Repairing ac in my 02 tacoma

Just curious, has anyone had to replace the compressor for the ac in their taco? Trying to see if anyone has step by step instructions or pictures of how it's done.

 

have you tried youtube?

its not really a do it yourselfers job unless you have experience working on a/c units and have the right tools.

that said, an amateur "could" manage it, how have you determined its the compressor that's bad and not just a bad clutch?

 

Im an amateur but am self taught a/c repair man. First thing you need to find out is if the compressor is bad. Most likely if it locked up, lost oil... there will be trash/metal shavings in the entire system requiring a complete flush, new expansion valve, and drier. All of this can be done from home, only special tools needed are gauges and a vacuum pump. You would also need to get a shop to evac. the Freon from the system before start. compressor and drier can be taken off and installed in about an hour. Expansion valve is a little more tricky it is behind the glove box under the dash takes about an hour to remove alone. Once all the old parts are removed every part of the system needs to be flushed and new O rings installed. Vacuum pulled and recharge system. Word of advice don't buy a cheapy compressor, Denso brand is what you really want. You can also find inexpensive kits with good warranty on rock auto or other similar sites that include compressor, exp. valve, drier, O rings. There are some good articles on youtube that will detail the steps I talked about. Before you tear into it make sure its not the clutch, low Freon, fuse, or switch. Good Luck