well,
when I bought my 88 recently, the guy told me that the ac compressor was leaking. I thought I had a replacement lined up but someone last minute outbid me on e-bay (whaaa) so now I guess I'll have to go spend the 189 that the parts store wants.
If I buy a compressor/a new dryer accumulator/the r134 conversion kit/the compressor oil/five cans of r134
can I do this myself?????Or should i give up and take it to an ac shop and prepare to be raped!>?

what about a junkyard compressor?
and how would I know it is a v-5 compressor--does it say v-5 on it>???
what other cars used this?
Or; go to dealer and get raped?
Hey, I live in florida--I don't care if it's a 300,000 dallar car -- if it doesn't have air conditioning--it's miserable to drive.

I would have reservations about buying a used high mileage or old A/C compressor. "Bite the bullet" and buy a new one, about $275 when I last checked. If the seal is the only problem than it can be replaced. I've not had the time to fool with this job of late but you'll need to pull the clutch to get to the seal.

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87GT 3.4 Turbo Best 0-60 5.2 seconds
http://www.turbochargerpower.com/turbo.htm

I just put a used compressor on my 88 3.4.
I took a gamble and it paid off.
If I had put a new compressor on, I would have replaced the drier and converted to R134 as well. As it was, I had 42 oz. of R12 laying around. The grand total for the job cost me around $30. Works fine.

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Raydar

88 3.4 coupe. 17s, cut springs 'n all.

Fiero A/C Compressor Usage:

• 84-85 All DA6
  
• 86-88 2.5L - V5
  
• 86-87 2.8L - DA6
  
• 88 2.8L - HR6
  

Are you sure the compressor is leaking? Even if the leak is in the compressor it may just be a bad O-ring seal around a pressure switch or something else minor. If the leak is elsewhere it won't do any good to change the compressor. Might pay to get a second opinion from a reliable A/C shop. If there is still some R-12 in the system you will have to visit an A/C shop anyhow to have it removed. If you want to take a chance on a used compressor, stay with R-12. If you buy a new or rebuilt compressor, convert to R-134a. There are many good A/C conversion articles on the internet and in the Forum archives. Basically you have to flush the system to remove the old oil and any residual gunk, replace the accumulator and orifice tube, replace O-ring seals (some say this isn't necessary), add 8 ounces of either PAG or POE oil, vacuum the system and recharge with R-134a. Five cans (60 ounces) is way too much. Use 80-85% of the original R-12 charge when using R-134a. If the R-12 label says 2.5 pounds (40 ounces) use 32-34 ounces of R-134a (less than three 12-ounce cans).

Hey Jeff, E-mail sent.

The $190 AC Compressor is the Autozone one right? Get the Delco, it costs more, but lasts LOTS longer. The junkyard compressor is a gamble as always, it may work, but for how long, or may not work at all.
If the system is still R12 take it to an AC specialist or equipped garage, the EPA requires R12 to be reclaimed (HEFTY fines for venting to atmosphere.) To convert to R134a you will need a few specialty tools, including a Good Vacuum pump. Any atmospheric air in the system will allow moisture in, which will form an Acid when it reacts with refrigerant. The vacuum pump will actually boil the moisture out of the system. The amount of refrigerant in the system is also Very important, too much will actually blow warmer air than the right amount, as will too little.

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I went with a compressor from a junkyard and it turned out to be a bad one. If your going to keep the car and go through the trouble of converting it to R134a you might as well pick up a new one.

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-Chris
www.geocities.com/m60chris

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I just put a used compressor on my 88 3.4. I took a gamble and it paid off. If I had put a new compressor on, I would have replaced the drier and converted to R134 as well. As it was, I had 42 oz. of R12 laying around. The grand total for the job cost me around $30. Works fine.

As long as your A/C cools fine I guess that you have beaten the odds. However, only time will tell if the refrigerent will hold in the system.

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87GT 3.4 Turbo Best 0-60 5.2 seconds
http://www.turbochargerpower.com/turbo.htm

are there rebuilt kits or gasket kits or something to refurbish these things? new o-rings or soemthing?

My 'other' car is a Sunfire and it uses the V5 compressor. It/the compressor has lasted over 7 years and 100,000+ miles city driving in Houston so I wouldn't hesitate to use one out of a low mileage car from the junkyard.

The advantage of this compressor from the Sunfire is its designed for the 134 refrigerant. You can change the o-rings and the compressor yourself. Then get a shop to flush your system, change dryer and charge the system. Cheapest route.

If you decide against the junkyard compressor, don't buy a rebuilt one - waste of money - it won't last. Unfortunately, a new Delco compressor is expensive.

Good luck.

quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: As long as your A/C cools fine I guess that you have beaten the odds. However, only time will tell if the refrigerent will hold in the system.

Very true.
The whole thing was a "lash-up" from the very beginning.

What brought all this about was this...
I overlooked the "missing" low pressure switch when I did my engine swap, and promptly turned my HR6 compressor into a doorstop. (Kicked on with a vacuum on the system.)

There was no way I was going to drive from Atlanta to Pontiac without at least trying to get my A/C working.
A friend of mine had a used DA6 compressor (yeah, I know) laying around. Told me to take it and try it if I wanted.
Removed the orifice tube. It was amazingly free of shrapnel. Replaced it anyway. Checked the compressor manifold and plumbing. Also free of shrapnel. Poured 4 oz. of Ester oil into the compressor and installed it. Went and got the system vacuumed down. Loaded 42 oz. (three cans) of refrigerant. It's been working fine ever since. If it dies again, I'll probably buy an HR6 compressor, and do the retrofit.

FWIW, I've heard that when Fiero systems leak, it's frequently at the manifold in the corner of the engine compartment, under the fuel pump and A/C relays. When I took the car apart to do the swap, the bolt that holds the manifold sections together was quite loose. I'm pretty confident that this is where my charge leaked out when the 4 cylinder was in the car. There was also a lot of oil around the area.

Raydar

The first thing I would do is change the o-rings on the manifold at the back of the compressor. These are notorious for leaking on all GM products. Put a vacuum on it and see if it holds it.
If its just got a leak, this is where I would put my money.

quote Originally posted by afRaceR: The first thing I would do is change the o-rings on the manifold at the back of the compressor. These are notorious for leaking on all GM products. Put a vacuum on it and see if it holds it. If its just got a leak, this is where I would put my money.

When buying the o rings you may run into two different types ..a standard o-ring or one that has a steel collar around it. IF steel then try to get the thicker ones as I have noticed that some places sell cheap ones that are very thin and sometimes dont seal well