Do I really need a new A/C compressor and radiator? IDK?

I have a 97 4runner Limited w 103k miles. AC stopped blowing cool air. Now, blows neutral air. Mechanic new to me started up the SUV, looked under the hood and immediately said I need a new compressor, he could smell it and it wasn't engaging. My radiator is also crazing. He said order the parts (I bought Denso). He'd install the compressor for $250 labor and radiator for $180 labor. I caught a previous mechanic trying to rip me off, so, I no longer trust them. Maybe because I'm female, they think I'm a good target. Ugh. Your thoughts? Do you think the labor charges are fair (I'll have both parts installed at the same time)? Couldn't the AC just have a leak, or??? TIA, Jan

 

no way to know for sure. *if* it's the original AC (on 4Runner, that's possible) then I would not be surprised at all if it's finally shot. Labor doesn't sound bad at all. last time I had an AC system replaced on my POS Chevy it was just over $1,000 parts and labor, and this was 8-9 years ago

 

Your mechanic may be correct if it's not engaging. Most likely the compressor clutch is going out. It'd be smart to just replace whole compressor. Labor price doesn't sound bad.

 

I am actually surprised to see that the car has only 103K on it and now needs a new AC compressor and a radiator. Does the compressor receive a signal and the clutch does not engage or can it be that no signal makes it to the compressor? The labor rate itself looks reasonable for both.

 

Before I would spend a dime on the parts, I would make sure the clutch on the compressor has power. Might just be a blown fuse. If there is power to the compressor clutch, then a low refrigerant quantity / pressure would prevent the compressor clutch engaging. If the refrigerant is low, a can of that could be purchased for not very much money and serviced in the air conditioner system. If nothing else, the new refrigerant could help find the leak in the system (assuming there is a leak).

 

My 99 3rd gen has a slow leak in the a/c, maybe a couple of oz a year, not going to tear into it over that, will blow 40 degrees on a good day

 

Yes your A/C could have a leak, if the system is not fully charged the compressor will not engage. If your new mechanic did not hook up a set of A/C gages to check the pressures and told you your compressor was bad I would recommend you find a different mechanic.

 

Hes full of shit.

A/C probably has a leak causing the clutch to not kick on. If he didn't refill with dye no way can he tell its the compressor. Good mechanic will show you the leak spot when he finds it.

 

So, when a clutch goes, it can lock up and the belt and the clutch can stink. Ask me how I know.

103k miles is not a lot of miles...BUT it's a 20+ year old AC clutch. Miles don't always indicate failure potential.

Rates do seem reasonable...but like was said, a mechanic should diagnose it better. Checking the clutch is not hard.

 

get a cheap A/C recharge kit and try charging it. if the compressor is good, it should kick on. if not, you either have a massive leak somewhere or the compressor kicked the bucket. i got lucky with mine and that the mechanic gave me a false diagnosis about a bad compressor. charged it with a cheap kit from AutoZone and boom, compressor kicked on and the A/C works. if it's a bad compressor, you may need to get the entire system replaced if it came apart.

 

There is a pressure cycling switch in the high side line on the passenger inner fender, if faulty they can prevent compressor engagement

 

Considering the questions asked I would not do this. I've seen shit ton of people overfill because they were filling their AC with the compressor off and it did not need freon.

 

Behind the grill on the pass side find the accumulator, there is a sight glass on top, with the a/c on you will be able to see refrigerant flowing unless it's completely full or empty, if bubbly or milky it's low, mine is that way at the beginning of the summer in the 3 years I've had it

 

Yeah, that's low for a recent car, but this thing's 25 years old. Those could be 103,000 really hard miles on that thing, who knows?

IMO on a 25-year-old vehicle, actual mileage on the odometer is one of the least important things.

 

Expansion valve?

 

Just looked at mine, appears to be a fixed orifice system, no other valves of any type

 

Inside the evaporator? And clean the evaporator while your at it remove glove box 4 bolts.

 

This is why you generally want to watch a couple YT videos on how to do it beforehand and it also helps a lot to get an A/C charge kit which has a pressure gauge built in. If you manage to overfill that then you're doing something very wrong. There's a reason why charge kits are usually readily available, something super easy most vehicle owners can do themselves without a trained professional.

 

A lot of people can't even tell when the compressor is on to get an accurate reading when using the DYI kit.

If you have a leak the kit is only a bandaid. I would fix it right if you plan on keeping the vehicle.

 

My AC is too cold I don’t like it. Jan, this is what you will be saying let the mechanic do his thing.

 

This is a good point, but all you need to do to see if the compressor is on is just see if it's spinning. Pretty simple to do.

 

Ask the OP to point out the compressor. I bet she won't be able to. Nothing against it just saying.

 

I just did the entire ac kit. It was a chore but all new components and inside behind glove box fit well. I have 240k on mine. Since it was old it wasn't worth charging and having a new issue come up. I think it was about 225 total. Condenser, compressor, dryer, and accumulator. Replaced switch already. Good for another 200k