A/C compressor seized

My wife's 92 SL1 had the the A/C compressor seize up on me Sunday morning.

I had driven it earlier with the A/C on, but when I started it up there
was this really annoying whine/squealing sound and smoke was coming out
from the front right of the car. Turned it off, popped open the hood,
and saw smoke coming out from the compressor clutch.

I guess I was lucky that I didn't shred the belt.

I'm gonna be a sucker and have the dealership do a new compressor and
a R134A conversion tomorrow. I called some A/C shops and while they
were a little cheaper, they weren't a lot cheaper... there was only $200
difference between them and the Saturn dealership.

Even after 12 years old, the A/C in the car was still sort-of working
right up through Sunday morning. Although I do have to admit on the
last tank of gas I got really bad mileage (mostly driven with A/C on)...
under 15MPG when typically it's more like 25-28MPG. Is it possible that
all the oil just got "used up" or leaked and there was still some
refrigerant (R-12) still in there?

Others here have commented about leaks in the the evaporator. Are
dealerships good for testing this sort of thing or is a specialized A/C
shop better?

Tim.

 

Tim, My compressor on my '92 began to leak last year. I went 11 years before I
had to add any R12. I have never had a system last that long without trouble.

After close inspection, it was leaking out of the front seal. Some say the
front seal can be replaced, but I could never find the proper listing for that
exact compressor. Even the dealer don't have a listing.

Finally I decided to change over to 134a. I removed the compressor, drained out
as much oil as I could. Then I vacuumed down the system, and used a can of 134a
oil charge, sealer, and leak detector all in one.

So far for 2 summers, my AC has worked perfect. If the front seal continues to
give me problems in the future, I will purchase a 134a compressor from
6thplanet parts. He gave me a quote last year of about $100 for a used
compressor and lines with the 134a fittings already on them.

James

 

James! Hey! New to this, but I do have a question! I'm converting over
from R12 to R134A.

How do you vacuumed down the system? Do I have to go to the dealer or auto
mechanic shop to have them recover the R12 that in there.

 

James! Hey! New to this, but I do have a question! I'm converting over
from R12 to R134A.

How do you vacuumed down the system? Do I have to go to the dealer or auto
mechanic shop to have them recover the R12 that in there.

 

Yes, you need to recover the R12 (it's illegal to vent it to the
atmosphere). Then you need to bring the system down to a vacuum (both
to remove remnants of R12 and to check for leaks). A decent vacuum pump
is $200-300 so it's unlikely that any DIY folks would keep one around.

You should also change the receiver/drier/accumulator (whichever is
relevant to Saturn systems) as that contains a dessicant that is used up
over time. Then recharge the system with R134a and a few ounces of a
compatible refigerant oil like ester oil.

Can this be done at home? Technically, yes. But it's unlikely that
you'd ever recoup the costs associated with the recovery machine or
vacuum pump.