A/C Condensar Questions

[Jamz SHO 813]

I need a new A/C condensor. The belts are very loud and A/C blows hot air. Mechanic says that the bearings are bad. Is there anyway that you could just replace the pulley or do have to replcae the whole unit?
Thanks

 

[SHOtimer]

Well, you were not very specific and rather confusing in your post. The condensor has no bearings in it, it is what is infront of your radiator and acts similar to a radiator except it pulls in heat instead of dispersing it. That only needs to be replaced if it has a hole in it. Your AC blowing hot air could be due to the compressor not turning on which could be because of several different reasons; no refregerant charge, shot compressor, bad switch. Also, it depends on which bearings the mechanic is talking about being bad, if it is within the compressor then yes, the whole thing should be replaced if just within the clutch then no. Hope some of this helped. Also, I just finished restoring my AC system don't be afraid to do it yourself it is really simple and you will save yourself $.
Doug

 

[svtman]

SHOtimer:
The condensor has no bearings in it, it is what is infront of your radiator and acts similar to a radiator except it pulls in heat instead of dispersing it

What he said - except condensors do act exactly like a radiator and disperse heat. They act to remove the heat which is absorbed by the evaporator during the cooling portion of air conditioning wink

 

[Jamz SHO 813]

I apologize SHOtimer, What I meant to say was the compressor. The belts are real loud when the enigine is running. When I turn the A/C on it blows hot air. The mechanic told me that it would cost $1900.00 to fix with new parts. Are there any cheaper ways of doing this. Everytime I try to do something myself it never, never works out. Thanks for the help.

 

[Kevin Airth]

You should be able to replace every single piece in the system for $1900!!! You need to find out if the compressor is locked up or is it just the A/C clutch? The clutch is pretty common and the parts should be $100 or less. Put the year and tranny as well as the miles in your question. Has the A/C system had any work done to it?
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[scotts93sho]

I just replaced my A/C system. New parts (compressor, clutch, drier, condenser) from Ford will set you back about $1000. Cost me another $500 for labor but the new system works like a champ now. Drop me an email if you have trouble finding the correct parts. Spent a week explaing to ford what parts I needed. They have no idea...

 

[SHOtimer]

No need to apologize, you just got mixed up in what you were saying no big deal. And apparently I wasn't fully aware of the proper function of the condenser. Do your belts squeal no matter whether the AC is on or not? You could have a really loose or old belt that just isn't turning the compressor I guess...but that would be extremely lucky or cheap for you.
Doug

 

[svtman]

Well, to track down the problem - what is making the noise - the belts, the pulley bearings, or the compressor - or even something unrelated under the hood? You can check the belts easily by pouring some water on them while the engine is running. They will immediately quiet if they are making noise. If not - you could be looking at an idler pulley or even the compressor. If you unhook your belt - does your compressor spin easily? If so - does it cycle on and off while the engine is running with the a/c on? It may just be that you need to have your system charged up. Did you check your a/c fuses to make sure they are good? All good things to check.