A/C compressor...can n e one help??

hey
i have a 1997 dodge caravan 3L V6 and the air conditioner compressor is now shot... brought it to the guy sais its costly:2cents: to do and all that but wait till summer. so i come to you with this and ask what should i do. does n e one know how to do this? is it worth it to do myself? is it a hard job? and does n e one happen to have one laying around or at least an idea where i could get a good price on one?

please help me with ne comments or conserns:smile:

alex

what is the mechanic telling you it will cost for labor and parts? and how much automotive a/c experience do you have? air conditioning i believe is by far the most frustrating part of the vehicle. but that's just me. to buy yourself a new compressor would run you inbetween 250 and 350. i would not suggest buying a rebuilt or remanufactured unit, because 50% of the time, the compressor doesn't take well to it, and craps out after a couple months of use. a few things to keep in mind if you are considering doing it yourself. one, the refridgerant r134 is highly toxic, and if you don't have a way to evacuate all of the refridgerant yourself, you will need to ILLEGALY release it into the atmosphere. I highly recommend you not do this. Once you get that pipe fitting loose enough for the refridgerant to come out, it will come out very fast, and leave you only a little time to get away from it. this is not something you want to inhale. oh, and the sound it makes when it starts coming out is the sound of making a puncture in a compressed air tank. even if you are prepared for it, it will make you crap your pants. in all honesty. i would just get several different quotes from several reputable a/c shops, and get it done by them. that way, if something goes wrong, your wife can blame them. :o)

oh, and i forgot to mention, on your caravan, yes, it is a hard job. well, maybe not hard, just long and tedious. and that's just to get to the damn thing.

Is it a hard job? Not really if you have even mediocre mechanical ability. All you need to do first is get the system evacuated at a shop. Then take it home, replace the compressor, and don't forget to replace the receiver/dryer as well. The receiver/dryer will likely have small fragments of metal in it from the a/c compressor. Depending on how badly the compressor packed it in, you may have to flush the condensor as well. This is easily done with an air compressor, a blow gun, and a chemical like brake kleen! Once everything is replaced and sealed back up, take it back to the a/c shop and have them recharge the system!! Shouldn't take you more than a long afternoon to complete it ( plus time spent at the a/c shop ).

and not use it till my insurance kicks in? i cant afford the 500.00 its going to take can i do that? get smaller belt to go around by pass a/c unit?

please help,,

my a/c is doing a hard noise,,
but when i turn on air, which takes awhile to kick in,,it stops noise why?
ive read some posts here and it seems like my clutch/ bearings are not right,is this so?

and when i told my mechanic he said nonsense its all net b/s,that i need a whole new , a/c compressor is this right?

please give me advice,,for as i said i do not count with the 500.00dlls to fix,.

dad in trouble,,with 5 kids,.

If then the you if want do!!