Life expectancy of 2nd gen AC Compressors?

Two ac shops quoted me one at $400 for just the clutch and one $900 for a new compressor. Bought a new clutch on Amazon for $70 and just put it in Sunday. I posted recently a little write up on it..

As long as you do t have any leaks I’m sure the clutch is the issue. When one shop checked my pressures, they only topped it off with barely anything, it wasn’t low enough for the compressor to do the safety shut off. My compressor looks haggard and has 165k on it but a new clutch she runs perfect.

I would start cheapest route and if problems persist then get a dye test done

 

At this point I think my system is probably as good as it gets....which is unfortunate haha. The truck probably needed a larger condensor or maybe even a tiny little fan to move air over the fins at a faster pace.

 

That’s what I’m thinking too, it’s definitely better than it was but still not the best.

 

2008 with about 130000 is when my compressor crapped out . So it lasted 12 years .

 

O7 with 170,000 still cold never touched

 

‘O7
250K mi
boom.

 

The more I read your posts its seems toyota has built a more robust vehicle. Most ac compressors on other cars for me crapped out before I ever bought the vehicle like mine with one exception, the system didnt leak on my tacoma. And if the compressor is indeed good the clutch did its job, plus I can do it myself. Thats low operating coast truck.

Im reassured other members as mentioned above had success I think I can do it. I just need to rent a gear puller from autozone. It would be bad if I messed the job up and there was no wheel to spin the belt on.

 

Just had mine refilled, they said it was down about a pound. No leaks detected! 09, 103k miles on it. Not bad I suppose.

 

Considering the system spec is 20.1-22.2oz (1.25-1.38lb), if you were down about a pound then your system was almost empty.

Has it ever been serviced before? Or was this the first time?

 

That's one of the advantages to having the AC kick on to dehumidify whenever the defroster is on. This will exercise the compressor in the colder months.

 

I misheard him, he said almost a half pound. .45lb on the fill. Did the dye test on it too.

 

If it was properly charged and then it was down 0.45lbs you have a leak somewhere. They just didn't find it.

Cross your fingers that it isn't the evaporator core.

 

Finding a leak is easy. Use a UV flashlight to find the glowing dye. Or pressurize (whether with CO2 or not) and spray soapy water to find bubbles.

Replacing a compressor is easy. It's a few bolts and a belt.

What you should be asking is how to properly perform a flush of the system and replacing contaminated parts.
Because if an A/C compressor fails internally it sends graphite debris throughout the system that will just come back and kill your new compressor within a year, if you didn't perform a flush.

 

First time the system was ever serviced. My wifes car goes in thursday, Ill ask some more pointed questions then. Thanks for the advice here!

 

If it's an '09 and that was the first time it'd ever been serviced, being down only 0.45lb? Probably fine. If you have to get it serviced every year and it's down that half pound, I'd agree you have a leak.

Even the 'barrier' hoses used on the R134a systems, while better than the old R12 hoses, aren't perfect. If I remember correctly, the EPA allows up to a 10% loss of charge as normal over a 12 month period, according to sections 608/609 of the Clean Air Act. If you were down 0.45lb that equates roughly to 0.6oz a year loss since 2009. So long as they didn't damage the service ports during the job, your system is in good shape.

 

I appreciate the sentiment. I had them inspect my kind of loose steering, I’m still unsure if the power steering rack I have is adjustable in that manner. But the shop missed my very loose needle bearing, I’m replacing that this weekend. I’ll post a video of that in my maintenance thread here shortly. And, my airbag light is on, still chasing that gremlin. They didn’t catch either, I’m a touch disappointed with that shop on both counts.

 

NEWSFLASH: Sometimes parts fail, even on Toyotas.

 

That was my understanding as well

 

173k on my 2010, still blows cold and I haven’t touched it. Thanks, Toyota!

 

140K on my 07. Never touched AC and still blows cold. I live in the California central valley so it's pretty hot and dry here.