A/C repair

["Turbo-T"]

In a few weeks I plan to repair the A/C set up in my car. As of now, it has a leak on the compressor shaft. I have determined this by being able to keep a vacuum on the car overnight, yet when I operate have found evidence of pag oil and dye slung all around the engine compartment in the vicinity of the compressor.

As of now my car still has the stock Harrison R4 compressor on it. The leak appaears to be from the compressor shaft.

I went ahead and purchased one of these....

Compressor Works/A/C Compressor (620225) | 1987 Buick Regal 6 Cylinders 7 3.8L SFI OHV Turbo | AutoZone.com

However upon looking it it, it looks to fit, but the plug in for the clutch is different, as in on the other side. The stocker's clutch hook up is at the 6 o clock position and the new compressor's clutch hook ups are at the 10 o clock position. I know I could probably just lengthen the wires.

But then I got to wondering if it's worth it to attempt to just replace the seal on the compressor shaft? has anyone tried it? Can it be done by a novice?

And also the brand compressor I purchase, I've not installed, but it's a new unit, not a GM or A/C Delco unit....anyone have any testamonials on my new compressor?

Oh yeah, my set up's done been converted to R134a. I've bought a new accumulator, I need to know what type of orfice tube is recommended for an R-134 conversion. I think someone said a 95 F-150?

Thanks in advance.

 

[just plain john]

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[1fast6]

Go with a ford "blue" o-tube. It has a .067'' size orifice comparred to GM's .072''

Just tell the goon at the parts counter you want a blue orifice tube. If he knows what he is doing he will just grab it off the shelf. If he starts asking yr, make, model, etc. then you know you are dealing with a goon.

How old is the accumulator? Might as well change that while your at it.

 

[charlief1]

Yes, you can replace just the front seal if you can find the tools and the seal to do it. Hard to find both these days though.

 

[87GNSteve]

Those clutch pulley assemblies are near impossible to remove. I even had the right tools and it wouldn't budge on 2 compressors I tried that had bad clutches.
I got a AC Delco AC compressor for less that what you paid on Amazon.com free shipping to the clutch solenoid connection was in the right location.
Amazon.com: ACDelco 15-20225 A/C Compressor: Automotive

 

[davelostmissing]

Why not get the delco compressor from nos4gn?
got 20 years out of the original?

http://www.nos4gn.com/servlet/the-187/Buick-Grand-National-parts/Detail

 

[davelostmissing]

YMMV-The page is a mess but I've got notes on how I got the cutoff switch out:
*** Automotive Solutions Dtekk ***

 

["Turbo-T"]

How old is the accumulator? Might as well change that while your at it.

I presume it's stock but I plan on changing it anyways. In fact I have a replacement, though it puts the switch 30 degrees in another direction.

I got a AC Delco AC compressor for less that what you paid on Amazon.com free shipping to the clutch solenoid connection was in the right location.
Amazon.com: ACDelco 15-20225 A/C Compressor: Automotive

Wished I would have known about that before hand.

Why not get the delco compressor from nos4gn?
AC Compressor - ACDelco

Well i wasn't aware he carried them plus I figure anything nos4GN carries is high dollar stuff for people doing a concourse restoration, not the average Joe that just wants to get his car up and running.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Well, today is the big day I guess you could say.

Go with a ford "blue" o-tube. It has a .067'' size orifice comparred to GM's .072''

Hey I wanted to ask....the orfice tube I was told to get was the one for a 1995 Ford F-150 with the 4.9 engine. It's red in color and not blue. Is there any difference in orfice size between the red and the blue? LMK now I still have the system open.

Getting ready to find someone w/a spanner wrench. The instructions for the compressor say to add 2-3 oz of PAG oil to the compressor then spin it over 10 times with a spanner wrench.

How much oil does the system hold on our cars of PAG oil? I've got 8 oz total of the stuff. Yes I'm going 134a on refrigerant.