ATL TDI AC Air Con compressor seized

CrispyEdd

CrispyEdd

Member
United-Kingdom
My AC compressor clutch wheel/pulley bit spins but the compressor does nothing. It spins with engine off too. The system is out of gas, totally vacuumed out now, after air con man checked it out. It held pressure ok so a new compressor should fix it, if the oil is clean that comes out of it, it should be straight up swap, if not clean oil then may need to flush system and add new dryer/condenser. My question is this, if i fit a new compressor is it okay to not gas it straight away? I sort of heard that the compressor is always on and always pumping cold air unlike magnetic clutch type compressors which switch on on demand and make a click.

So can i fit a new compressor without out any pag oil then get it gassed up later without damaging it?
 
With the system vacuumed out the PAG oil will also have been removed. The oil not only lubricated all the O rings but the internals of the pump and valves. So I can not recommend driving with the compressor with no oil as you have said the compressor runs all the time the engine is running. Why not just replace the compressor and re-gas at the same time.
 
CrispyEdd said:
My AC compressor clutch wheel/pulley bit spins but the compressor does nothing. It spins with engine off too. The system is out of gas, totally vacuumed out now, after air con man checked it out. It held pressure ok so a new compressor should fix it, if the oil is clean that comes out of it, it should be straight up swap, if not clean oil then may need to flush system and add new dryer/condenser. My question is this, if i fit a new compressor is it okay to not gas it straight away? I sort of heard that the compressor is always on and always pumping cold air unlike magnetic clutch type compressors which switch on on demand and make a click.

So can i fit a new compressor without out any pag oil then get it gassed up later without damaging it?
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Evening Edd,

I’m sure someone who knows much more than me will be along shortly to give a definitive answer.

From personal experience though, when I purchased a new Denso Compressor (from ECP) it came sealed with the correct amount of PAG Oil. I actually purchased a bottle of said PAG Oil but it was not needed.

I also drove the A2 locally to the shops a couple of times before a friend recharged it with R134A. It was running perfectly for the 1.5 - 2 years before the engine died on me. Not recommending you use the vehicle for a prolonged period, but a DIY home fit followed by a trip to your local Aircon specialist should be ok.

Kind regards,

Tom
 
audifan said:
With the system vacuumed out the PAG oil will also have been removed. The oil not only lubricated all the O rings but the internals of the pump and valves. So I can not recommend driving with the compressor with no oil as you have said the compressor runs all the time the engine is running. Why not just replace the compressor and re-gas at the same time.
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Perfect and fast answer as ever from Graham.
 
As you said Tom @2work if the "new" compressor is just that, then it will contain the oil whereas a "new" to the car could contain anything from nil to the required amount. Irrelevant really as you would need the system vacuumed again once fitted along with a NEW dryer before correctly being re-gassed .
 
Thank you guys, that's answered my questions, what I will do is buy my compressor arrange the mobile air con man and strip it all down refit compressor loose and ready for him to re-commission. That will save me labour money and mean its going to work OK. Thanks so much!!
 
The rubber insert in behind the pulley breaks off, just buy a second hand compressor and swap that part over. saves re-gas etc.
 
tdiquattro said:
The rubber insert in behind the pulley breaks off, just buy a second hand compressor and swap that part over. saves re-gas etc.
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HI Nigel, the system is empty now, it had been dead for a while and there was a small amount of pressure left in it which has now been vacuumed out. Are you saying it may just be this rubber insert that has stopped the compressor firing up?
 
From my POV a second hand compressor is false economy. I got a year with one I bought before it also broke- and in the end I ended up paying again a year later - plus I decided to change the dryer and renewed the seals.

Not cheap but its like the artic in there now.
 
cheechy said:
From my POV a second hand compressor is false economy. I got a year with one I bought before it also broke- and in the end I ended up paying again a year later - plus I decided to change the dryer and renewed the seals.

Not cheap but its like the artic in there now.
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Think you may be spot on, ac compressor works hard so I want to keep car going for several years more, ill get a new one and a dryer and seals and arrange the pro to fit and service it.
 
Ignore the reply about using second hand parts. The rubber is either in tact or not, replace with used may fix the issue, they break through normal use.
 
OKay I see how it works now thnaks guys, i should be abble to feel side of pulley lipped out at the top as rubbed has disengaged the drive. It still would leave the question why did it sieze up though I guess, so if I replace it and it gets going again its likely damaged inside anyway. What ills an ac compressor? Dried up no oil, just worn out inside? hmmm
 
TBH if the rubber has disengaged I would not even look into repairing just an immediate replacement of the compressor.
As for why it would fail could be several causes including and possibly more:-
No oil,worn berings, bent shaft, water corrosion, lack of use, wrong oil or refrigerant, contaminated rubber due to oil or diesel, etc
 
Replacing the A/C compressor and rad is one of the jobs on my to do list, does anyone have a link to a pack of seals that contains all the necessary o rings?? or is it an Audi dealer job to get the correct sizes? cheers nod.
 
Thought I'd update on this thread...I have fitted a second hand ac compressor, new condenser rad, new dryer and auxiliary belt. New seals in pipes. Now runs super cold 3-5 degrees c on low. Thanks for all the help!!
 
cheechy said:
From my POV a second hand compressor is false economy. I got a year with one I bought before it also broke- and in the end I ended up paying again a year later - plus I decided to change the dryer and renewed the seals.

Not cheap but its like the artic in there now.
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@cheechy . Hi Scott. Accepting this is a year old post could you let me know who did this work for you please ? Time for me to quit procrastinating and get this done. Road home from Skye last week wasn't too comfy in the heat. 🥵The wee 90 still a hoot to drive mind 🥰
 
murdo said:
@cheechy . Hi Scott. Accepting this is a year old post could you let me know who did this work for you please ? Time for me to quit procrastinating and get this done. Road home from Skye last week wasn't too comfy in the heat. 🥵The wee 90 still a hoot to drive mind 🥰
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Hi murdo it was a very wet Paul aka deproman ( it was raining like hell the day we did it). I'll be honest it was not a quick job... Probably around 5 hours or so... Front had to come off to get access to all the important areas. Getting hold of the correctly sized grommets/seals is an important aspect here (depending of course on view far your want to take it). Aircon is working like new on the car still

Good luck
 
cheechy said:
Hi murdo it was a very wet Paul aka deproman ( it was raining like hell the day we did it). I'll be honest it was not a quick job... Probably around 5 hours or so... Front had to come off to get access to all the important areas. Getting hold of the correctly sized grommets/seals is an important aspect here (depending of course on view far your want to take it). Aircon is working like new on the car still

Good luck
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Thanks Scott 😊
 
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