Replace just ac compressor or all components?

[rrman61]

My daughter in laws ac clutch and maybe the whole compressor is bad on her car(2012 Nissan Maxima).it’s not a tractor or truck but I’m sure the basic system is the same,at least for this question.is it always practical to replace all components of the system or is it a way for a mechanic to make more on a repair? By far I’m not an expert on a-c systems is why I ask

 

[old]

My daughter in laws ac clutch and maybe the whole compressor is bad on her car(2012 Nissan Maxima).it’s not a tractor or truck but I’m sure the basic system is the same,at least for this question.is it always practical to replace all components of the system or is it a way for a mechanic to make more on a repair? By far I’m not an expert on a-c systems is why I ask

I would at the very least replace the filter dryer also

 

[Old Ford Mechanic]

On a 13 year old car i think i would just replace the compressor clutch if, the compressor was proven to be ok. If the compressor was bad then at the minimum flush the system and replace the dryer and the compressor. I believe a warranty on the compressor requires the dryer change also.

 

[gmccool]

Give us more info. What are the gauge readings??
If it is just the clutch, then just replace the clutch.
But if the compressor is bad that is something completely different. Then you will need a compressor, a drier, and will need to have the system flushed and even after that you probably will have AC problems for the rest of the cars life. You simply can't get all the junk out of the lines, condenser, evaporator, Ect. Sooner or later a piece of something the size of a pin head will suspend itself in the oil and be circulated around and get caught in the wrong place and cause problems.

 

[JMOR]

Just the labor cost in getting access to evaporator is more than many cars are worth. Complete dash, steering wheel… virtually everything from front seats forward to firewall. It is crazy.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

My daughter in laws ac clutch and maybe the whole compressor is bad on her car(2012 Nissan Maxima).it’s not a tractor or truck but I’m sure the basic system is the same,at least for this question.is it always practical to replace all components of the system or is it a way for a mechanic to make more on a repair? By far I’m not an expert on a-c systems is why I ask

If I'm not mistaken, you can't even buy an a/c compressor without the drier and orifice tube- comes as a kit. they will not warranty it otherwise. And if the compressor exploded, the whole system needs flushed. Mark.

 

[caterpillar guy]

First most warranties aren't worth the paper they are written on. Now I had a compressor go bad on a Dodge pickup. I just used some Carbon tet sprayed into the lines then blew it out with an air hose and compressed air. Flushed out any debris changed the inline filter and drier added new compressor so system was tight and had it sucked down and filled has worked for 3 years now. Was relatively cheap to have the system chagred after I did the rest of the work.

 

[560Dennis]

13 year old hose and aluminum tubing in low and high pressure , risky not to change and orings , especially in corrosion areas , I change them . Condenser inspected

 

[john in la]

If the clutch is bad replace the clutch and leave the system alone.
If the compressor is bad we need to know why it is bad.
If it has a seal leak you can get away with replacing only the compressor.
If the compressor froze up or quit working I would replace the condenser and flush the evaporator coil and hoses to remove any bits of metal and gunk out of the system.
Any time the system is opened for any reason the receiver/dryer and the orifice tube should be replaced.

 

[cjunrau]

My daughter in laws ac clutch and maybe the whole compressor is bad on her car(2012 Nissan Maxima).it’s not a tractor or truck but I’m sure the basic system is the same,at least for this question.is it always practical to replace all components of the system or is it a way for a mechanic to make more on a repair? By far I’m not an expert on a-c systems is why I ask

I have never changed more than what is needed. If the clutch is bad that is easy to check. replacing isn't that hard. if you are not doing it yourself and don't know what is what they will change more than needed as it makes more money. I have never seen a compressor go bad in that age but then i don't know what the average would be now a days.

 

[Hayfarmer]

I have never changed more than what is needed. If the clutch is bad that is easy to check. replacing isn't that hard. if you are not doing it yourself and don't know what is what they will change more than needed as it makes more money. I have never seen a compressor go bad in that age but then i don't know what the average would be now a days.

Several years ago I had to replace compressor on 1996 Chev Impala. A mechanic friend said they don't warranty compressor unless you change dryer also but a lot more work to replace dryer. He suggested I order compressor and dryer and only install compressor. As long as you ordered both compressor company would figure you changed both. I was getting parts and had mechanic do work as I don't have vacuum pump and gages. When I sold car quite a few years later still had dryer in box but compressor worked fine for a lot of miles.

