A/C help???? Compressor or whole system??

[Weasels]

I bought my Explorer a couple months ago knowing that the a/c didnt work. So I took it and had an a/c test done on it. I was told that the entire system needed to be replaced. When I asked why, they told me that it was because the compressor had started to "shred" itself and metal fragments were in the system. This is why they said the whole system needed replacing. The only part truly bad is the compressor, but they said that everything else is "contaminated" with the metal fragments and that they would eventually get back into the compressor and blow it again. My question is does the whole system really need to be replaced or can I just put on a new compressor and filters? Wouldn't the filters catch the metal fragments? I would truly appreciate help on this matter, as I dont have the money for a whole stsyem and it is starting to get very hot now. Thanks in advanced.

 

[TheJackal]

Sounds like you've met the "black death," and if your A/C technician has truly come up with this diagnosis, then he's correct, everything should be replaced.

If you go to the Ford dealer, supposedly, they do have the only flush system capable of cleaning up black death without replacing everything. It's still not 100% guaranteed.

You'll want to take it to another shop to get a 2nd opinion first, tho.

Have you ever tried to service or retrofit your A/C yourself? What shops and service have you had on the A/C?

Here's a little more info for you:
http://www.aircondition.com/tech/questions/15/

 

[Weasels]

That sounds pretty nasty! I had the system checked at Pepboys and they are the ones who told me what i needed to do.

Should I bring it to Ford now to see if they can do the flush mentioned in the article? I was worried that Ford would cost me even more money.

And I have never serviced my a/c myself, but I would be willing to consider it.

 

[96eb96]

That sounds pretty nasty! I had the system checked at Pepboys and they are the ones who told me what i needed to do.

Should I bring it to Ford now to see if they can do the flush mentioned in the article? I was worried that Ford would cost me even more money.

And I have never serviced my a/c myself, but I would be willing to consider it.

A/C service is not difficult. If you can pull the orifice tube we can be sure pep boys is telling the truth.

You will need to replace at least the compressor, condenser, orifice tube, receiver/drier.

The lines can be flushed as well as the evaporator. You will need an air compressor.

The evaporator is usually not so bad because the orifice tube catches all the debris.

I suggest you deal with www.ackits.com. They have a forum there with experts that can help you with your issues. They are also very professional to deal with, and can help you with quality, reasonably priced replacement parts. If you bring this into a shop you will pay more in parts and labor than the truck is worth for the repair.

Once everything is back together, you can refer to this post about what you need to finish the job:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217729
If you do that you should be fine.

 

[Weasels]

Its good to hear that not everything may need to be replaced.

But how do you flush the system?

I keep reading about it but I havent found any "how to" things on it.