Chinesium or used AC compressor

[nthach]

A friend who I maintain(and repair) a 98 Chevy Tahoe 2 door 4x4 needs working AC, he will be using his truck to transport dogs for a rescue organization he volunteers for - despite my urging to tell him get a truck or van for the day from Getaround(Uber's car sharing arm)/Zipcar/Enterprise and get reimbursed for it, he wants to get the AC working again and use his truck. Last year, I've tried to top it off with AC Pro(yea I know, bad for HVAC recovery machines and against my usual practice of nothing but oil and refrigerant in the AC system) and found out the system was tampered with a loose connection at the accumulator/drier and the compressor is shot. It makes a loud screeching noise so I'm assuming the compressor's gone bad. I plan on replacing the compressor, manifold hose set(cheap part, no rear AC on this model) and accumulator and trying to flush out the condenser and perhaps evaporator with mineral spirits or acetone to try to remove the sealer that AC Pro uses and any metal glitter trapped there. I've read the original Delphi compressor is a belly leaker(thanks JHZR2) and corrosion at the compressor halves will destroy the sealing surfaces. Amazon and eBay sell Chinese Denso and Sanden clones with a new accumulator, orifice tube and O-rings. Pick & Pull is having a sale this weekend and I can try to find a used OEM compressor for half off plus core charge. I'm trying to keep the price below $250 for parts, should I just get the new Chinese compressor and cross my fingers it will run for a year or try to find the OEM Delphi compressor that's in good shape?

 

[khittner]

How would you determine that a used compressor is in "good shape"?

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: khittner

How would you determine that a used compressor is in "good shape"?

I would turn the compressor shaft to see if it turns without excessive force, and take a cotton swab to the compressor in and out ports to check for metallic or black residue. Installing a new Chinese compressor might be the better solution as that would take out neglect or damage from that equation.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

You can get a brand new OEM compressor on Rock Auto for about $200

 

[Chris142]

The Chinese compressors are usually good. See if you can find the upgraded 1 piece body style. BTW you can't flush that parallel flow condenser. It must be replaced with a new one any time you have a compressor failure.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: Chris142

BTW you can't flush that parallel flow condenser. It must be replaced with a new one any time you have a compressor failure.

Thanks for the tip thankfully in this case new condensers are cheap for aftermarket ones. I'm gonna check to see if black death happened first. The compressor did kick on but it made such a racket that we killed AC as soon as we heard it. If the orifice tube is clogged, it will be an automatic replacement.

 

[Audios]

If you used some sort of sealant you need to get that out of the lines before putting anyhting in, thatll ruin the new stuff quickly.

 

[Cujet]

I installed a Chinese compressor in my Jag X-Type. Vibrated badly at high RPM from day 1, lasted 3 weeks. They (Buy Auto Parts/Amazon) were good enough to send me another Chinese unit, and it's clearly not the same brand as the first. I'll install it this weekend and see what happens.

 

[cpayne5]

I installed a new Chinese compressor (UAC branded) on my '06 TSX last weekend. It's working just fine, so far. No weird noises, and it felt like a quality piece out of the box. Time will tell. I thought about trying to find a used one, but decided to go new aftermarket. That's what ended up making the most sense to me.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Installed a Chinese A/C compressor on 2009 Tacoma SR5 2.7L. It is working really well for the past 2 years. I have not replaced anything else with it, only the compressor and added Freon. The only issue from day one was that at long idle times (10+ minutes) it cuts off and has a hard time to kick back on. Only happens when truck sits in parking lot with compressor running. Works flawlessly in low speed bumper-to-bumper traffic, or any other situation and never cuts off otherwise.

 

[chemman]

What about something like this: https://tinyurl.com/yay4ks4w It has a lifetime warranty, includes the seals, accumulator, orifice tube, and oil in addition to the compressor. I put a similar compressor kit on my 99 Silverado in 2015 and it's worked flawlessly. Good luck!

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: cpayne5

I installed a new Chinese compressor (UAC branded) on my '06 TSX last weekend. It's working just fine, so far. No weird noises, and it felt like a quality piece out of the box. Time will tell.

That's the brand I'm looking at - it's a Sanden clone that uses the same mounting and inlet/outlet config as the original Delphi HT6. Apparently a big AC shop in Arizona(ackits.com) sells them as well.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: chemman

What about something like this: https://tinyurl.com/yay4ks4w It has a lifetime warranty, includes the seals, accumulator, orifice tube, and oil in addition to the compressor. I put a similar compressor kit on my 99 Silverado in 2015 and it's worked flawlessly. Good luck!

That's also a though as well, I see them at a decent price online.

 

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted By: nthach

Originally Posted By: cpayne5

I installed a new Chinese compressor (UAC branded) on my '06 TSX last weekend. It's working just fine, so far. No weird noises, and it felt like a quality piece out of the box. Time will tell.

That's the brand I'm looking at - it's a Sanden clone that uses the same mounting and inlet/outlet config as the original Delphi HT6. Apparently a big AC shop in Arizona(ackits.com) sells them as well.

I bought mine from https://pitstopauto.com They had the best price that I could find.