AC Compressor Recommendations

[BATCH71]

Hello,

My toy hauler truck is a Chevy 98 K1500 with AC. The compressor has died and been replaced with an aftermarket from NAPA. My mechanic says they almost always fail within a years time. He was correct as it is now in failure. Now......what brand does the masterminds of AT garage recommend so I can have it installed and last a while.

Thanks!!

Dave

 

[justfrank]

Good used OEM compressor from a salvage yard UNLESS for some reason those fail often on that type of truck?

 

[alphatarget1]

Um, did your mechanic replace the condenser and other related parts too? Or at least flush the old system out? When the AC compressor dies, a lot of times the debris goes into the system and if you just swap in a new compressor, the debris can kill the new AC compressor.

I see no problem with using most remanufactured parts. Aren't they warrantied anyway if he bought it from Napa?

 

[natto fire]

Um, did your mechanic replace the condenser and other related parts too? Or at least flush the old system out? When the AC compressor dies, a lot of times the debris goes into the system and if you just swap in a new compressor, the debris can kill the new AC compressor.

I see no problem with using most remanufactured parts. Aren't they warrantied anyway if he bought it from Napa?

This. Of course the compressors are going to go bad if you don't look at the A/C as a system. You could buy the most expensive overbuilt A/C compressor out there, but it will still fail if not installed properly.

My dad has an A/C compressor on his Saturn from Autozone (worse than Napa parts IMO) that is over 3 years old in Florida use, of course he replaced the reciever/drier and flushed the system before installing the new compressor.

 

[BATCH71]

Thanks for the replies....Ironically, I had the entire system replaced because they were unable to free many of the connections. It was kind of a domino effect......it was all new at the time of replacement so I assume they did it correctly. They are a competent shop and I have had very good results with them in the past. He flat out told me that the NAPA part would fail and many times they install them late season because they will catch the one year warrantee and have it replaced on NAPA's nickel, thats what they sell at his shop. Perhaps getting an OEM unit installed elsewhere is a better idea? I don't want to throw good money after bad.

 

[NutBucket]

Well, could always go for an Autozone unit since those should carry a lifetime warranty. You might also see what Carquest has to offer. They seem to be better quality wise than the other chains IMHO.

 

[bruceb]

If you do not want OEM, then go with a unit from Sanden .. most Japanese cars use them and they are both reliable and efficient. Note it is very likely this may be the OEM for GM to begin with.

http://www.sanden.com/

 

[justfrank]

Has anyone said exactly what's wrong with your compressor, like bad clutch, valves, noise, seals leaking, seized up, etc? If it's just a bad clutch, that can be replaced w/o replacing the whole compressor.

 

[BATCH71]

Yep...seals leaking. Thanks for all the suggestions also

Dave