Whole air conditioning unit needs to be replaced?

Tiny
THOMASJEN71
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 FORD TAURUS
  • 180,000 MILES
Would like to know how to tell if the whole air conditioning unit needs to be replaced or just the compressor, if that is possible? A couple months ago the a.C. Seemed to work at random.A couple weeks ago a loud grinding type noise started coming from the serpentine belt pulley attached to the a.C. And would get worse when the defrost or a.C. Was turned on. Looking down at that pulley it seemed "plate?" That it was attached to seemed to be a little loose from where it sits. Last night a sort of whirring noise started, sounded like it would tighten up and let go repetitively. Today the serpentine belt broke. Pretty sure due to the a.C./Compressor issues. Can the compressor be replaced without doing the whole a.C.
Sunday, August 12th, 2012 AT 7:43 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Yes you can.
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Sunday, August 12th, 2012 AT 7:51 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 34,398 POSTS
There is no such thing as replacing the entire AC system. It is not built like a home window AC unit. Parts of it are in the dash board. Parts are in front of the radiator. You only replace what is broken, in your case the compressor, then recharge the system with refrigerant.
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Sunday, August 12th, 2012 AT 7:52 PM
Tiny
THOMASJEN71
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Sorry, never meant a.C. "System". Just wasn't sure if it is just the compressor attached to the pully or if there is an a.C. Pump too, or if it's one in the same. I have never worked on one. Is there a way to fix the compressor, or could you possibly tell me what size serpentine belt I would need to bypass it? I know they have an arm available but I am a single mother and money is super tight.
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Sunday, August 12th, 2012 AT 8:14 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
If only the clutch is faulty, it can be replaced alone but if the compressor itself is bad then too bad you need to replace the complete unit.

We don't have the size in our database so I am not able to get it for you. The parts store might be able to help you on this.

One way is to run a string around the routing and measure it to get the size.
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Sunday, August 12th, 2012 AT 9:10 PM

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