Rebuilt stock a/c compressor or what?

[nyncompute]

It's time to turn my attention to the a/c portion of my under hood makeover. I've gone through most of the components, the condenser, evaporator etc.

But the A6 compressor: It seemed to be in good shape when I pulled it over a two years ago. I noticed it was remanufactured. I'll be sticking with R12.
Should I:

1) stick with the unit I have..it seemed to be functional enough. It held a charge and the clutch worked fine (again 2 years ago).
2) get another remanned one (if so what brand) as a precaution.
3) bite the bullet and buy a new one. Are there several makers for the A6?

[Andy4639]

I suggest getting a new compresor and throwing the A-6 away. I hate them. I haven't had any luck with them.

[nyncompute]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

I suggest getting a new compresor and throwing the A-6 away. I hate them. I haven't had any luck with them.

not one of my options ... like to stick with the stock look and functionality..

[Andy4639]

Buy a brand new one then and hope you have better luck than I did. I bought 3 of them to use with R-12 and 2 with R-134A. I never got more than a year out of them everytime the seals would leak the next summer. I hated those things.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

I find the A-6 to be almost undistrucktable. I would use the same one. When I need replacements I get a used one.

[cparman]

I would use another A6. If you were to go to a different style you will need all new brackets. Napa and others sell reman ones, and might have new. There are a bunch of issues with the front seals leaking, so read the instructions carefully. I have used them with the device that OLD AIR PRODUCTS sells to replace the POA valve and have had good luck.

[mrein3]

I'd keep the A6 too. It is WAY better than most things you want to stick in its place. I'd also stick with the POA system you have verses the POA eliminator somebody suggested. A6s aren't designed to cycle on and off which is what the POA eliminator would do to the system.

[ERASER5]

There is no inherent compressor design for cycling the clutch. When the A6 was king, nobody cycled the clutch because they used an expansion valve in one form or another. The industry swung toward a cycling system because orifice tubes were much cheaper and did not wear out. Now that efficiency is the goal again, expansion valves are again in favor. The compressor did not change when going from one system to another. I have run them all at one time or another. And when I say all, I do mean ALL. I use to do AC compressor testing for Ford.

Eliminating the suction throttling valve will not make the system a "cycling system" in and of itself. The expansion valve is still there doing it job.

[nyncompute]

Just to clear on my intent:
I'm sticking with the A6. I just want to know if I should replace the one that was on it when I tore it off two years ago (it was fine, just has been sitting), get a remaned one, or buy a new one.
Thanks

[cparman]

If you use the old one and it has a problem, you will waste some refridgerant, and possibly a drier. ERASER is correct about the STV/POA, but I know that it works, and will give you the ability to install a pressure switch or two to protect the system in HIGH/LOW pressure situations

[luisduran]

it this the a6?

[nyncompute]

duplicate

[nyncompute]

Originally Posted by luisduran

it this the a6?

It is

[drewdude92]

uhhh... who needs an ac..haha! use your windows thats what they were made for

[Lugnut64052]

I'd stay away from any and all remaned compressors. If your old A6 has been sitting that long, get a new one. A brand new one.

If your POA valve still works, use it.
Point of clarification-- the POA valve is what prevents clutch cycling. It maintains a constant pressure in the evaporator which is what prevents the clutch from cycling on and off.

[leddzepp]

1. Do not change over your POA valve to the "cycling clutch"
2. If you are going to use R-12, get a new compressor. It is far too expensive to waste on "testing" a compressor that you are not sure about.
3. Are you doing this yourself? (I guess I should have asked that first)
4. Do not over oil the compressor. That is the biggest cause of leaks at the front seal. You do not want to under oil it either, or it will wear out prematurely or lock up.
5. I switched over to R-134 because of the lifespan of the A-6. Thay are not known for their longevity. The stuff is cheap and easy to come by. I only use 2 cans of it...not 3-4 as some people say to do. It still produces ice cold air, and reduces the chance of a leak at the front seals.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

1. Do not change over your POA valve to the "cycling clutch"
2. If you are going to use R-12, get a new compressor. It is far too expensive to waste on "testing" a compressor that you are not sure about.
3. Are you doing this yourself? (I guess I should have asked that first)
4. Do not over oil the compressor. That is the biggest cause of leaks at the front seal. You do not want to under oil it either, or it will wear out prematurely or lock up.
5. I switched over to R-134 because of the lifespan of the A-6. Thay are not known for their longevity. The stuff is cheap and easy to come by. I only use 2 cans of it...not 3-4 as some people say to do. It still produces ice cold air, and reduces the chance of a leak at the front seals.

