A/C compressor locked up: $2600 for complete replacement of system???

Hi, All. I could use some quick help as I need to decide what to do in the next 24-48 hours. TIA!

2012 Tacoma Access Cab, 4 cyl. 99,xxx miles.

I'm in Southern Indiana. This past winter the engine started lugging down and I saw the A/C light was blinking. I researched and found it could be the compressor...but, it was January so I didn't follow up and just turned the a/c off when defrosting...had just bought a new house and there were other things that needed money thrown at them.

Just took it to the local mechanic...I'm about 30 minutes north of Louisville, far enough out that we have a few small shops that are 2-4 bays in size; which is where I'd rather go than the dealer or a big name franchise. The guy I took it to is a NAPA guy, fwiw. I'm new to the area so it's the first time going to him.

Anyway, TLDR: he confirmed the compressor was locked up and that sourcing from NAPA I'm looking at around $2600 to replace the entire system. He's say that the book calls for replacing the dryer but it's attached to the evap coil so that entire combined unit needs to be replaced. He also said the book (not sure which, NAPA book?) is saying he has to remove the dash to get to the evap coil and the book is saying 7 hours labor. He did say the Toyota 'book' states about half that time...but, he's not sure how they are doing it. He did say he was going to try to research to see how and if he discovered how they are doing it he's reduce the cost. He also gave me the option for him to source the parts elsewhere and could probably drop the cost a few hundred dollars with the caveat that, in his opinion, the parts would not be as high a quality as NAPA parts and would not have as good a warranty.

I'm just not sure I want to spend 20-25% of the value of the vehicle to fix the A/C.

I know I probably have another 100k in her at least.

Again, thanks to anyone who takes the time to respond. Cheers!

 

The dryer is not in the evaporator it’s in the condenser. If you aren’t replacing evaporator it should be a fairly cheap job. I’d recommend changing the compressor, the evaporator filter which is accessed via the firewall, and condenser, and compressor. Those with a recharge should be under $1k. The evaporator is a bigger job and requires dash removal to access.

 

If the compressor is locked up there's a good chance it sent metal debris through the system, if this is the case at a minimum you must replace the compressor, condenser, expansion valve & screen, and thoroughly flush the lines and evaporator.

Some shops will quote all components because most components can not be flushed anymore due to their design and the only way to guarantee the repair when metal contamination is present.

 

hmm. Ok, I could have totally misquoted him re: evap vs. cond as far as where the dryer is located...I was out on the property cutting firewood when he called. He did speak to having to replace 'it all' per 'the book' and having to access via dash removal...hence the 7 hours of labor the book is telling him. I have a fairly good feel about this guy, I don't think he's jerking me around but he may not be very familiar with this repair which is why he's referring to what I assume is his NAPA book for the labor time. And, he said he was going to try to figure out why Toyota specs less time for the repair.

Thanks for your time!

 

that makes sense with what other things he told me: the system had zero freon in it and he surmised that the freon got blown out the front seal when the compressor seized. This truck was a Florida truck from it's original owner to me via Carmax in 2015 at 49k miles. It spent all of it's life in Florida till Jan of 2022 and right at 90k miles. Then I brought it to Louisville/S. Indiana...it DID NOT like cold winter starts at all. I can only imagine the a/c system was broken in/used to south FL temps and seals etc. simply failed after the move whereas they might not have if it had stayed in FL. But, regardless of the relatively low mileage, it's still an 11 year old vehicle. shit happens.

Thanks for replying!

 

Rock auto 900 or less

 

Is there a relatively easy DIY way to tell if one's compressor is locked up or not?? I'm eyeing A/C repairs at some point myself but have never seen any blinking A/C light. I just push the button and it lights up but never kicks on (I'm assuming because the refrigerant leaked out, but I don't know).

Also, how likely are these trucks to blow out the compressor vs. old o-rings type of deal?

 

I can look up labor times later but 7 hrs for evaporator sounds about right, I've done quite a few evaporators and it can take from 1.5 to over 12 hrs depending on the vehicle and what needs to be removed.

I'm in South Texas and the heat here kills A/C systems plus alot of people run them low on charge because they have a slow leak and don't get it fixed or recharged until it quits cooling completely. Running the system low on charge starves the compressor of oil and makes them fail more quickly.

 

You should be able to rotate the clutch hub of the compressor by hand with the engine off.
If the light isn't flashing but the compressor doesn't turn on the next step is to verify whether or not there is refrigerant in the system, if there isn't you need to find and fix the leak.
If there is then you need to determine why the compressor isn't coming on, pressure switch and evaporator temperature sensor are the main inputs the A/C amplifier uses to determine when to turn the compressor on.

 

Dm knows his stuff about A/C work ^^

 

Perfect!! I will start with the hand-turn and go from there! Thanks!!

Definitely agree with you b_r_o - I've only been in this forum a short time and have already come across some pretty impressive conversations demonstrating DM's deep understanding of automotive systems.

 

I know enough about the refrigeration system to get it done but I'm by no means an expert on it.
I'm much better with the electrical portion of it than the refrigeration portion of it.

I went to an automotive HVAC class last night and holy crap the amount of tech they are adding to A/C systems now is ridiculous, it's quickly becoming another system your gona have to have a scan tool, scope, and meter in addition to your A/C equipment in order to properly diagnose the system.

 

IDK who you're talking to, but they don't sound like a mechanic to me

Figure out if you can run a bypass belt.
Determine if the refrigerant is empty. If the compressor is bypassed, you can pay a shop to empty it.
You can then replace the compressor with a correct one, and condenser. Because it's beat up by now, and likely has the drier filter built inside of it. If there are any separate orifice tube type of filters in a line connection, replace that as well.

