Possible bad A.C. compressor

[supersnake83]

Hi everyone,

I think that my a.c. compressor is going bad because I here a whining noise coming from the right side of my engine below the timing housing (the timing belt has already been replaced since October 2006).

Does anyone know how I could tell/test if it is really my a.c. compressor going bad? I was told that I could take off just the a.c. compressor belt to see if I still here the noise. If this is correct, is the procedure for loosing the belt is to start with the alternator?

Do I just loosen the alternator tensionor screw, move the pulley, then loosen the other belts to get to the a.c. belt.

If I am wrong, can someone post how to get to the a.c. belt to take it off. I only want to do this to see if it is actually my a.c. compressor unless there is another way to test it to see if it is bad.

Thanks,

Geoff.

[95-J30tt]

strange enough, i just went through a similar experiance with the tt engine (same position of the AC compressor and belts), it turned out to be that the idler pulley for the AC belt is loose, causing loud squeal when the engine is running under any rpm turn your AC on and see if the sound changes, if it doesnt, then it might very well be the idler pulley. check if your AC belt is tight, then get a 14mm socket (with an extension) and see if the idler pulley's bolts are tight (the bolt that is holding the pulley to the housing, and the adjusting bolt that is accessible from under), because that could be what is causing the sound

i have posted the procedure on how to get to the AC belt on this forum, it was about a couple of monthes ago, try searching for it, if you cant find it, let me know, and i'll post it again....... i hope this helps, good luck, and keep us updated

[gr8scott72]

The 94 I just bought didn't have the a/c working. It turned out the the tensioner pulley was completely seized and wouldn't turn at all so the previous owner had just taken off the belt.

Your pulley might be going bad. The same check mentioned above would be appropriate for a seizing pulley as well as a loose pulley.

[supersnake83]

Thanks,

I am going to find your post and read it to see if it is the pulley or not and to see if it is acutally the compressor or not. My belt is new as I had it and the other two belts changed along with the timing.

I hope it is something simple becuase I checked online and Infiniti of Scottsdale's price for a compressor is 536.__. I found a salvage yard that already have parts pulled and they wanted 100.00 for it. I would just have that compressor rebuilt.

For now, I will check it out.

Thanks,

Geoff.

[supersnake83]

The only directions that I've found was the third post on in "timing procedure."

If possible, can you repost some directions on how to remove/adjust/tighten/loosen the a.c. compressor belt/pulley. I have never worked with pulleys, so anything that could be simple enough where I won't do something wrong would be great.

Thanks,

Geoff.

[95-J30tt]

zerothread?id=216432

it is very simple, get a 14mm socket with an extension, make sure that the yellow arrows (in one of the pictures in the link above) are tight, also make sure that the AC belt is tight, you can do that by feel, just press the belt, and it shouldnt go down much (the service manual spec is 1/4 inch deviation per 20lbs of force)

i hope this helps

[gr8scott72]

Thanks,

I am going to find your post and read it to see if it is the pulley or not and to see if it is acutally the compressor or not. My belt is new as I had it and the other two belts changed along with the timing.

I hope it is something simple becuase I checked online and Infiniti of Scottsdale's price for a compressor is 536.__. I found a salvage yard that already have parts pulled and they wanted 100.00 for it. I would just have that compressor rebuilt.

For now, I will check it out.

Thanks,

Geoff.

If you do need a compressor, let me know. The one in my 93 was blowing ice cold before the engine let go.

[supersnake83]

Hi everyone,

Here is the results. I got under my car to start the work, and when I started to loosen the a.c. pulley, I couldn't. The screw was tooooo tight. However, while the car was jacked up, I turned it on and got close the the compressor and the noise is coming from the compressor itself.

The belts are fine as they are only 5 months old. The pulleys were tight, belts were tight and the only thing that was wrong was the noise from the a.c. compressor.

I do want to replace it. The a.c. still does work as I tried it yesterday, but the noise won't go away. I know that the a.c. compressor brand new is very expensive (579.55 from Infiniti of Scottsdale), however, I probably will buy one from a salvage yard for 100.00 and have it rebuilt.

My question is, is the labor to replace the a.c. compressor hard to do? Could this be a do it yourself job with no garage like tools other than ratchets and wrenches? I don't have a lift or anything. If I have to take it to a shop, about how much should I be charged for labor not to be considered excessive?

If I could do the job myself, how long should it take?

Thanks everyone and especially you 95-j30tt.

You all have really been a great/big help,

Geoff.

[95-J30tt]

if you have a good tool set (with extensions and elongated sockets), it should be easy, i kept the AC compressor in the car when i did the swap, it is held by 4 bolts in the bottom side of the compressor, and one long bolt holding the compressor from the front, i dont have a detailed pic, but i hope this will give you an idea

http://www.q45.org/Project%20J30tt/PICT0134.JPG

to remove the AC, remove the plug at the top of the AC compressor, then i'd suggest that you remove the fan first (4x10mm nuts, dont loose the washers, that way you will have a little more space to work), remove the fan, then install 2 nuts back to hold the waterpump pulley in place (it will come loose when you remove the nuts, so be carefull and go slow), then get under and remove the 4 bolts (i believe they are 14mm) holding the AC compressor to the engine, and then from the top, remove the long bolt (again i believe it was a 14mm, dont you love nissan .... )now you have to remove the AC lines (the lines are held to the compressor by bolts, it seems easy but i have never done it) i have no experiance doing that, and i know that the R134a refregerant is harmful to the enviornment, so i hope that someone with experiance gives thier 2 cents

after the lines are removed, the compressor is fully loose, you can take it out (dont hit the rad when you pull the compressor out), it is a little heavy so handle with care..... . once you install the new compressor in, call a refregeration specialist (most garages should have an AC charging unit), it would cost around 200 canadian to get the AC filled with refregerant, i've heard stories of people getting thier AC filled for 80 bucks, but i cannot confirm

i hope this helps, keep us updated

[supersnake83]

Since the compressor will most likely have to be recharged and possibly refilled with refrigerant, I will have it done professionally. I hope that it won't be too expensive considering that it is a foreign car and since I will be supplying the compressor.

I know that a lot of shops don't like to work with carry-in parts, but for me it is the only way I can save a buck.

Thanks,

I'll keep you posted on the cost for the labor and recharging/refilling.

Geoff.

[supersnake83]

Hi everyone,

Here is an update. Good news, good news, and more good news. I had someone take the ilder pulley off because it was too tight for me to get it off, and that was the problem. The bearing on the pulley was seized. The labor to do that was easier to do than first thought. I will be able to replace the pulley myself. (1st good news).

The pulley only costs 33.00 from Infiniti of scottsdale (2nd good news), and shipping was only 5.00 (3rd good news).

So after all of this speculating, I don't need another a.c. compressor. But the results from my research are: salvage yard a.c. compressor 75.00, price to rebuild is 200.00 and labor to replace is 195.00 + the price of a.c. coolant. I would have been paying over 500.00, but I lucked out again with it not being a major problem.

Thanks everyone for your help,

Geoff.

[yodawill2000]

Good to hear !!!