AC compressor question, need answer ASAP

how can you tell if one is good or not? spinning the pulley?

turn the ac on ;) , nah you talkin like at the junk yard or what? cuz just cuz the pulley spins dont mean anything cuz the clutch isnt activated till you turn the AC on, so you should be able to spin it no matter what. but if you are talkin about at a junk yard, im not so sure you CAN tell if its good or not

Originally posted by cyberfelon
turn the ac on ;) , nah you talkin like at the junk yard or what? cuz just cuz the pulley spins dont mean anything cuz the clutch isnt activated till you turn the AC on, so you should be able to spin it no matter what. but if you are talkin about at a junk yard, im not so sure you CAN tell if its good or not


yeah at a junk yard, well obviously if the pulley doesnt spin freely there is definately something wrong, the compressor looks fine and it can tell it was sealed until recently i just want to know how to tell......so there is no way to tell if the clutch is good without installing it huh?

well maybe you can hook up a battery to it and see if you can still turn the pulley, but if the clutch does work that doesnt mean the rest still works, i really dont think that you can tell without trying it.

The only way to tell is install the compressor in the car, bring the car to a A/C shop and they'll charge the system to test it for leaks and proper function. I would definitely call the shop before you do this to confirm they can help in this manner.

I just thought of this, they might be able to bench test the compressor. Let us know how it turns out.

Good Luck!:)

How much does the Junk yard want for the compressor?

Originally posted by johnb16a2
The only way to tell is install the compressor in the car, bring the car to a A/C shop and they'll charge the system to test it for leaks and proper function. I would definitely call the shop before you do this to confirm they can help in this manner.

I just thought of this, they might be able to bench test the compressor. Let us know how it turns out.

Good Luck!:)

How much does the Junk yard want for the compressor?


i bought it for $60 (after tax a core charge and a 30 day warranty)

That's a good price. Hope it works out for ya.:)

to test for clutch operation, you need to see that it spins freely. from there, ground the body of the compressor, and then jump the clutch wire (itll be up top and it runs between the compressor and the pulley.) if you hear it click, its moving, and if you turn the pulley and you can feel the compressor pumping through the high and low pressure holes (where you unbolted the two hoses). then the compressor functions. the only way to see if it leaks is by hooking it up and charging the A/C. if you disconnect the lines from it and lots of freon comes out, chances are it doesnt have any leaks.

hope this helped

Originally posted by incucivic
to test for clutch operation, you need to see that it spins freely. from there, ground the body of the compressor, and then jump the clutch wire (itll be up top and it runs between the compressor and the pulley.) if you hear it click, its moving, and if you turn the pulley and you can feel the compressor pumping through the high and low pressure holes (where you unbolted the two hoses). then the compressor functions. the only way to see if it leaks is by hooking it up and charging the A/C. if you disconnect the lines from it and lots of freon comes out, chances are it doesnt have any leaks.

hope this helped



that helped a lot, thanks man