Then a full charge to what it needs to be, re-adding how much oil you took out. The compressor is supposed to come with oil already inside. If you have your doubts like if a shipping plug cap is fallen out, or it looks kicked around, consider adding 5-10mL more, which I believe (you can check this) is rule of thumb.
I'd also check the manual to see if it states add any additional oil per component replaced, in this case the condenser.

The hardest part here is going to be a flush.
If the compressor sent debris in the system, a flush is required, and you need to check for that.
By removing connections (refrigerant already emptied) to inspect for graphite.
It depends on how the compressor broke, etc.

Flush is basically this. You take the expensive A/C machine. Add a flush attachment with enough uses left in it.
Connect with proper adapters in the right orientation, then run it. Takes like 3 hours.
It flushes refrigerant through the system to clean out the debris. There's a program built into the machine to do it.
The adapters are usually a special tool kit.
It's required any time a compressor has failed in a way that sends debris throughout the system, to prevent re-contamination of new replacement parts which would cause premature failure in short order, such as a year or less. Instead of lasting what you'd hope to be 10 or more years.

IDK if those tools are something Toyota has or does. I know A/C stuff is pretty universal to where one flush kit used by one brand may work on another. Given all vehicles generally get supplied A/C compressors and whatnot from the same manufacturing companies.

A/C drain and and fill 1hr labor. Or flush, probably at least 3.
Replace compressor, condenser, also probably at least 3hr. So total at least 6hr.
Which, could still be the time it takes you to do yourself, even if you're not paying someone else to do it.

The hard part in this case is specialized tools to properly work on A/C
And that's just the bare minimum assuming this is your issue. We're not even talking about inspecting with a UV flashlight and yellow UV glasses for any leaks (hopefully you have none)
Even if you have no leaks, it is normal to lose R134a gradually over time.
For example, my '08, I have had to recharge it to full at least once. This is normal. It's also good practice every now and again to change out that old dirty shit for fresh new stuff; which people never do. To keep the system working good as long as you can

You can find a sidework mechanic ~$50. You can also find an independent specialist ~$100+.
Independent means they work for themselves, so their labor is cheaper.
Specialist means they specialize in the vehicle and are good enough to do that, with prior experience on it. Though that's not always required.

If the "mechanic" at NAPA is suggesting pulling your dash to replace the EVAP because your compressor failed,
you should print him a job application to In-N-Out

 

So interesting and unexpected situation just taking a moment to try to turn the hub.

The hub turned - no question about that.

The unexpected part was that not only could I turn it, but I could kind of slide it a bit sort of up-down. Being that the compressor was way deep in the engine compartment and I was pressed for time, I didn't look much deeper than that.

Does that mean anything to anyone?

I can certainly take a more thorough look at it. But it occurred to me that I do have 2 known good compressors that I can compare to - a 2010 corolla with the original unit and my 95 Jeep XJ with an aftermarket unit.

I've never played with that part of a compressor though, so I have no baseline to measure against.

 

Snap a picture of it, it sounds like the clutch failed but this could be because the compressor is locked and it spun the rubber damper.

 

Sounds about right. I have to double check, but the other thing I was thinking about is that there's also a bunch of newer refrigerant types, but it looks like my 08 is going to be the good old R-134A type that I'm familiar with.

My own experience is limited, but certainly not zero.

I successfully replaced my entire A/C system except for the evap on my 95 Jeep XJ and then also replaced a damaged condenser on my sister-in-law's Prius (maybe 07 or 08).
So I've done the whole process I'd be willing to do on this new-to-me Tacoma (being, replace everything but the evap) and also have 2 sets of A/C gauges (the hybrid used incompatible oil) and a vacuum pump. However I took a chance on the Jeep that the compressor hadn't blown up and didn't worry about it on the Prius due to the obvious point of failure...

 

Will do.

This is pretty much in line with what I was thinking might be the case. I figure that the 2010 Corolla should be pretty comparable to the compressor in the Tacoma, and I know without question the Corolla A/C works great.

If, as it seems might be the case here, that the compressor clutch locked up, and hence would be driving the compressor with presumably low-to-no refrigerant in the system - then should I assume that this means it's pretty much guaranteed that there is metal in the system and the flush is unavoidable??

Obviously, I don't have and wouldn't buy a proper A/C servicing system and would have to take it to a proper shop that does prior to doing the rest of the replacement stuff... which is unfortunate I guess... but not a deal-breaker necessarily.

 

Is this as simple as disconnecting the connections and looking (with eyes and a flashlight) for black powder?? Or in other words - is this painfully obvious or something that you'd have to really know what you're looking for and/or with special tools??

 

Still 134A on 2nd gens, 1234yf started to be phased into vehicles in 2012 and all new vehicles sold must use it by 2025.

Won't know if it has metal in it until you open it up.

I usually pour the oil out of the old compressor (measure it so you know how much to put back in) and look for sparkles or metal flakes in it, if it's clean your good but if it has glitter in it or is black that's no good.

 

pretty much
again, with refrigerant not in the system
you can loosen and inspect line connections in various spots like the compressor; wherever there’s room for graphite to settle and be visible

even better any filters that catch it as leaving visible evidence
Like if there’s an orifice tube filter/restrictor mesh
(I think there is one)

or reciever drier
but that may not be visible
because sometimes theyre welded inside of the condenser and not removable