AMMO_HOOAH
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- Joined
- December 16, 2005
- Messages
- 835
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- City, State
- Spokane, Wa
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 Ex V8, AWD XLT
Replacing A/C Compressor on 1996 '96 explorer 5.0 How to: replace compressor
I finally got around to picking up a new A/C compressor for my X, and after a bit of searching on here I couldn't find answers to several of my questions about the system. I decided to put together this "How to", to hopefully be able to answer the questions for others that I myself had to find from other sources. One of the websites that is tremendously helpful is ackits.com they have a lot of very useful information, and a huge forum devoted to air-conditioning. You will need a good set of metric sockets and wrenches, as well as special air-conditioning/ fuel line disconnect tools. Also you need to empty the system of any old refrigerant and oil, if you can’t do this your self don’t just open the system! You could harm yourself, your vehicle or violate EPA regulation on the release of refrigerant into the atmosphere. Due to the fact that it was my compressor that went out I also had to buy an orifice valve, and o-ring kit. You can buy them at AutoZone for about $20 altogether. At any rate into the write-up:
Looking into the engine bay of the 5.0 Explorers can be quite unsettling when it comes to considering replacing one of the accessories. It is by far much easier than even I had originally thought.
I finally got around to picking up a new A/C compressor for my X, and after a bit of searching on here I couldn't find answers to several of my questions about the system. I decided to put together this "How to", to hopefully be able to answer the questions for others that I myself had to find from other sources. One of the websites that is tremendously helpful is ackits.com they have a lot of very useful information, and a huge forum devoted to air-conditioning. You will need a good set of metric sockets and wrenches, as well as special air-conditioning/ fuel line disconnect tools. Also you need to empty the system of any old refrigerant and oil, if you can’t do this your self don’t just open the system! You could harm yourself, your vehicle or violate EPA regulation on the release of refrigerant into the atmosphere. Due to the fact that it was my compressor that went out I also had to buy an orifice valve, and o-ring kit. You can buy them at AutoZone for about $20 altogether. At any rate into the write-up:
Looking into the engine bay of the 5.0 Explorers can be quite unsettling when it comes to considering replacing one of the accessories. It is by far much easier than even I had originally thought.
- Start out with removing battery from the engine bay completely, of course disconnect the negative terminal first. Set it to the side out of your way.
- Next you are going to have to remove the power steering fluid reservoir to be able to get to the compressor. Make sure you have something to catch the old fluid with, and some new fluid to refill with.
- There are three small bolts attaching the reservoir, two you can see, and another one on the bottom rear of the reservoir.
- There are two hoses to the reservoir connected with squeeze style hose clamps a large one on the left to the top of the pump, and another on the right going down under the vehicle. I found it easiest to disconnect the large hose at the pump, and place the hose in a plastic bottle.
- Once you get the majority of the fluid out of the reservoir disconnect the smaller hose from the reservoir, and catch what little spillage you have in a pan under the vehicle.
- With the reservoir out of the engine bay you have a clear shot of the compressor.
- Unplug the electric plug going to the compressor, and get it out of your way as much as possible.
- There are four bolts that go through the body of the compressor mounting it to the block. Two of the bolts have the extension on then allowing for the fastening of other hoses out of the way. The one on top holds spark plug wires while the one on the bottom holds that smaller hose from earlier.
- The top two bolts are easy to get to, but you’ll have to use a wrench to unbolt them as there isn’t enough room for a ratchet between the battery tray and compressor.
- The bottom two need to be gotten through the wheel well. Simply remove the driver side wheel and inner wheel well access panel (just pull). Anybody that has changed their sparkplugs will understand this step completely. The top two bolts can’t be removed due to the lack of space, but you can still remove the compressor with them through the body.
- With the bolts removed or out of the way pull the rear of the pump down towards the access panel. There is a heat shield that will need to be removed to get to the bolt mounting the hose plate to the back of the compressor.
- With the heat shield and plate unbolted the compressor can be removed from the engine bay.
- Once the compressor is removed you can start pulling out hoses. At first look there seems to be quite a few, but once you start pulling them out you’ll realize there are only two individual hoses. One of the hoses is two separate ones connected to each other at the block that we unbolted from the rear of the compressor.
- Remove the hose connected to the accumulator (the black tank looking thing on the left side of you engine compartment, the low-pressure fitting is attached to it as well) You’ll need your special disconnect tools for this, press the tool as far into the coupler as you can then pull on the hose with a little twisting. It should come apart fairly easily. If it doesn’t want to come remove the tool and push it in again.
- Unscrew the rear connection to the accumulator. You’ll need two wrenches for this, one to hold the nut on the accumulator still while you unscrew the nut on the evaporator.
- If you have a stock air filter or some sort of replacement box you’ll probably want to remove you’re air filter and box.
- Disconnect the pressure switch plug. With those undone you can unscrew the bolt to the compression ring mount for the accumulator. With it loose the accumulator will simply be pulled up and out of the engine bay.
- You should now be able to see the bottom hose attached to the evaporator (the evaporator is not actually visible only the connections to it protrude from the housing on the firewall). Again using you special tool disconnect the bottom connection.
- This is where the orifice valve is also located. One of the things I had a hard time finding information on. If you stick your finger in there you can feel that it isn’t far in, but you’ll need a pair of needle nose pliers to get it out. If you are even the slightest bit careful you can do it without destroying it (if you plan on reusing it, but since you bought one for $2 why reuse an old one).
- Follow this hose back towards the front of the engine bay (about 18”) it connects to the condenser (the radiator looking thing in front of the actual radiator) unbolt the single bolt holding this fitting in place and pull out the hose.
- Back to the block we unbolted from the compressor follow the smaller of the two hoses forward to the other side of the condenser. It’s the same fitting we just unbolted from the other side. The high-pressure side fitting is also part of this hose. You'll need to disconnect the plug to the pressure switch here.
- With that undone you can now pull out this hose (the whole thing back to the block and across to where we disconnected from the accumulator).
- At this point you should have two hoses, the accumulator (black tank thing), and the compressor out of the vehicle. You can now replace all of the o-rings on all of the fittings. This is simple just find a new one that is the same diameter and thickness (very curtail) to replace the old one. The reason I say thickness is curtail is that the fittings on the condenser ends had o-rings that were far thicker than any in the kit I got, since mine weren’t cracked or worn I simply reused mine.
- You should also use some shop air and blow all of you hoses out along with your condenser and evaporator, do not blow out your accumulator, or compressor! If you have a flush gun or other kind of flush you should flush now and again blow out everything again with exception ^^
- You should make sure everything is good and clean for reassembly.
- I found it easiest to bolt everything to the new compressor THEN set the whole assembly in the engine bay. It takes a little tweaking, but it beats getting contamination into the compressor!
- Reattach the smaller/ shorter hose to the condenser.
- Put your new or reused orifice valve into the bottom fitting on the evaporator before you hook it back up. For the two spring fittings (the ones that needed the special tool) just push them back together until you HEAR them click into place. Pull a little to make sure they’re good. Re-bolt the other end back into the condenser. Put the pressure switch plug back in.
- Put the accumulator back into it’s bracket align the screw fitting up and tighten the bracket. Tighten the evaporator/ accumulator bolt good and tight. Plug the pressure switch back in.
- Reattach the spring fitting to the accumulator.
- You should have everything reattached at this point, but it never hurts to double check yourself. Once your comfortable that everything is good put your filter box, and battery back into your engine bay.