ACtion Magazine - June 2014 - (Page 34)

Was this a bargain? By Steve Schaeber A MACS team member recently took her '99 Jetta to her a remanufactured compressor for about $250. Our local jobber regular shop because the A/C was not blowing cold. shop had one for about $215. Some MACS member distributors They told her it couldn't be ﬁxed, so naturally Paul, sell direct online, and I found a new aftermarket compressor for Jacques and I had to get the car into MACS' shop and check it $150. out for ourselves. Sure enough, it wasn't blowing cold and the Still, I didn't think condemning the whole compressor was compressor clutch wasn't turning on. Figuring that out was the necessary. I found a bad coil, so why not just replace that part? easy part. After a visual inspection, sealAfter all, we used to repair compressors all ant detection and refrigerant identiﬁcation, the time. So I went chasing down a clutch, It's a pretty straight which turned out to be a little more difﬁmy manifold gauges found pressure in the system. Why then wasn't the clutch engagforward job to R&R cult to ﬁnd. I didn't expect to ﬁnd the coil ing? Probing the two clutch wires, I found available separately, but I thought I could a compressor clutch. at least get a clutch kit, which I did, but not power in the circuit but no continuity in the coil. Ok, looks like it's the clutch, but befrom any of the big boxes or jobbers. Again, fore going further, I checked to make sure the compressor wasn't I was able to source one through a MACS manufacturer member. seized. Turning the driven plate by hand, it seemed to feel ﬁne. So after recovering the refrigerant and removing the compressor I ﬁrst checked prices at the "big box auto" websites and found from the car, I put it on the workbench to tear it down. It's a pretty straight forward job to R&R a compressor clutch. Sure, you need a few specialty tools, but nothing too exotic. A locknut allows removal of the driven plate, exposing a lock ring which secures the idler pulley. A three jaw puller is needed to remove it, but it comes off easily enough. Another lock ring holds the coil, and two Phillips head screws hold the wires. All in all, Part No. 795-01 hunting around for tools took longer than doing the work. ReasCadmium-Free sembly was just as easy. I reinstalled the compressor, vacuumed down the system, recharged the refrigerant, started the engine and turned on the A/C. The clutch obediently engaged, but now my gauges told me the sad news; with just a little ﬂutter on the low side, both gauges stayed at 65 psi. (Sigh) After all that time and work, I had to take Featuring DAYCOAT Advanced Flux Coating Technology it back apart and replace the compressor anyway. Was it worth it? Well, it blows cold now, and the price wasn't terrible. At least we're not in the thick of summer yet, so we had time to shop for parts. If we were, I'm sure it would have been a different story. We'll disassemble the compressor and let you know what we found later. ❆ " Braze Al Aluminum Brazing Kit TM Author's Note: Ever try saving a customer money on an A/C job? How did it go? Send me your story at steve@macsw.org! BrazeAl BrazeAl BrazeAl: The Solution To All Your Aluminum Brazing Needs! TM Call Johnson Mfg. @ 800-747-0030 or S.A. Day @ 888-735-2805 www.johnsonmfg.com johnsonmfg@aol.com www.saday.com info@saday.com 34 ACTION * June 2014 Reader Reply Steve Schaeber Manager of Service Training You can reach Steve at Steve@macsw.org http://www.johnsonmfg.com http://www.saday.com http://www.johnsonmfg.com http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS/Publications/ACtion_Reader_Reply/MACS/Publications/ACTION/ACtion_Reader_Reply.aspx?hkey=ac24bddb-c045-442a-813c-cbf05f88ac4d

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - June 2014

A/C temperature testing
SAE Standard J2534-2
Save the date for San Juan
Saluting our troops
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Leonard's Law
Virtual View
Service Port
Last Watch
Member Profile
By the Numbers
Cooling Corner
Industry News
Association News
New Products

ACtion Magazine - June 2014