AT4 T/A

This is my second reman'd compressor direct from NAPA. The first one's front bearing destroyed itself, and nearly caused the pulley to fly off the shaft. That was after no more than two weeks of use. The new one has been on for about 3 weeks. It's worked fine until lately. There seems to be excessive drag on the engine when the compressor kicks in, especially under acceleration. Also, just how often should I hear this compressor cycle? It seems like under acceleration, every 3 or 4 seconds it cycles. What makes me nervous about this thing is I have a layer of white powder residue that is forming on the front plate where you would put the spanner to take off that bearing. Does this mean that this compressor is destroying itself too? It has been noisy, but it always has, just like the last one.

Vader

What refrigerant and how much of it are you using?

nathan2003

i know if you have R 12 you should only have about 20 psi .... anything more then that it will cause the motor to drag causing lack of power.... and the engine will over heat very easily....

mine got overcharged and it did all of that and it would make a squelling noise and so forth... and with too much freon in there it will cause that clutch on the compressor to keep locking up and locking up thats why its click like that so often.... sounds like the problem i had... check the pressure and get it to proper level before you wreck the compressor or anything else....

good luck


vetter

AT4 T/A

They system was converted to 134a, and the tech put 1.8 lbs in if I remember correctly. He also put 8 oz. of PAG 2 oil in the compressor for lubrication.

AT4 T/A

Anybody else got any ammo on this one? The clutch has had it, and I'm going to go talk to NAPA about getting a new one. The whole compressor is under warranty, so maybe I can get them to cover just the clutch.

Stingraye

Well, I just finished HVAC class at school, and got the highest grade in my class, and here's what it sounds like to me. You said that there is white foam at the front of the compressor, i'm assuing that would be the front seal has gone bad, or possibly was bad from the start. The techs you had put the correct ammt of R134 in the car, and also a good ammt of oil, however if the front seal is leaking (which white foam would only be that), then if the system starts to get short on refrigerant and will cycle more rapidly. You can't have napa just change the clutch of the comp. you would have to get another whole new one, which is what I would do if I were you, give it a shot at another one, and have the same thing done to the system again. BTW, did you ever have your accumulor changed, and the fixed oriface tube checked. You should have the accumulator changed when you retrofit the system, and if the FOT is clogged then that could be destroying compressors also, so if you have the system serviced, ask the tech to pull out the fixed oriface tube and see if it needs replacement, that is one thing a lot of people over look, which does a lot. Let us know what you get done. Hope this helps.

AT4 T/A

Thanks for the reply. It's not a foam at the compressor clutch, it's dust from what appears to be the clutch eating itself. There isn't any type of liquid seeping out. It feels like the clutch is beginning to slip and not turning the compressor internals like it should. I've stopped using it until I can get it fixed. The white powder is similar to what happened with the first compressor clutch. That one gave off a more red powder, but it was actual metal shavings. Of course it decided to do this when I was on a little road trip and still had 8 hours drive to get home.

Yes, I replaced the accumulator, orifice tube, and compressor. I also asked the tech to put in an inline filter, which he did. Now for what I've paid to get the system converted to 134a, mind you I'm talking just for the servicing, I could have almost bought NEW compressor. I don't have the money right now to pay for a new fill of 134, and if I don't have to crack that system open, I'd rather not do it. I appreciate your help guys. I think I'll call NAPA right now.