Well, the title says it all. This is a long-winded story that involved me planning to drop my exhaust and driveshaft to remove a bad propshaft bearing--only to discover that the center bearing bracket was loose
2 minutes, problem solved...
....almost.
While under the car I noticed a little bit of oil on the subframe. Hey, didn't I just wipe that up last week when I was under here?? Hey, what's that yellowish oil?? Well, you get the picture.
Here are the relevant details:
-car: Ford Freestyle
-AC still blows cold
-I first noticed the leak last week. I doubt it's been leaking that long, few weeks maybe?
-I haven't done any service to the AC system, everything's original.
So, here are my questions for any AC experts, or anyone who has an opinion:
-there's no way for me to rebuild this compressor myself, right?
-this compressor is notorious for the scroll valve to bind, causing it to be warm at idle. However, I didn't notice a leak around the scroll valve plate. It *appears* to be down lower. I'm going to clean everything thoroughly though to try to pinpoint the leak. Could a binding scroll valve be the culprit? I'd hate to replace the compressor unnecessarily, but I'd also hate to recharge the system repeatedly for no reason
-if I need a new compressor, what are my best options.
Lastly, I see the air compressors are available with and without a clutch. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for advance for any insight. I do realize I should stop using the AC immediately--though I can only laugh at typing those words. It appears that our 2 days of summer are long gone, and I really only use the air compressor to defrost the windows. IOW, I have nothing but time to fix this.
thanks!
....almost.
While under the car I noticed a little bit of oil on the subframe. Hey, didn't I just wipe that up last week when I was under here?? Hey, what's that yellowish oil?? Well, you get the picture.
Here are the relevant details:
-car: Ford Freestyle
-AC still blows cold
-I first noticed the leak last week. I doubt it's been leaking that long, few weeks maybe?
-I haven't done any service to the AC system, everything's original.
So, here are my questions for any AC experts, or anyone who has an opinion:
-there's no way for me to rebuild this compressor myself, right?
-this compressor is notorious for the scroll valve to bind, causing it to be warm at idle. However, I didn't notice a leak around the scroll valve plate. It *appears* to be down lower. I'm going to clean everything thoroughly though to try to pinpoint the leak. Could a binding scroll valve be the culprit? I'd hate to replace the compressor unnecessarily, but I'd also hate to recharge the system repeatedly for no reason
-if I need a new compressor, what are my best options.
- OEM, new, $320
- junkyard, looks good, replace the scroll valve, $150
- rebuilt compressor, $250.00
Lastly, I see the air compressors are available with and without a clutch. Any thoughts on that? Thanks for advance for any insight. I do realize I should stop using the AC immediately--though I can only laugh at typing those words. It appears that our 2 days of summer are long gone, and I really only use the air compressor to defrost the windows. IOW, I have nothing but time to fix this.
thanks!