Subaroo Guy Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) Hi, My 2007 Forester ac discharge hose blew recently, so I had it repaired and the system regassed at the local Subaru dealer and the compressor now makes a noise. They said it needs replacing. The thing is, I had a reconditioned compressor installed one year ago and it has worked fine, until the regas. My question is, can an ac regas damage a compressor? Cheers Edited December 26, 2019 by Subaroo Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I'm no expert, but I would believe the compressor could have shed some debris that caused a spike in the output pressure and THAT caused the hose to blow. Then, just further degradation on the compressor has now led to the noise. kinda unusual failure mode(s) so....hope more experienced folks reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) What part of the line blew? Was it replaced or repaired? What kind of noise? Whirring like a bearing. Screeching like a clutch or belt. Clunking mechanical noise. What is the warranty on the reman compressor? Was the system flushed when the reman compressor was installed? Was the receiver dryer replaced at that time? Was the orfice tube or expansion valve replaced at that time? Was the proper amount and type of oil added to the reman compressor when installed? Some of them come prefilled, some don't. Was new oil added after replacing the blown discharge line? Charging the system would require pumping it to a vacuum and testing for leaks, then charging to the proper amount of Freon and checking low and high pressures to indicate any problems. The pressures are variable depending on ambient temperature. If the mechanic was experienced, charging the system would not cause a problem. Edited December 26, 2019 by Rampage 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvu Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 The hose blew before. If you take that into account, ~25% yes and 75% other possible factors lead to it. Likely system was already clogged and the hose was the fuse. If the hose didn't blow and the system was low on refrigerant and all they had to do was add more. 75% yes it's likely overcharged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 did you ever hear a 'hooting' noise in the car when the a/c was being used? The H tube or orifice tube w'ever can make an odd noise when the system is overcharged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo Guy Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 Thanks for your replies. The discharge hose blew right where it connects to the metal part at the radiator end. The noise the compressor is making is a whirring sound, which gets louder as I rev the engine. The system was flushed by an expert. I'm not sure about the compressor warranty but I'm going to enquire. From your queries it sounds like there are too many scenarios to nail why the compressor failed. I do know the 2007 forester compressor is notorious for problems. I'll update in a week or so. Cheers from Oz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Probably was already failing. And no they aren't "notorious" for failure. They are quite reliable. Get a junkyard compressor and charge up the system. Will likely be fine. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Does the A/C belt have an adjustable tensioner pully, or is it a stretch belt? If it is adjustable, remove the A/C belt and spin the pully. If you hear the whirring sound it is the bearing in the pully. I replaced it on out 95 RHD this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 2 hours ago, Subaroo Guy said: the compressor warranty Most companies require proof that the system was flushed and the receiver dryer was replaced to cover the compressor under warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo Guy Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 Hi Guys, Well, I brought the car back to the guy who installed the reconditioned ac compressor one year ago and he said he could hear the noise in the compressor. He tested the oil level and found it was a little low and said that can sometimes cause a noise. He topped up the oil but the noise has remained. It looks like I'll have to put up with it until it stops working and then cross that bridge. I greatly appreciate all your help. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 On 12/26/2019 at 2:49 AM, Subaroo Guy said: Hi, My 2007 Forester ac discharge hose blew recently, so I had it repaired and the system regassed at the local Subaru dealer and the compressor now makes a noise. They said it needs replacing. The thing is, I had a reconditioned compressor installed one year ago and it has worked fine, until the regas. My question is, can an ac regas damage a compressor? Cheers It could but practically, no. the system senses incorrect pressures and shuts down. A stock, working system shouldn’t overpressurize to the point of causing issues. Reconditioned compressor is most likely problem. Used OEM is better than aftermarket here. Subaru AC systems are robust and simple enough I wouldn’t install any aftermarket or reconditioned unit. Install a $35 used a Subaru compressor, replace the two Compressor side orings, add two cans of refrigerant and it’ll last until you’re done with the car. www.car-part.com for used compressors. They all ship. why was the compressor replaced anyway ? It’s often replaced due to the two $1 orings I mentioned earlier. I see it all the time. “I was quoted $500 for a new compressor”......Bring it to me - here let me replace those two $1 orings in 15 minutes and dump in 2 cans of refrigerant and you’re out $30 instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan909 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 The question nobody has asked is: What are the laws in Oz? I've been through some of this. I'm working from memory here, so the interested reader should look this up to confirm or reveal if/where I'm off base, but the US uses R134a refrigerant and Canada uses R12a. R134a is illegal in Canada, and R12a is illegal in the US - the reason on one side of the border is that it's about safety/flammability, and on the other it's about ozone depletion. The AC systems will work with either (with the possible necessity of changing the dryer), BUT dragons await those who attempt to mix to the two. I discovered this when a few years ago I tried to recharge (with a little retail can of R12a) the AC in my '95 EJ22/5MT OBW. As soon as the refrigerant hit the system (which was presumably charged with R134a), BANG! - the compressor seized. So if a system already charged with R134a needs to be recharged in Canada, it has to first be evacuated before adding the R12a charge, and vice versa. (It's possible that this isn't actually about the refrigerant, but the accompanying oil - I can't remember.) So which do you use down under? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I read somewhere that if you mix R12 and R134a it is called Black Death. Besides the Freon being two different chemical compositions, R12 uses mineral oil and R134a uses PAG oil. R134a will not carry mineral oil through the system and back into the compressor so the compressor runs out of oil. When converting from R12 to R134a you have to add Ester 100 to the mineral oil to make it work with R134a. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan909 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) Actually, I think one refrigerant is a fluorocarbon and the other a hydrocarbon. Gotta go look this up... Edited January 22, 2020 by jonathan909 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampage Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I remember reading some time ago, that the R134a molecule is smaller than the R12 molecule and can actually leak through some of the R12 hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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