Best Replacement A/C Compressor

[CANTWN4LSN]

First one went out under extended warranty and replaced. Second one on the way out with that wonderful whining noise. Is there a better replacement than OEM as far as longevity?

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[galaxy]

Yup. Anything from RockAuto that's not Ford/Motorcraft. I've had two Ford failures in a row. My RockAuto compressor is running strong for a couple years now. I have the GPD. ALWAYS replace the condenser at a minimum. I replaced everything except the evap, but I flushed it and all the lines.

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

Yup. Anything from RockAuto that's not Ford/Motorcraft. I've had two Ford failures in a row. My RockAuto compressor is running strong for a couple years now. I have the GPD. ALWAYS replace the condenser at a minimum. I replaced everything except the evap, but I flushed it and all the lines.

Thanks. Appreciate the info. Looks like the condenser comes with and over $200 less than quoted from Ford.

 

[jheissjr]

What make was the second one that went out. Is the one in it now the second one?

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

Yes, the second one in now in the process of failing is Ford/Motocraft replaced under warranty. First one OE went out at around 45000 miles (actually sooner but I don't need AC much where I live) and the second now at about 75000 miles.

 

[SCP440]

I was told by an AC engineer the most common cause of failures is because of lack of use. Some cars that default to always on rarely fail unless there is some physical damage. Circulating the oil around also keeps the seals from leaking so apart from the load on the engine and belt there is no benefit to switching it off.

 

[galaxy]

I actually think I agree with that. It's hard to deny this community sees a high rate of failures, and we all know this group is notorious for no AC/windows down. That logic applies to a lot of things in life and cars.

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

Now that is interesting. Since I hibernate the car for 5 months a year in winter, makes me wonder if I'm more prone to failure because of that? Has your engineer done any reproducible studies to demonstrate that outcome in vehicles left sitting or unused for defined periods of time plotted against failure? Should we rethink firing it up say once a week during those times despite caveats on perhaps negligible effects on the engine but not driving it because of freezing temps on summer tires? Or just bite the bullet and replace when necessary? So many questions, so little time.

 

[Jccams]

I have a 2019 with 29K on it, been stored winters it's whole life and not used much, still works fine.

 

[SCP440]

It was just an observation, he was saying the cars that have the AC only switched on for a few months of the year are always the first to need compressors and interestingly usually need regassing more often, he thinks this is because the seals have dried out.
On the other extreme vehicles that always have the AC on and get regular use a compressor can last the life of the car and he has even seen cars that dont need regassing until they have had some other work done.
If you are hibernating the car it would make sense that the seals are drying and yes potentially you are causing a potential problem, I was told to start a car every few weeks and let it get up to temperature for at least 20 mins. Why not just drive it for a few miles and pick your day when the weather is better.

 

[galaxy]

Should we rethink firing it up say once a week during those times despite caveats on perhaps negligible effects on the engine but not driving it because of freezing temps on summer tires?

Hard no. 100% no. While the topic is agreeable, it's also tangible. Please don't take this topic and make a mountain out of a molehill (which tends to happen around here sometimes).

 

[CANTWN4LSN]

It was just an observation, he was saying the cars that have the AC only switched on for a few months of the year are always the first to need compressors and interestingly usually need regassing more often, he thinks this is because the seals have dried out.
On the other extreme vehicles that always have the AC on and get regular use a compressor can last the life of the car and he has even seen cars that dont need regassing until they have had some other work done.
If you are hibernating the car it would make sense that the seals are drying and yes potentially you are causing a potential problem, I was told to start a car every few weeks and let it get up to temperature for at least 20 mins. Why not just drive it for a few miles and pick your day when the weather is better.

Thanks for the follow up. Problem is driving around here is out of the question for months at a time on summer tires at temps below 32 degrees and on ice/snow packed roads and even side streets to get to a bare road. And the "hard no" above agrees with data on prolonged idling til warm up. But not sure a 20-30 second fire up to run the compressor would create engine damage like a 5-20 minute prolonged idle. Well, don't mean to make a mountain out of a molehill of worn out A/C compressors so will just replace as needed. Cost of owning a great car.

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