continued...

It's easy to install new switches once the drier is out of the vehicle and on a bench:

Handy sheet that came with the reseal kit from centuryautoair.com. According to Bob, those two O rings will be left over from this project. One of those O ring comes with the shaft seal kit (bought separately) and the second one is not applicable to this compressor.

Cans of R12 goodness and sealant can:

Well, that's about it. I hope this post inspires confidence in you to rebuild your a/c compressor. About the only specialized tool that I can think of is a hydraulic press for pressing out the clutch bearing. I think you can do the same thing using a decent size vise. Incidentally, my bearing was super smooth and spun freely for a long time but while I was in there, figured it was time.

This project is about cleanliness so think like a surgeon! The case needs to be cleaned so crap doesn't fall inside once you have it apart. Clean and clean often :thumbsup:

It may not be a bad idea to have on hand an extra allen bolt that I destroyed in the process of removing the comp. If not, you should be able to source it from your local hardware supplier. Be sure to apply a little bit of anti seize on the thread before re-installing. This is a steel bolt living inside an ALUM housing for 20+ years. Probably would be a good idea to squirt a penetrating fluid on this bolt for about a week just in case it's stuck in there.

Time to rebuild compressor: 45 min
Remove compressor: should take about half hour unless you have a frozen bolt and in that case, two hours!!
Install compressor: an hour with minor aggravation.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers.

 

It's easy to install new switches once the drier is out of the vehicle and on a bench:

Handy sheet that came with the reseal kit from centuryautoair.com. According to Bob, those two O rings will be left over from this project. One of those O ring comes with the shaft seal kit (bought separately) and the second one is not applicable to this compressor.

Cans of R12 goodness and sealant can:

Well, that's about it. I hope this post inspires confidence in you to rebuild your a/c compressor. About the only specialized tool that I can think of is a hydraulic press for pressing out the clutch bearing. I think you can do the same thing using a decent size vise. Incidentally, my bearing was super smooth and spun freely for a long time but while I was in there, figured it was time.

This project is about cleanliness so think like a surgeon! The case needs to be cleaned so crap doesn't fall inside once you have it apart. Clean and clean often :thumbsup:

It may not be a bad idea to have on hand an extra allen bolt that I destroyed in the process of removing the comp. If not, you should be able to source it from your local hardware supplier. Be sure to apply a little bit of anti seize on the thread before re-installing. This is a steel bolt living inside an ALUM housing for 20+ years. Probably would be a good idea to squirt a penetrating fluid on this bolt for about a week just in case it's stuck in there.

Time to rebuild compressor: 45 min
Remove compressor: should take about half hour unless you have a frozen bolt and in that case, two hours!!
Install compressor: an hour with minor aggravation.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers.

I assume when you rebuild the compressor, you automatically replace the dryer? Also How do you know the compressor has to be rebuilt as oppose if it was AC Relay malfunction?

 

Excellent thread--I've added it to the DIY sticky

 

As far as BW124 threads go, they just don't get any better than this.

 

Thanks for the kudos. It was time I contributed to this great forum.

 

Bravo!

This forum is indeed like no other I've seen. The quality of the information in here is really amazing. I've owned many cars over the years, a lot of them Hondas, and the experience on Honda forums is decidedly...different than this.

 

Bravo! hope I don't have to do this!

 

I don't know John, given the age of our cars have, it'll probably happen to you some day, sorry But, it's a very easy thing to do as you can see. If I can do it, anybody can do it.

 

Awesome thread. My 92 400e is leaking freon around the front seal (dye on the back of the pulley and on the brake vents). It holds vacuum, so I'm assuming the leak happens when the system is charged and running. Any other tips for a newbie looking to reseal an r134?

Thanks,
Todd

 

Well, I've completed the rebuild on my 400e. Some tips based on my experience:

1. Double check your parts when they arrive. My rebuild kit was missing one of the large o-rings.

2. If you need a syringe, you can find them at the local pharmacy. I purchased one specifically for giving medication orally. ~$1.30 at Sprawl-Mart.

3. Century recommends mineral oil for your o-rings, but you need PAG 46 for r134 systems.

4. Order additional o-rings for the ports on the compressor. I buggered one up (see next point) and had to buy a $10 kit locally to get one ring.

5. Bolt up the manifold before mounting the compressor. I mangled an o-ring doing this in reverse order.

6. I had dye in my system already. If you don't, I'd add it to the compressor with the oil or charge with freon that includes dye (one can of freon with dye is fine. Fill takes ~2). Dye was critical to identifying my leak (front seal).

7. Correct torque for the compressor is 23 ft-lbs, not inch-lbs. This is corrected in the comments on the 2nd video.

I'm pulling vacuum now. Fingers crossed she fires up and is leak free.

 

Correct torque for Head Bolts

7. Correct torque for the compressor is 23 ft-lbs, not inch-lbs. This is corrected in the comments on the 2nd video.
.

I torqued mine to 23 Nm which is about 17 ft lbs, which is what I found to be the common torque spec for a Denso 10PA17 compressor. And even that seemed like it was going to strip and it was nerve racking until it finally clicked. It sealed fine and i have no leaks. Do it in steps and in a star pattern. 23 ft lbs is a little too much and you run the risk of cracking the head or striping the threads. 23Nm is also the torque spec for the compressor mounting bolts and the allen bolt for the suction/delivery manifold.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya! Good job.

 

alia176; This is a great thread with excellent photos, THX! for taking the time to do this.
I had to buy a new pump $287 and am now cleaning out the lines, flushing the system.
Didn't want to take a chance that mine wasn't rebuild-able.

 

Great write-up! I'll be doing compressor rebuild myself for the 87' 300TD.

 

Good luck with it, it's a painless process!

 

I'd make my wife *really* happy if I got the a/c in her red sedan working again. This has inspired me. Great info!

 

That seems like a lot of work. I'm glad I have a spare compressor in the garage. Thank you for posting the info and pics.

 

Yes, when you open the AC system, you need to replace the drier.

As a quick check, does the compressor turn freely and smoothly with engine off? If yes, you need to do some pressure readings with a manifold gauge set with AC off and AC on then post those readings here.


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I maybe out of my league here, lol. :smile Is there a video how to do this?

 

There are lots in YouTube. It's the same principle with the Mercedes.

It is doable, but you would need to have the proper equipment to do it like an AC manifold gauge set and a vacuum pump. You also need to evacuate the R134 on the system and not vent it out in the atmosphere.

You could pay an AC shop to evacuate, pull vacuum, and recharge your system while you handle the part replacement and flushing the system. That would be cheaper than having them do all the work plus parts.

The procedure is to evacuate, remove defective parts, flush, replace parts, pull vacuum, refill refrigerant.


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Cool, Thanks for the info. Also what happens when the AC Relay goes out? Or is it rare for it to go out?

 

The Klima or AC relay controls the compressor to prevent it and your fan belt from damage if it seizes, or of your engine is revving too fast. There are other switches that can stop your compressor from running only if there's too little or too much pressure in the system. Best is to take it to a shop, have them diagnose it, and see if you can repair it yourself.


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cool, interesting to know what it does...Thanks for the advice.

 

With a new compressor, add 2oz of oil.

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Glad this thread came back up. Going to order a kit from them to refresh my compressor.

 

Parts came in today, and hopefully I can get going on the rebuild tomorrow.