a/c repair babble

Hello proud DIYs. I have a couple of questions. Take a stab at any or all.

1) My a/c compressor (FS-10) just froze up on my '95 Bronco. I bought a "new" one from Pep Boys for $210, with clutch. I also got a quote from Carquest for a new one for $315. I don't remember if that one included a clutch, but I think it did. I asked both places if these were new or reman; both said definitely new, I asked but neither store offered remanufactured items, nor offered core return. Today, I'm talking with an a/c repair shop. He refused to believe I got a new compressor with clutch for $210. So now I'm wondering; can large places like Carquest and Pep Boys get away with callling reman'd parts "new"? Is there a difference between "remanufactured" and "rebuilt"? Can I actually expect to buy a truly new a/c compressor, with clutch, for $210? The part comes with a 1 year warranty and does not contain oil, but appears to be sealed.

2) For the real a/c geeks: I have plans to replace the clutch fan in the Bronco with a 2-speed electric fan from a '90ish Ford Taurus. I understand from what I'm reading that too few cfm through the condenser will cause problems (which is probably part of what happened to the current compressor), so I want to be sure I'm putting enough fan on it, and may want to use the low speed if possible. Is there any way to come by that minimum cfm number? I'm assuming there's a relationship between physical volume of refrigerant in the system, high side pressure, and condenser air throughput, such that any two could be used to derive the third, but that's me just trying to sound smart.

3) Does anyone know cfm specs for the radiator fan from late '80s- early '90s 3.8 liter Ford Taurus?

Thanks for the help.

Matt

Reply to
Matt
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have fun......

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as to the rest of your post..... I defer to the AC experts.

If none show up..... I'll giver a shot aye?

:)

~:~ MarshMonster ~sips his crownroyal.....and wonders....if they sold you that vehicle as "new"...with ZERO miles on it~ ~:~

Reply to
Marsh Monster

On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:25:16 -0700, Matt rearranged some electrons to form:

Made in China.

Reply to
David M

The compressor probably is a complete new unit. The problem is it isn't a complete new OEM unit, it is a new China Cheapo that isn't made of the best stuff or to the tightest tolerances. If this were an easy to replace alternator I wouldn't really care but on an A/C compressor you are going to have to do an awful lot of work for something that might croak in a month. Hopefully more folks will pipe up and give you their experiences.

I can't see you getting away with low speed unless you have some pretty good engineering skills. You want to keep the CFM up to keep the temp down in the condenser. As the temp in the condenser rises the pressure rises and you loose cooling effectiveness. If you are handy with wiring and relays you could rig up a system to kick the fan up on high when the high pressure reaches X psi using a couple of relays and a high pressure switch (much like the low pressure switch that currently cuts the compressor off if the pressure drops below a certain psi).

No idea on even an estimated number or where to find it.

Steve B.

Reply to
Steve B.

Stick with the stock fan. If the clutch is bad replace it with a good one, not an el cheapo. You'll be a lot better off.

Al

Reply to
Big Al

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The two speed electric fans run on high speed anytime the AC is running. I will second Big Al's advice, if in doubt, replace the fan clutch with a high quality brand heavy duty replacement. If more than 50,000 miles on the fan clutch replace it.

Whitelightning

Reply to
Whitelightning

FWIW to the OP:

I have a '55 Ford F-100 pickup. Actually, it's a '55 cab and bed transplanted onto a '92 F-150 frame. The engine is a 302 V8 coupled to a C4 transmission. The cooling system consists of the radiator from the '92 F-150, but an electric fan was installed replacing the stock fan. The temperature probe is installed on the upper section of the radiator.

A "Vintage Air" air conditioning/heating system is also installed in the truck. The A/C has worked fine on it with the electric fan system. Obviously, when moving along the fan does not run, but at a traffic light or idling when warmed up, the fan cycles on and off and I've never noticed a major difference in the temperature of the A/C air flow, even in 90 degree summer days.

I am not suggesting this is an ideal setup or even correct, but it works.

RCE

Reply to
RCE

BTW, for those interested, you may view the '55 F-100 here:

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RCE

Reply to
RCE

The air conditioning on my 2000 park avenue blows cool air on the passengers side but uncooled air on the drivers side. What is the problem and how can it be fixed? Ed

Reply to
Badermath

Go to ackits.com and have a look. An FS10 replacement compressor, new, is about $215

I used one of their compressors on my Reatta upgrade (134a) and it worked well, very quiet. I believe that these compressors may well be better than the GM OEM units.

Reply to
<HLS

Ooooookay. Personally, I prefer acsource.com and acsource.net for my stuff. I am a combination DIY/licensed A/C tech. I don't actually do A/C work for a living. Acsource.net has $227 for the FS10 new. I just bought one, it was new. It's on my truck right now. I cannot explain the behavior of the guy at the shop. The person you're talking to shouldn't be overpaying ridiculously if he's in the business. He ought to know better. I have also used the 4 seasons brand from Autozone, and those are also new, but it's a lot better to get the real name brand stuff when you can for $200. Here's what they carry NEW: "For new compressors we have Delco, Visteon, MoPar, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Nippondenso, Sanden, Nihon, Calsonic, Zexel, Diesel Kiki " They're not trying to fool anybody.

In this particular application, your compressor dies of "Black Death", which plugs the restriction orifice. Air isn't the problem. Air flow certainly does help keep condensing pressure down, and it really would help the compressor have less of a load on its parts. Will it last longer? It can't hurt, that's all you can say.

Reply to
Joe

Check this out: One store that carries reman, China, and OEM. Look at the price difference! They're all 3 the same!

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That's just creepy.

Reply to
Joe

could be there is a blend door stuck somewhere. I've also seen this happen when a system is low on freon and only part of the evap cools down so only one side of the air stream gets cooled off.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

We had this happen on a BMW X5 my wife had. It was the air management (blend doors) system that was bad. It would have been cheaper to repair if the compressor had been bad.

RCE

Reply to
RCE

Are the controls set so it does just what you are getting?

Reply to
samstone

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What on earth makes you think they're literally the same? The pictures on auto parts websites are provided just for fit reference, never trust them to be images of the exact part referenced.

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Reply to
Steve

This is funny. If you click on the thumbnails to get the large scale pics, they are also the same, but underneath they say (you have to read to the last line to see why it's funny):

"This is an exact* picture of your part. We do not use generic pictures. Our cataloging team is the best in the industry and it ensures that you get the right part, the first time.

"Be wary of companies that list generic or 'sample' pictures. They are usually fly by night operations that are rebuilding in a garage. They do not have the expertise to build the part correctly and will not stand behind it when it fails.

"*Exact for product identification. Reman and some new might look slightly different.

Reply to
z

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