 80% on a daily basis. so yeah, no doubt i'm gonna fix it but i dunno how to go about it. i may just try to replace the manifold seal. here you can see which one i'm talking about. it would be nice if this is all it is considering no special tools are required. # 27 in the picture is what i'm hoping all it is. i was thinking try the cheapest thing first.
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/catimgs/13se00_e1001.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/HondaBoySi87/compressorgasket.jpg

[HondaBoy]

well, i suspected the ac system was leaking. i thought it was an exterior leak, but now i've found its an interior leak of some sort. thought another fluid was the refrigerant oil leaking. anyway, i put gauges on the system and noticed it has all the freon still in it. did a compressor test, came up with a great reading on the high side, but a reading of 0 psi on the low side. only when i raised the rpms would the low side give a reading of any sort. so its looking like i fried some rings. i went ahead and bought some R134a retro fittings. so tomorrow or sometime during the week i will be looking for a good compressor, or if i have enough money just buy a new one. i'm also thinking of buying a new condensor with the R134a design. its a more efficient design that cools the refrigerant better than the R12 condensor. but of course this is if money allows me to do so. my friend works at a junk yard so i'm going to see if he can find me another nippon denso compressor for his price. hopefully he can tell the difference in them if they happen to have a few accords there.

[Oldblueaccord]

Well that sucks I do remeber you got it working.

Any chance you used the wrong oil with the freon your using or forgot to put some in the compressor all together?

Seems weird that there be freon but the rings be bad.


wp

[88Accord-DX]

It's either one of these;

1. High-side hose or line restriction.
2. System thermostatic switch malfunction.
3. Pressure cycling switch failure.
4. Restricted expansion valve.

More than likely it's restricted expansion valve. 6 out of 10 times on a scale from my experience.

[HondaBoy]

i was thinking maybe it could be a restriction of some sort. i was going to replace the expansion valve and other components if i replace the compressor. its still holding pressure so i'll just have to check the system out completely.

[88Accord-DX]

If you want to save a little money, replace the expansion valve first before you replace the compressor & see what happens. Your compressor is working fine..... But that is your call....

[HondaBoy]

yeah, my thought exactly. replace the parts that are cheapest and probably needed for a more efficent ac system. also want to replace the condensor for a newer design for R134a. it would get down to 55 degrees but in the day time it would be nice if it was colder than that. mind you i live in south texas.

[88Accord-DX]

I'll throw one more suggestion in there. Anytime you open up the system, it's recommended that you replace the reciever/drier...

[HondaBoy]

yeah i already too ac class at college. so i know what was recommended to replace. it was recommended to flush the system before recharging it but i didnt do that. probably would have been a good idea now. nor did i put the retro fittings on which would make things a lot easier. for the length of time i will have the system opened i will probably not replace the drier again, but will when i fix the problems. could the drier possibly be clogged? i was thinking maybe so, but i just replaced it a few months back.

[88Accord-DX]

could the drier possibly be clogged? i was thinking maybe so, but i just replaced it a few months back.
Moisture can enter the system when it is manufactured or when it's serviced. Air conditioning components are easily damaged by moisture in the system. Water reacts with iron surfaces in the system to form iron oxide, or rust. Water turns aluminum to aluminum hydroxide. Both of these form corrosion eventually. Plug the both ends to help keep moisture out. Most fail from being open over a period of time when servicing.

Moisture can also form acid when it mixes with refrigerant. This acid will attack the a/c components, causing even futher damage. The deisiccant in the the reciever/drier will hold only a small amount of moisture, about a tablespoon of water. Check the the inlet & outlet operating temperatures. A signfigant temperature difference indcates a restriction.

[HondaBoy]

well today i decided to take a look see at what the condition of my ac system was. now, i had already done the compressor test and its working well. decided to open the box the evaporator is in up and look at what was going on inside there. i had began to think it was the expansion valve, but still not sure. one side of the vavle gets cold when the ac is turned on, this is the line that faces to the rear of the car. then after running for a minute freezes up cold. the "suction side" on the evap doesnt get cold at all. so this is leading me to think its going to be an internal clog of the evaporator. took it to a shop, he said bring it in on monday because i'm kinda tired of bs'in with it and all. anyway, thats what i've observed. glad to see its not my compressor failing!

[Oldblueaccord]

Lets us know how it turns out.

I'm pretty sure mine leaks from the expansion valve as well I just never have done anything about it.

wp

[HondaBoy]

well its not actually leaking, but seems there is a clog or sorts in the evaporator. looks like its not going to be an expensive fix, so thats good.