 

[Hobo,NC]

My daughter in laws ac clutch and maybe the whole compressor is bad on her car(2012 Nissan Maxima).it’s not a tractor or truck but I’m sure the basic system is the same,at least for this question.is it always practical to replace all components of the system or is it a way for a mechanic to make more on a repair? By far I’m not an expert on a-c systems is why I ask

As a Mechanic I don't want to do it twice. I want to know what caused it to fail and repair it so it lives a long happy life. The most common problem of clutch failure would be for the system to overheat and burn the oil locking up the compressor, second the clutch bearing went bad and they kept driving it. Until you know what caused the issue a recommendation cannot be made.

Lack of oil are burnt oil will cause the compressor to ware this passes contaminated refrigerant through the system most of the time everything needs replacing. 99.9% of the time the evaporator can be flushed and saved. Most all lines that have a muffler are rubber hose need replacing a hard steel line can be flushed. Always replace the expansion device, the filter drier are Accumulator. Condensers cannot be saved if you replace it try and stay OEM as many aftermarket condensers are not as efficient. In hot humid climates the condenser efficiency is where its at are you will not have a happy customer.

Lets say I price this job for compressor, hoses, condenser, drier, expansion device if don't get a go for what I think it needs I boot you and move on to the next victim. You give me the green light I will work hard to determine why the compressor failed. I will go as far as to take the compressor apart if the oil and compressor internals and the expansion device internals look GREAT most of the time it does not need a condenser are new hoses.

If you get into the system and the oil is dark its never good for the home team. Most of the time you can get a feel for the oil condition just by looking at the oil that's trapped in the service port. AC compressors live a long happy life heat is the killer. They are no different than the engine they suffer from the same effects.

 

[Mcrafty1]

Kind of a side note here, I had the inside of a dryer rupture and the mess went through the entire system...I spent a bunch of money chasing that mess until I ended up biting the bullet and replacing the entire system other than the lines, they were flushed out but the compressor, dryer and condenser was changed, all is good since. The moral of the story is going forward I will have the dryer changed periodically now regardless if it needs it or not...The dryer was/is by far the cheapest of the three components. The vehicle in question was my 2007 F350 and the problem started when the truck was 14 years old.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

If you are doing it yourself and not paying for labor fix just what needs fixed.
If you are paying, fix what the repairman recommends.
25 years ago my daughter's AC compressor locked up and burnt the belt.
I went to a salvage yard and bought a used compressor. I installed it, pulled a vacuum, and
charged it with R12. It lasted her until she sold the 1990 dodge spirit.

 

[NoDakInMN]

Give us more info. What are the gauge readings??
If it is just the clutch, then just replace the clutch.
But if the compressor is bad that is something completely different. Then you will need a compressor, a drier, and will need to have the system flushed and even after that you probably will have AC problems for the rest of the cars life. You simply can't get all the junk out of the lines, condenser, evaporator, Ect. Sooner or later a piece of something the size of a pin head will suspend itself in the oil and be circulated around and get caught in the wrong place and cause problems.

Out of curiosity, what do you expect to learn from gauge readings on a system with a bad clutch, outside of the system being pressurized?

 

[NoDakInMN]

What is wrong with the clutch? I ask because that affects what needs to be done. If the damage it limited to the magnet not engaging the clutch or the clutch bearing is bad, those are issues external to the refrigeration system and it therefore doesn't need to be worked on. Now, sometimes clutch issues can, repeat, can, indicate compressor issues, but that is not a given and depends on the nature of the clutch failure.

So, the extent of the needed repairs come down to the diagnosis of what is wrong, and simply saying the clutch is bad is completely insufficient for anyone to justify extensive repairs to the entire system.

 

[RedMF40]

Here’s my experience: the compressor itself went bad on my 2010 Honda Fit. That’s what they replaced, as far as I know. And they’re a long-established Honda repair shop. AC works fine now. I could have left it alone but for the fact it sounded like the whole engine was coming apart and when it eventually failed it would throw the belt which runs other things.

 

[rrman61]

Here’s my experience: the compressor itself went bad on my 2010 Honda Fit. That’s what they replaced, as far as I know. And they’re a long-established Honda repair shop. AC works fine now. I could have left it alone but for the fact it sounded like the whole engine was coming apart and when it eventually failed it would throw the belt which runs other things.

I’m not doing the work a mechanic is so I don’t know at this point if it’s just the clutch ,he hasn’t worked on it yet to find out.