Hey everyone-

So this weekend I was headed out on a road-trip, running the AC (which has been fine ever since I owned this truck) when after a while we noticed that the air coming out of the vents was no longer cooled. Also the little green light on the A/C button wasn't lit up any longer. I then noticed a strange sound coming from the engine compartment, kinda like a 'grinding' sound. Everything else seems fine, the truck runs well, jsut the grinding noise and no AC? I'm guessing the compressor is shot but I'm far from a mechanic.

BTW this is on a '94 4Runner with the 3.0 v-6

Any ideas, suggestions or insight would be greatly apprecieated!

TIA.

 

sounds to me like a bad bearing in the compressor or if you lucky the compressor clutch assembly. It might have failed and is slipping as it trys to engage. good luck!

 

I got a compressor for sale, I believe it is a Denso model, I have'nt bother using it cause there were no belt on it so if you need it PM me.

 

my ac works fine when it's on but when it is off the clutch spins very slowly and makes a grinding noise like there is friction going on. you say if your lucky a bad bearing in the compressor? what does this entail?

 

My compresser just blew up a couple weeks ago.

It was never really "cold" but it made it ok, i suppose.

I was driving on the highway, in high heat, and smoke just started pouring out from the hood, and the smell was awful.

I opened the hood and the smoke was pouring out of the compressor/clutch area.

After that, I could run the blower, but if I pushed the little ac button, I'd hear that grinding noise you're talking about.

With the button unpushed, the clutch on the ac is just free-spinning. When the button is pushed, the clutch "grabs" the compressor gear and works the compressor.

So, if you hear the grinding when the button IS NOT pushed, I'd say that maybe it's just your clutch? Kinda weird, though, figure it'd be the other way around.

You might just need to charge it up with refrigerant and oil. It might've went dry.

If it's grinding all the time, whether on or off, I'd say it's probably just the clutch on the compressor.

You can get a used one fairly cheap, look on ebay.

I took mine off and put one back on and recharged it fairly easy.

I had to get the R12 evacuated (Firestone did it for like 30 bucks), then I just got one of those "retro" fit kits for R134a from Oreilly's and it's working good. I bought a reman clutch w/ warranty off of ebay. Was like 150 bucks.

 

if it's fixable without to much headache i'd like to try and fix it. it was fine before it sat upside down in the engine bay during my yearlong rebuild.

 

It might be fixable.

What I would do is pull the compressor out (after discharging the R12), and just make sure the clutch spins good.

Then just put it back on and get the retro kit for r134a. The kit will have oil and refrigerant in the same bottles. Recharge it and check it out, it might be just fine.

If after a few days it loses it's cold, then there's a leak somewhere.

 

Y'all that are simply replacing blown compressors with either a new one or a used one without changing out the expansion valve/orifice tube and throughly flushing the system are begging for trouble.
A blown compressor will discharge varying amounts of debris thoughout the system, and not flushing all that out, changing the expansion valve/orifice tube, and possible the condensor is really risking pooching something up again.
Also doing an R12 to R134A "conversion" without throughly flushing the system is, again, asking for problems.
The oil used in R12 systems is not compatable with the oil used in R134A systems.




Fred

 

UPDATE:

Turns out it was the compressor. I pulled the belt off and the grinding noise stopped. :whew: I was worried that it might have been something else and more $$. I figure I'll try and pick up a new compressor and do the conversion all at once. Shouldn't be too difficult of a job. For now the truck (my daily driver) runs fine, and I even tightened up the power steering belt and got rid of an annoying whining soud it was making

Thanks all!

 

Yeah, it isn't that hard.

Like Fred said, drain and flush out the R12 by a shop that does it. And get a new drier/accumulator thing. Mine was a pain, it's right behind the grille and I couldn't get the grille off.

I didn't do the expansion valve yet, but plan to. I don't drive the truck much.

 

when mine gave up the ghost, it was a combination of the condensor leaking then the lower pulley brg going out. the brg made a god awful grinding/squealing noise, removed the belt and no more noise. hopefully, the compressor is still ok.

lee

 

Dang my hide. My A/C compressor clutch must have went out also (horrible grinding noise, but before it went out the system ran dry of refridgerant...LOL it wasnt blowing cold at all). So I am going to look into getting a new a/c clutch assymbly but then again I probably need to flush and re-fill the system too.

-Jonathan