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Need A/C compressor....

Odlaw

Odlaw

Redneck
Messages
577
Reaction score
40
Location
Deep in the woods - near Waldo, FL
Hey Guys(and girl), over the years I've had horrible luck with re-man a/c compressors from the discount box stores....

Any ideas or recommendations on where to get one?

Figures my ole girl's compressor would start knocking now that it's starting to get a little warm(only in the lower 90's):D

It's been leaking for many years around the big o-ring around the front of the case. I heard a knocking(it was loud enough that I could hear it over the engine) - popped the hood and noticed the idle was a little rough and the belt had a lot of deflection in it like the compressor was under a serious load. I shut the a/c off before it got any worse.....then, with my great luck after two months of drought it decides to rain...nice steamy, humid, florida afternoon shower - that was one hot hour and a half ride home today.

Thanks
Smitty
 
Give these people a call. I just bought a brand new SANDEN for the later style compressor for less than what a reman would have cost me at AZ. He has also got me GREAT prices on the other A/C parts for my project. He also has a 99 DURAMAX SUBURBAN that I have looked at to help me with my conversion.

http://www.marksair.com/
 
Sandens are junk IMO. Last 1-3 years tops. Best bet is NAPA new not reman. Remans are mostly made in mexico crap. Unfortunatly most of it is crap. I do alot of A/C and haven't found the gold key yet. Peterbilt/Kenworth etc all use Sandens. I replace alot of them. They are throw aways. Nothing beat the old Harrisons that the 6.2s had. That was a true 8-10 cfm compressor . You could feel the HP loss but damn it cooled.
 
I personally like SANDENS myself. I also do quite a bit of A/C work. I got 19 years out of the one on my last JEEP, and when I worked for DODGE you could count on one hand how many compressors the whole dealership did in a year on trucks since they used SANDENS. As for the origanl poster, 93 was a changeover year. Up to 93 they used one style and mid way through 93 they changed to another style. GM makes an adapter that will allow you to use the later compressor on the earlier models though. Or the presidential method is to stack 3 seals on the high side where it connects to the compressor.
 
Thanks for the info guys. A new compressor from NAPA is $262.14 - Marksair is $261.92 and they don't have it in stock - NAPA does.

So, you guys have confirmed what I was already thinking - no re-man this time.

For you A/C pros - I've noticed that every time I get a price quote from someone they ask me if it's regular cab or extended cab....I can understand the reasoning behind this but did GM really use two different compressors due to the size of the cab?

As always, thanks!
Smitty

oh, and Bison thanks for the offer anyway.
 
Last edited:
Odlaw said:
For you A/C pros - I've noticed that every time I get a price quote from someone they ask me if it's regular cab or extended cab....I can understand the reasoning behind this but did GM really use two different compressors due to the size of the cab?

As always, thanks!
Smitty

oh, and Bison thanks for the offer anyway.
Click to expand...

Not that I was aware of. Only difference was pass side vs drivers side. I have one of each. Perhaps the Sandens didn't hold up under heavy duty applications because that is where my experience was with them. My personal favorites(although now extinct) were the old York/Techumseh
 
The only differences I was aware of was with the mounting(either pass or drivers side mount), V-belt or serp, and then the mounting flange on the rear where the hoses hook-up. Up until early 93 the 2 ports on the back were at the same height, and in mid 93 the recessed the high side port in some. This where the thicker adapter seal comes into play to let you run a late model radial on an early style hose. And the SANDEN that I bought is for the 96+ style that uses a different compressor than the 95-.
 
I have a 91 Suburban with that stupid pancake compressor. I can't remember what it's called, R4 maybe. Anyway, I went through two rebuilts on mine, from a reputable place, not the local discount chain. I never could get a decent one. The vendor made things right for me by sending me a brand-new Harrison (I think it's Harrison) brand compressor. So far so good, but like yours, it is oily around the perimeter of the housing. ...has been since I put it on. I guess maybe it just doesn't like the higher pressures of R-134. Stupid hippies and their R-12 ban.

Now that we have such a wonderful power-hungry madman in the White House, I expect them to go after R-134 soon. It's a greenhouse gas. I already have purchased an extra 30 lb cylinder, and if I start to hear rumblings, I'm going to get another one. That should keep my AC going the rest of my driving years.

Stupid hippies!
 
R134 should make no difference. I have done many many conversions. The only time is an issue is if you use PAG oil and the system wasn't spotlessly flushed. I personally don't like or use it. I use esther oil. It can mix with trace r12 without damage. I was under the impression that R134 was ozone freindly but then again I remember reading that R12 wasn't as bad as they thought anyway. I don't use it simply because of cost. They had an r12 sub out for awhile that had propane/r22 and some other crap in it. I used it for a little while and every system I put it in came back next season needing a compressor so that could have biased me towards Sandens. The Yorks didn't. I stopped using it anyway at that point and wouldn't touch a system unless converting to R134. there's nothing wrong with it. I just a conversion last week on a Ford L8000. 41 degrees out of the duct.
 
If converting an 88-93 GM truck, I would reccomend going with a 94+ condenser. The 93- condenser is tiny by comparison to the ones made for R-134A and don't work the best on a warm day to drop the high side heat. I just did a 93 last week, but he didn't have enough money left to replace the condenser after replacing the compressor and drier. And I like the ESTER oil as well. Just try to flush it the best you can with a flush designed for flushing out R-12 systems when retrofitting, and then vacuum the system for at least 30 minutes to get rid of all of the flush(A/C flush is designed to evaporate completely under a vacuum so no residue is left).
 
Good info. Yeah I noticed that one of the dryers NAPA had listed was bigger...and it was friggin $75.00!! The one my truck uses is the small one with the tapered bottom - $22.97.

How many oz of oil and refrigerant are these systems supposed to hold? (134 - retro)

Thanks
 
mitchedo said:
I have a 91 Suburban with that stupid pancake compressor. I can't remember what it's called, R4 maybe. Anyway, I went through two rebuilts on mine, from a reputable place, not the local discount chain. I never could get a decent one. The vendor made things right for me by sending me a brand-new Harrison (I think it's Harrison) brand compressor.
Click to expand...
Yup, the R4 (Radial 4-cylinder) is NOT a strong design. Steel rings running in aluminum cylinders. Anybody remember the Vega engine? :nonod::nonod: And that was with the new units. Remans were totally useless right out of the box. Seal leaks, piston rattle and metal mush usually occurred within the first six months. I quit using remans 20 years ago - only new. Now, even those aren't much better. My most recent replacement lasted 8 months. The rattle became so loud, you could hear it three cars away over the sound of the diesel motor idling. My supplier warrantied it no questions asked. He said that for the past two years, even the new ones aren't lasting. I installed a Sanden conversion kit. $90 for the kit and a new Sanden 710 compressor. No noise, smooth engagement, cold air, and that sucker will last forever. I'm lovin it!!:D
 
As far as flush, as far as i can tell the a/c flush is nothing more than repackaged overpriced denatured alchohol. I just buy denatured alcohol from Home depot . Never had a problem. They smell the same to me.
 
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