gjones

So I'm on my 3rd A/C compressor, I'm not doing the repairs myself but I thought I was using a reputable A/C repair shop to do the work, although the "reputable" part still remains to be seen.

After much arguing back and forth the shop is honoring their warranty and installing a 3rd A/C compressor in less than a week.

My question is regarding what he claims has been the cause of each failure, I'm hoping for some advice and to see if I can get a straight story.

The A/C repair guy claims the first and second compressor failures were caused by a faulty fan clutch. So after the second A/C air compressor failed the same day we drove it home from the shop, he strongly advised us to replace the fan clutch which we had him do for $298. The day we picked it up from his shop after the Fan Clutch was replaced, our 3rd A/C compressor failed once again as we drove away from his shop (less than 12 miles).

I recorded the horrible grinding noise from under the hood as well as the smoke pouring out from under the fenders as it was happening. I've included the link below for you to see the short video:


We drove it right back to the shop and the repair guy now claims the "real" reason for these failures is an aftermarket front radiator transmission cooler I had installed 3 months ago. He says the transmission cooler is not a pass through cooler, which is causing the compressor to overheat and burn out each A/C compressor.

I called the transmission shop that installed the cooler and they say they've never encountered this problem, nor have they heard of this happening to anyone else and they've installed that same transmission cooler on hundreds of vehicles. They are calling "malarkey" but I would also expect them to cover their own butts.

I also called the local Chevy service department to get their opinion. They felt it was more likely faulty installation when installing the A/C compressor the first time. They specifically stated that the main cause of a brand new A/C compressor going bad, is when the techs do not properly clean out/flush the system after the failure. The dealership said that any debris in the system would cause an almost instant failure to the A/C compressor. This opinion was echoed by another mechanic friend of mine.

I checked his invoice and he clearly charged me for a full system flush as well as a new drier, oriface tube, o ring, caps, valves and even a new A/C belt.


So would love to hear what anyone else thinks. Has anyone ever heard of an A/C compressor failing multiple times in a row because of poor air flow, from a transmission cooler or from a bad fan clutch?

Has anyone ever experienced three A/C compressors going out back to back in a matter of days of each other with only 12 miles on them?

Could my transmission cooler even remotely be the cause of this?

KChevy75

Absolutely not. The A/C system has high and low pressure switches to protect the compressor. Plus, you should still be getting plenty of air flow through the condenser.
A restriction in airflow causing overheating of the refrigerant will trigger the high pressure cutoff switch which turns off the clutch.


I've seen radiators and condensers completely blocked with dirt and debris from being operated in dusty conditions every day. The complaint is overheating and no A/C when hot. I take a garden hose to them and clean them thoroughly. I've never once had to replace an A/C compressor because of this.
I've had other cases where the A/C would work intermittently. These were caused by an electric fan behind the condenser that had bad brushes. They was causing the refrigerant to overheat increasing pressure and triggering the high pressure cutoff switch. New fan motor, problem solved.
I feel they ripped you off on the fan clutch replacement. An aftermarket clutch is about $40. ACDelco is under $100. It should take no more than 30 minutes to replace. 15 minutes for a good mechanic. The air box needs to come out and the fan shroud. You then have complete and easy access to the fan and clutch.

SabrToothSqrl

That sucks. We went through two after market alternators in the Mazda, until we gave up, and used the dealer for an OEM one and it worked fine...

tech2

whats failing on the new compressor? is it the compressor or compressor clutch?


if its metal in the lines froma seized compressor;gm has a a/c screen kit. this screen is installed on the compressor inlet. it protects new compressors from any metal debris from previous failed comptressors. gm provides this as they feel flushing the system is inadequate. replacing the o/t and accumulator is not enough.