Notes from replacement of GX470 air conditioner compressor

[GON]

Earlier today I replaced the air conditioner compressor on a 2005 Lexus GX470. Limited "deep" information on replacing the compressor, so thought to post some random notes:

• No video that I could find on the GX470 air conditioner compressor replacement. There is a 50 minute video on the air compressor replacement on a LX470
  • The video on the LX470 brought the compressor through the engine bay- this requires a lot of additional parts to be removed
    • I brought the compressor through the front of the driver side wheel well- so easy
  • The only specialty tool required is a swivel 14mm socket
    • Job could be done without the swivel socket, but the swivel socket made everything so easy
  • There are three 14mm bolts holding the compressor in place
    • The two forward bolts are the same size
      • The rear bolt is shorter
  • There are two different air conditioner compressors for the GCX470
    • One style compressor for no rear AC
    • One style compressor for the optional rear AC
      • I ordered the wrong compressor- had to return and order the correct compressor
  • No way to remove the clutch or bearings without removing the compressor
    • Might as well just replace the compressor
      • DENSO compressor was OOA $225 USD on Rock Auto
  • The DENSO compressor sold on RockAuto is a exact replacement as the OEM
    • Everything is exactly the same
      • Nothing to modify or worry about
  • The only activities under the hood for this job
    • Disengage the serpentine belt
    • Remove negative cable from battery
    • Optional- remove a bolt holding a wire harness that is secured to the battery tray
      • easy to do and highly recommended- makes the job even easier
    • Hook up the low and high side connectors to
      • evacuate freon
      • vacuum AC system
      • reinstall freon

Overall, a much easier job than expected. I heard a third party shop charges OOA $1200 for this procedure with parts, one can easily do this job (not including evacuate/vacuum/reinstall freon time) in well under three hours. I was expecting a much larger challenge than this was.

 

[Nukeman7]

I think you paid for a good portion of the Robinair machine with the money you saved by doing the job yourself. A/C repair work can be intimidating at first, but with good tools and attention to detail, it's quite rewarding when done correctly.

 

[AZjeff]

Good to see you back in the garage. What's the next salvage rescue project car?

 

[GON]

Good to see you back in the garage. What's the next salvage rescue project car?

Not sure yet. I have a backlog of about two hundred tasks, so hopefully I get a good jump on the backlog of tasks before I grab a salvage project.

 

[GON]

I think you paid for a good portion of the Robinair machine with the money you saved by doing the job yourself. A/C repair work can be intimidating at first, but with good tools and attention to detail, it's quite rewarding when done correctly.

Yes, thanks. Super happy to have the Robinair in the garage. Pricey, but wow the Robinair is a difference maker in projects like this. No going to a shop and waiting around for a evac, then returning for a vacuum and recharge. One can vacuum and recharge at home- but not this easy and efficient.

 

[Egg_Head]

Can you fix the AC in my 1990 Buick Century please? There is a lot more room under the hood than what you were dealing with. Parts would probably exceed the value of the car.

 

[Marcozi]

Did you replace the dryer? Best practice is to replace when the system has been open to the atmosphere for any length of time.

 

[GON]

Did you replace the dryer? Best practice is to replace when the system has been open to the atmosphere for any length of time.

Very good point. I didn't have a drier available, did order it, and it will take ten days to arrive. I will replace the drier when it arrives, and go through the evacuation/vacuum/ recharge process again.

 

[GON]

Can you fix the AC in my 1990 Buick Century please? There is a lot more room under the hood than what you were dealing with. Parts would probably exceed the value of the car.

View attachment 332296

Not sure the "parts will exceed the value of the car" is holistically relevant.

Understand a R12 to R134 conversion may be in order to do the service on your Buick.

A dependable/ reliable car is becoming harder and harder to come by, either new or used. Thousands of 2024/2025/2026 vehicles under factory warranty are sitting in dealership lots, some of those vehicles have been sitting for multiple months, waiting on parts. These warranty repairs pay the least, so the repair more likely than not will go to the least experienced technician.

I have no problem putting "more money than the car is worth" into a proven drivetrain. Heck, I am looking at putting $4500 USD into a brand new drivers seat in my 2005 Lexus GX470. Some might have more confidence in a 20-year-old GX470 than a brand new GX550 at $90k USD.

The focus sometimes appears to be "gotta have the latest tech features that new vehicles offer". Those tech features are often not well designed, and can be a nightmare to troubleshoot. @bdcardinal recently posted a tailight on a later model Ford cost his customer OOA $2500 USD.

The biggest issue I have with older vehicles is parts availability. If one can find a rust free, older vehicle with generous parts availability---and a proven drivetrain--- might well be worth spending more than the car is worth for maintenance.

 

[Egg_Head]

The biggest issue I have with older vehicles is parts availability. If one can find a rust free, older vehicle with generous parts availability---and a proven drivetrain--- might well be owrth spending more than the car is worth for maintenance.

I'd drive that car cross country tomorrow without a worry, even if I do have 255 air conditioning (2 windows down @ 55 MPH) I might take the surfboard rack off before I go.

 

[D60]

Can you fix the AC in my 1990 Buick Century please? There is a lot more room under the hood than what you were dealing with. Parts would probably exceed the value of the car.

View attachment 332296

Looks like 2.5 or 3.3 -- were those both carb'd?

I service an '89 Electra but the 3.8 MPI. That is a cool car!

And yeah, its a/c is not working. We're gonna try one of the R12 substitutes as a stop gap

 

[CorvairGeek]

Looks like 2.5 or 3.3 -- were those both carb'd?

I service an '89 Electra but the 3.8 MPI. That is a cool car!

And yeah, its a/c is not working. We're gonna try one of the R12 substitutes as a stop gap

Both were F.I. before 1990. The 3300 V6 is sweet, the odd little brother of the 3800. Only MPFI (rather than SFI), no camshaft position sensor, MAP or EGR. Surprisingly easy to service.

 

[CorvairGeek]

Looks like 2.5 or 3.3 -- were those both carb'd?

I service an '89 Electra but the 3.8 MPI. That is a cool car!

And yeah, its a/c is not working. We're gonna try one of the R12 substitutes as a stop gap

Unlike the big FWD cars (Electra, LeSabre, 88, 98, DeVille) with dual fans, The midsize cars aren't as good a candidate for R134a conversion. GM added a pusher fan that is ECM triggered on high head pressure for the '94 to '96 models. I added the same fan to mine ('92) with a creative automatic activation to maintain performance. I wouldn't have converted the car myself, but it already had a sham conversion the previous owner paid for dearly (at a GM dealer too).

 

[CKN]

quote
A dependable/ reliable car is becoming harder and harder to come by, either new or used. Thousands of 2024/2025/2026 vehicles under factory warranty are sitting in dealership lots, some of those vehicles have been sitting for multiple months, waiting on parts. These warranty repairs pay the least, so the repair more likely than not will go to the least experienced technician.

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Yea sure-all these expert views on new vehicles and dealers.

 

[Egg_Head]

Looks like 2.5 or 3.3 -- were those both carb'd?

@D60 I have the venerable 2.5L Iron Duke and it is FI. Changing the oil is a trip, you remove a steel cover the size of a 45 record at the bottom of the engine and press the oil cartridge into the lower block. This motor only takes 3 quarts of oil. During the years when my father owned it, shops thought it took the same amount of oil as the 3.3l and overfill it. Valve cover gasket would leak as a result. Fel-Pro and 3 cans of Gunk have fixed that.