A/C Compressor went out?

MIA_02Liberty · **Posted:** Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:56 am

Good evening everyone,

Well today I ran into a little problem with my KJ. For some reason my A/C compressor decided to give out on me or so I think. My A/C started to blow warm air all of the sudden while I was stopped in traffic and I kept hearing my compressor clutch cycle on and off every 10 seconds or so. So I finally got home, turned the car on, A/C on/cold and it kept blowing warm air. With my hood open and my wife looking under the hood, I accelerated the car and smoke/sparks came out from the compressor where the clutch is. I immediately turned the car off and looked at the compressor. The clutch shows metal shavings on it and it seems as it is teared off.

My question is this, is it time to replace the Air compressor all together or what shall I do? I think if I am replacing the air compressor I should replace the drier/accumilator as well as the cycle switch (since it kept cycling the clutch on and off). What do you guys think?

I found the A/C Compressor for the 3.7L KJ for $240 in www.jeepair.com which is located in Tampa, FL.

So here are the parts I am planning to get:

- A/C Compressor
- Accumilator Drier
- Compressor Cycling Switch
- A/C O-ring Kit

What do you think? Let me know your input if all this is needed or is this an easy fix with just a clutch replacement.

ls6jay · **Posted:** Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:52 am

try to measure out all the old oil .don't forget to flush the system, replace all seals. vaccuum down the system with a pump and manifold set.
verify that it holds"go to lunch or something". then introduce freon through manifold. thats the basic idea. ive down alot not hard.

L.O. · **Posted:** Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:45 am

Yep, the compressor is dead.....and you have a bit of a job ahead of you. The most important thing is to replace all driers and any screens and flush the heck out of the system. If any metal shavings remain in the lines they will be pulled into the new compressor and ruin it (and probably void the new compressor's warranty). As I understand it, just the clutch on the Liberty's compressor cannot be replaced...you have to replace the whole compressor.

If you have no experience with a/c repair ( and don't have the tools) you might want to think about the shop for this job.

rt_power · **Posted:** Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:48 pm

Mia you need to replace the drier and the orface when you change out the compressor but there would be no reason to replace the low pressure controle unless there is problem with it. once you replace the compressor make sure you leak check the system really well and then draw a deep vac on it but what ever you do dont use a DIY recharge kit. Have a shop chrage the system for ya with the proper amount of R134

MIA_02Liberty · **Posted:** Sun Nov 22, 2009 5:18 pm

Thanks for the replies guys, I am going to purchase all the parts I need and get the parts replaced. Although an expensive job, I just can't be without A/C.

By any chance, with my A/C compressor going out on me, will that cause my engine to overheat in any way or is that a totally different problem?

Landy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:27 am

I just went through this. It was the switch right in front right next to the compressor. I actually put a new one in that was bad. Neat huh. So I bought the one in back there by the firewall, you know, the one you can't get to because some pinhead that never had to change one engineered it, anyway that didn't fix it either, -because I thought the new one I just put in up front was good. So, I kept trying. I even replaced the front plate in the dash with the off/on switch. Then, I put another switch up front and it kicked off without a fuss. I couldn't believe it so I put the 'other' new one back and it was bad. Naturally, you can't take the stuff back to the store after it's been installed.

You can take a jumper lead and jump to the compressor and it will kick on to show you if the compressor cluch is still good or not. You can't replace the clutch either, have to buy the whole compressor enchilada, $500.00+ at my local Jeep Dealer.

No, nothing will overheat weird. We however need the compressor for both A/C and defroster.

dkcase · **Posted:** Sat Nov 28, 2009 7:31 pm

When the A/C clutch went out on our '02 about 2 years ago I DID have only the clutch replaced.

Looking over the manual it would require pullers and installers with proper technique to space it properly, so as to not damage the compressor itself.

I had it done by the mechanic I trust, and I assume he did it properly; it's still going.

I just searched for a compressor clutch online. It's available for about $ 221.

long_tall_texan · **Posted:** Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:34 pm

I agree with all the other advice so far. Not a really hard thing to do. You just need the right tools. Need a good set of guages and a vacuum pump to pull a vacuum on the system before recharging.

MIA_02Liberty wrote:

By any chance, with my A/C compressor going out on me, will that cause my engine to overheat in any way or is that a totally different problem?

As far as the overheating, it could be from the A/C going out. If your compressor has been on it's way out, then it may have been a lot harder to turn. Therefore, putting additional strain on the engine to turn the compressor. As the compressor got worse, the power needed to turn it would increase. This could possible cause overheating tendencies. Fix your A/C and see if it cools properly again. Then again, it could be a totally different thing...

Landy · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:15 am

Well, ok. I do see some clutches only available for an 02. I didn't mean to mis-lead, I was referring to my 06. :roll:

While someone else might be able to search it out and that would be great, I did not find a reference to "Just a clutch" for an 06. The dealership told me they only had/could only a get compressor and clutch, not just a clutch. Allied Auto parts, same thing. Here's an online search for an 06 and it is the same way: http://www.discountacparts.com/addtocar ... -01992.asp

rt_power · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:11 pm

To tell you the truth this is not something that's a DIY project. The cost alone of the vac pump and compound gauges would cost more than to have a shop do it. find a shop that would let you supply the compressor and parts and they can supply the labor and will warranty the work. just my thoughts

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:43 pm

rt_power wrote:

To tell you the truth this is not something that's a DIY project. The cost alone of the vac pump and compound gauges would cost more than to have a shop do it. find a shop that would let you supply the compressor and parts and they can supply the labor and will warranty the work. just my thoughts

That's sound advice but finding a shop that will install your parts is really hard to find these days since to many people are "sue happy" over the dumbest things.I've never heard of a shop that would allow the customer to bring parts in and then warranty the work,if they do they are stupid,even if it's just for the labor it would still be stupid and a money loosing venture.

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:19 pm

I bought the parts and had RS Strauss do the install. Charged less than 1/3 of what Jeep wanted and the whole job came out to about 1/2 what jeep wanted including parts. I posted a thread on here about it a while back. Do a search on either my name or A/C Compressor install. DON"T ATTEMPT THE CLUTCH ALONE!!!! Big issues involved.

A/C Compressor went out?

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