Ac compressor on 96

Anyone ever done a compressor replacement on a 96? Im replacing the condenser and the receiver and I'm wondering if I shouldn't just do the compressor as well.

How labor intensive is it and is it really neccesary? I just bought this truck so I don't know if the compressor has been swapped already or not. It has 200k miles on a potentially original compressor.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

the compressor is just a pump and they usually can last forever, if something was wrong with it then replace it but its not something "you just do" without it being broken

 

The only reason I ask is because it's up there in age and I've heard horror stories about compressors "grenading" and causing much more of a headache in the long run.

 

If you have the extra money to go buy a new compressor from Toyota Go for it!!

I belong to the if it works keep it!!

Just like Starters and Alternators reman quality can be so hit or miss on compressors Then warranties on compressors can sometimes be interesting .

Since you seem to have never changed one it depends on your skill level

I would hope you have checked the evaporator coil it would be really nasty to install a new condenser to have a evap coil full of holes.

 

the only "grenade" when the pressure switch is broken or bypassed and they run with low Freon because that's they will over heat and seize up.

as long as they have Freon in them they are like axles and last you forever

 

The evap coil is behind the glove box right? Do I just visually inspect it for holes? The ac stopped working because the line from the drier to the condenser snapped. Which is why Im a bit worried about the compressor because idk how long the guy before me ran the ac without knowing there was no freon in it.

Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'll just check the evap coils when I get home and if they're good just replace the condenser and drier like I originally planned.

 

the compressor wont run without Freon, it has pressure switches to prevent that so all you need to do is replace condenser and drier then have the system vacuumed and recharged and I suggest you add a 1oz can of oil to the system when you recharge it to replace any oil that was lost from the leak.

don't fix shit that aint broke or you will start "causing" problems.

just replace the bad parts and then get your system leak checked, vacuumed, and recharged

 

Awesome. Good to know about the fail safe pressure switches. Thanks a lot.