Short lifespan on an A6? Shhh...
Don't tell anybody about the 36 year old, 136,xxx mile A6 in my 72 Chevelle, the 37 year old 117,xxx mile A6 in my 71 Chevelle, and the then 32 year old A6 I pulled out of my 71 Monte Carlo in 2003 that was still working with 175,xxx on the clock.

If you do something stupid like put a used one in without flushing out the old oil. Or recharge a system that was open to the atmosphere for a while without replacing the receiver/dryer then yes, an A6 probably won't last that long. But until this thread I never heard anybody say boo about the longevity of an A6.

In fact the last time I even bothered to add any R12 to one of my Chevelles George Bush's dad was still president. The 71 was a touch warm this summer so I'll probably put the gauges on next spring and check it out. The 72 still fogs my glasses when I get out to get the mail. Just like it did in 1989 when I last serviced the system.

[100%Chevy]

What's wrong with the A-6 pump?
I like them so much that I converted my 82 truck back to an A-6 and dumped the R-4!
Also,the A-6 has been used in more applications than any other pump on the market.With the possible exception of York(Tecumseh/Borg-Warner).
They've been used by G.M(of course),Ford,Mercedes,big truck companies,etc.Also heavy equipment companies.
And the leaky seal is cheap and fairly easy to repair with the right pullers.
The newer aluminum pumps are expensive and have about the same life expectancy.
The 82 pump?Has done well since 1989.
If yours' has been sealed for 2 years,it's probably still good!
You can get a rebuild kit and change your's over to 134-A,but then you will need a bigger condenser to make it cool equivalent to R-12.And an electric fan will really help at lower R.P.M.'s.
Mike.

[nyncompute]

A discussion of the stock compressor defiantly elicits some strong opinions. I dig the look and am not going to change. Furthermore, I don't think I'll convert to r134. I just don't want to risk leaking r12 out of the system due to the expense. I've heard some bad things about remanned compressors.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by mrein3

Short lifespan on an A6? Shhh...
Don't tell anybody about the 36 year old, 136,xxx mile A6 in my 72 Chevelle, the 37 year old 117,xxx mile A6 in my 71 Chevelle, and the then 32 year old A6 I pulled out of my 71 Monte Carlo in 2003 that was still working with 175,xxx on the clock.

If you do something stupid like put a used one in without flushing out the old oil. Or recharge a system that was open to the atmosphere for a while without replacing the receiver/dryer then yes, an A6 probably won't last that long. But until this thread I never heard anybody say boo about the longevity of an A6.

In fact the last time I even bothered to add any R12 to one of my Chevelles George Bush's dad was still president. The 71 was a touch warm this summer so I'll probably put the gauges on next spring and check it out. The 72 still fogs my glasses when I get out to get the mail. Just like it did in 1989 when I last serviced the system.

You are talking about something totally original and a system that has never been opened up. That is not the case here. Most people on here do not have a truck with its all original closed system. After putting rebuilt A-6's on, changing original parts, opening the system up....they never seem to perform the same again.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

You are talking about something totally original and a system that has never been opened up. That is not the case here. Most people on here do not have a truck with its all original closed system. After putting rebuilt A-6's on, changing original parts, opening the system up....they never seem to perform the same again.

Both of my systems have been opened up. EVERY time you open up a system like on our trucks (which is the same as on my Chevelles) you should replace the receiver/dryer. If you are switching to R134a which means you should switch oils, you should completely flush the system.

To bring this post full circle, I would stick with an A6 compressor. I would also switch the system to R134a while it is open. To accomplish this you need to adjust the POA. To adjust the POA follow this link:
http://www.autoacforum.com/messagevi...AR_MSGDBTABLE=
29 psi for R12 and 26 psi for R134a.

Purchase a new receiver/dryer.
Add the correct amount of oil to the system (the correct amount depends on which parts you are replacing or the full amount if you are using all new parts).
Evacuate.
Make sure the system holds a vacuum.
Charge.
You're done.

[Andy4639]

I had everything changed the first time when I bought all the stuff out of a junk truck to put in my truck. I installed the system and had a A/C shop do all the oil/Freon work. This was r-12 it lasted a couple years. Then the compressor went out. Replaced compressor with suppose to be a new one lasted less than a year. Front seals leaked freon. I had the life time warrenty since it was new and they kept swaping it out.
Finally got tired of the price of R-12.
Swaped everything out to R-134A but kept the (A-6) type compressor bought a new one for 134-A. Lasted maybe 2 years had to add freon every summer.
Finally bought a compressor, changed to a sanderson small compressor what a BIG differance. I'll never use a A-6 again. I've had it now over 2 years and haven't added a drop of freon to it.