My 15 was getting pretty bad this year, cycling between warm and cold. I did the washer mod on the AC co.pressor, where you pull the smaller washer, and it helped big time.
Owner reviews for AC compressor
I put a GPD AC compressor from Rock Auto in my Civic a couple years ago and it's still going strong. You will need to buy or borrow a vacuum pump and a AC manifold to evacuate the air and then fill the system afterwards.
I bought a 2003 E46 a few months ago with a similar mindset. Don't need my car to commute, only for leisure. And wanted something more fun to drive and to work on.
Best decision I've made car related for a while. It's an absolute joy to drive. And not too bad on the wallet. I just completed a 1000 mole road trip to Scotland and averaged 41mpg across the whole trip (I have the 2.2L M54 engine so you're unlikely to beat that, but I'd think 30+ would be achievable). I found a gem on Facebook marketplace for a bargain. I've spent about £1k since but thenl vast majority of that was getting the AC compressor replaced to have that working again.
I would say that these older BMWs need a lot of love and preventative maintenance. That's fine if you want to do it yourself, but if not it will add up fast at a garage. Rust is definitely the main deterrent for a running car. Thankfully the wings can be easily replaced. More serious rust underneath would put me off.
For that price I'd want one with minimal work required in the immediate and serious rust free. But it's a great car and engine. Definitely take your time to find the right one
Not sure what you need, but years ago I picked up my Delphi AC compressor for my '98 for $122 as an Amazon Warehouse Deal.
I've fitted Nissens AC parts regularly at work without having the customers come back. The only time I had a problem with them was when I fitted a Nissens AC compressor to my beater rally BMW and then first absolutely beat the shit out of the car over small mountain passes for a couple days with hitting the redline all the time and then driving on into 110°F weather. It still cooled just fine but started to rattle like a tin can full of gravel within a week of installing it. It got replaced under warranty no questions asked so I can't really complain though.
I recently found myself in need of a new AC Compressor for my 2013 Genesis Coupe 2.0t. The one I purchased from rockauto (HYUNDAI 97701-2M500) seems to be completely different than the one from the factory.
We realized only after we had installed it and the belt pulley track was sticking out too far causing belt slippage.
I recently replaced the AC compressor on my father's 2007 GMC Sierra 5.3L (non-classic) with around 130k miles. I told him to purchase Denso 4710315 from RockAuto which matched what he needed. While they were filling it, they heard a loud pop and refrigerant started spraying everywhere. They eventually found that this metal plug had blown off the back of the compressor.
I (attempted to) refurbish my old civic's AC system by installing a new denso compressor, condenser/drier, and the line that had leaked from rockauto. It passed an overnight vacuum test with flying colors, and to get a second set of eyes on my work (and pay back a local mechanic who helped me figure out where the leak was for free) I took it to a shop to get the freon charged. Passed the shop's vacuum test as well and they recharged the system - but the new compresser's clutch would not engage. He found that as soon as the compressor attempted to engage, it would blow the fuse. He said my new compressor's clutch or coil is defective and that diagnostics are pretty much done - replace the compressor and try again.
I have a 2018 and had to get a new compressor. I have a great mechanic and he straight up tells me that Subaru a/c are just garbage. I have an ‘09 Corolla and a ‘17 F-150 work vehicle, and both of those put out ice cold a/c no issues. Even with the new a/c, coolant, and everything else, it still pretty weak.
Last year I changed: the compressor (NISSENS 89292), the condenser and the AC Cooling Fan Resistor (OE Kia).
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