I bought an '04 Acura TL with about 120k on the Odo about 3 weeks ago. 100 miles after I got it, the a/c stopped blowing cold (talk about shitty luck!). The mechanic who diagnosed it said the compressor failed. (He claimed that he checked the freon level and that the compressor was leaking. He also said the compressor failed and caused the clutch assembly to "burn out".)

I intend to buy the parts and replace the compressor and dryer myself, assuming what he said is correct. The guy who looked at it said he already evacuated the system. I have the manual and have read through it. I still have a few questions (possibly redundant to what I read)...to make sure I don't do anything extra stupid.

-How can I make sure he evacuated the system? Do I need to throw a gauge on it before unhooking hoses to be sure? Is it that easy?
-Do I just add the oil before installing the new compressor?
-After I install the compressor and put everything back, can I just drive it to a car shop(with a/c off) and have them flush/refill the system?
-Where to add oil (I may have just missed this detail in the manual BUT I do have the section that tells how much to add)?
-If the compressor failure put a bunch of crap in the lines, how can I tell? Is there some sort of looking glass? ( I think I recall a thread where it mentioned one) I've read that that can cause a premature failure.
-If the compressor failure put stuff in the lines, I'm unsure about how to proceed. suggestions?

 

replaced a few of these on our Odyssey. super similar setup to the TL.
I would get the new one at Partsgeek.com that was the best price when I got the last one a couple weeks ago.
$240 Compressor, $16 dryer, $100 condenser. The compressor comes with the clutch. there is sure to be metal fragments in the system. Any warranty on the compressor will require you to replace the accumulator/dryer at a minimum, all will recommend the condenser.
I would go ahead and replace the condenser as well. They are nearly impossible to flush and you dont want the new compressor to get wasted by some metal frags.

depends on the shop but where I go for recharge the Snap-on device will evacuate system, add proper amt of oil and charge system automatically. If you drive there, remove the relay or fuse to make sure it doesnt activate the clutch and spin the compressor without oil/refrigerant.
If you do not have the ability to flush the condenser well I would replace it.

 

So if I do the compressor, dryer, and condensor now- then I can just leave the compressor relay unhooked and take it to the shop to get flushed?

 

To have the system flushed the parts need to be removed and the dryer, compressor, expansion valve should not be flushed, so if the system is contaminated it needs to be done before replacement parts are installed.
Replace the compressor and the dryer if you wish, evacuate for quite a while to burn off the moisture, let it sit to see if the system holds vacuum, then charge.

Just an FYI, have replaced many compressors without the dryer and never a problem, but for the low cost it may make you feel more comfortable, then have it evacuated and charged.

make certain you check to see if the compressor comes with oil or dry.

 

So would it be better for the a/c system if I removed those components, took it on a flat bed to the shop, had them flush it, brought it back, installed the components and then took it again to get flushed and charged?

 

sure that would work but lots of hassle

 

Agreed- I'm trying to weight the benefit- Put up with the hassle now, don't need to replace compressor again later. Or, just replace without flushing and flush afterwards + recharge and hope it works.

 

Pull parts and flush! Replace parts and evac and charge with oil/ refrig

 

This sums up the repair procedure.
You'll need to know if the system was contaminated, if not, just replace the compressor, dryer, evac, charge.

 

Sorry to keep bothering with questions...
Will there be any tell tell signs of contamination? I've never pulled off a compressor before, so I'm not sure what to look for. I would assume I could pull the compressor and inspect it visually then blow compressed air through some (removed) hoses and just see what comes out if anything.

 

From the 'net:

One method, however not always 100% accurate, of checking for particulate contamination is the cotton swab test . Assuming the system is "open" (without refrigerant pressure), is to take a cotton swab and wipe the inner diameters of key components or connections to see if there is any visible particulates, such as pieces of aluminum or heavy black or grey matter. Deep black particles could be a sign that the inner diameter of the refrigerant hoses are breaking down due to age. Grey matter could be the coating on the aluminum pistons is wearing away. Small white or tan in color "beads" could mean a blown receiver drier bag (the desiccant has broken away from the drier).
You can start your simple inspection at the compressor's high side or outlet hose, and then work forward to the condenser inlet, the condenser outlet, the receiver drier inlet and outlet, inlet to the expansion valve, inlet to the evaporator, outlet from the evaporator, and back at the inlet to the compressor. If the car has an "accumulator" rather than "receiver drier", you'll be checking the orifice tube rather than the expansion valve.

I'll add, if you remove a hose, run a flush solution through the hose and have it exit into a filter, e.g. coffee filter to check for any particals.

 

damn damn damn, stripped a 5.5 mm bolt on the compressor. What a pain in the ass!

 

So, Im back! haha

So far I've removed the old compressor and installed a new one (Denso). That was pretty easy minus the bolt I rounded off. The old compressor would still spin, though it got tough to do by hand at times... I'm wondering why the mech told me it seized up. Got the condensor out last night- the new one is on the way. That was pretty easy too, minus trying to get enough room without removing the radiator all together. I flushed one hose (compressor discharge to condenser) and it looked pretty clean. The inlet and outlet to the condenser look pretty clean too. I'm wondering if that means that I'm okay to go without flushing. What do you guys think?

Also, have you guys tried to access the expansion valve before? Should I even bother replacing it? I'm having trouble getting 2 of the top blower mounting bolts out to get the blower out. Kind of stuck right now. Trying to decide if I should just put it all back together with the new condensor and take it to get evac'd and charged. Or if flushing is still neccasary... etc

 

I had problem with the 5.5mm bolts too. Stripped one out and had to actually drill holes into the old compressor to free the bracket. Went down to Lowes and found the M6 x 16mm allen head bolt. It worked perfectly and I replaced both of the new allen bolts in case I ever need to get them off again.