Any truth to the RockAuto claim i need a specific AC Compressor

Ive found the seals on my 200000 mile ac compressor are gone. Not gonna throw any more autozone recharge cans at it. About to change my timing belt and water pump so while im in there i figure Ill change it out. The rockauto listing for their Denso ac compresser says "Certain vehicles came with multiple compressor styles. You can only replace your current compressor with the same style compressor." How true is this, and if so how do I find it if i cant get to the back of the compressor?

 

I used to have a neighbor (wish he'd never moved) who was a master auto tech in a shop that specialized in Toyota/Lexus, and Nissan/Infiniti.

He would do all our maintenance (and the very seldom repair) in his driveway, saved me TONS of money.

I bought the parts, usually from Rock Auto, so he had no stake in whether I bought OEM or cheaper alternates.

He would tell me once in a while "Just buy whatever's cheapest, doesn't matter." but 90% of the time he would strongly suggest that I get OEM, and 90% of the time that is Denso.

He told me Toyota's are more picky about this than most other brands.

Any way you can get a camera to the back of it?

 

potentially. Ill give it a shot when i get home.

 

Wait, how do you know the seals on your compressor are bad? Did you UV dye test it?

 

yes. ive had to constantly add freon and i finally dye tested it (also replaced everything else) and found a decent amount of it on the compressor.

 

You probably don’t need to replace the entire compressor, it’s usually the hoses or the manifold o rings that will leak

 

How difficult of a job would that be? I know there are oring kits, do i need to buy one specific to whatever model of compressor i have?

 

toasty is correct. Where exactly where was this dye located? It could simply be the oring that seal the compressor manifold.

unless you're 100% certain it's coming from the actual seals from the compressor housing.

I used to work at my dad's AC and power window shop as a tech.

I will tell you a repairing an AC system is not as easy as simply replacing the compressor. If that's your issue.

leaks = contaminants = accelerating the failure of new parts

 

the manifold should be a single bolt on top of the compressor which should have 2 orings. Or it will be 2 separate manifolds(hi and lo side). You MUST get the proper orings for this.


Then get a professional to set a vaccuum to your system and check for leaks. If you're good, then have them recharge it with fresh oil and refrigerant. The amount is on a yellow sticker under your hood. Mine is on the passenger side.