Is removing and replacing the A/C Compressor as simple as bolting it in and placing the belts where they were or is it a big job? I just wanted to know cause I dont have money to get a mechanic to repair it. I thought it might not be hard to do for yourself I know that you have to get it re-gassed but yeah...

it's pretty straight forward... although now one requires a federal licence (ARC, another one of johnny howards money grab schemes) to carry out a/c system repairs.... including fitment of components.... any repairer who values their licence and doesnt like the idea of a $50000 fine will either turn you away or carry out further inspection work to determine that everything is done right.. so it may be worth while just saving up the extra $$ to get it done professionally

tis a pity your in Qld cause i could have done it for ya at a good price

but if you must DIY...

make sure you keep the ports sealed so no dirt gets inside the compressor and determine if the compressor is pre-oiled, use new r134a grade (green) o'rings lubed with a/c oil, and replace your receiver drier and its o'rings
also of note, if your system is dirty inside, then it will need flushing before regassing/ receiver drier replacement

Is removing and replacing the A/C Compressor as simple as bolting it in and placing the belts where they were or is it a big job? I just wanted to know cause I dont have money to get a mechanic to repair it. I thought it might not be hard to do for yourself I know that you have to get it re-gassed but yeah...

Thats pretty much it.
4 bolts hold it on, a plug and the AC fittings, bit fiddly but if you have the tools very DIYable.

You will need the replacement compressor with you as without one you will have to leave the belt off meaning no alt meaning no charge

Both of the above posts have left me like 50/50 on DIY....
I thought that the belts would be tricky but it sounds like the whole lot might be a big job.

as above DONT DO IT YOURSELF!!!
federal laws and u must recover the gas or u will have some akward q's when u go to have it regassed most places wont regas the system unless they can account for the gas they reclaim! (they regularly get audited by authorities)

half the system is under high pressure so don't crack the lines without recovering the gas or u could do ureself harm!!!

as above DONT DO IT YOURSELF!!!
federal laws and u must recover the gas or u will have some akward q's when u go to have it regassed most places wont regas the system unless they can account for the gas they reclaim! (they regularly get audited by authorities)

half the system is under high pressure so don't crack the lines without recovering the gas or u could do ureself harm!!!

yeah and they can be anal... almost like they want us to slip up (imo):ninja:

as above DONT DO IT YOURSELF!!!
federal laws and u must recover the gas or u will have some akward q's when u go to have it regassed most places wont regas the system unless they can account for the gas they reclaim! (they regularly get audited by authorities)

half the system is under high pressure so don't crack the lines without recovering the gas or u could do ureself harm!!!

maybe he has a leak?? ;)

Pretty sure he has a leak too. I have had many leaks.:ninja:

With the prices i got quoted today i think im leaking out of each pipe

Get the shop that is going to do your regas to recover the gas and then go for it yourself.
Once the gas is out you have nothing to worry about because your a/c bloke should vacuum test the system anyway before regassing. The recovery should be part of the regassing charge anyway.

this is off the ARC website"


Who needs a refrigerant handling licence?

Any person who handles refrigerant or works on RAC equipment must hold a refrigerant handling licence. Handling a refrigerant means doing anything with the refrigerant, or a component of RAC equipment, that carries the risk of its emission, including:

* decanting the refrigerant; or
* manufacturing, installing, commissioning, servicing or maintaining RAC equipment, irrespective if whether or not refrigerant is present; or
* decommissioning or disposing of RAC equipment where refrigerant is present.



so by fitting that compressor yourself you are breaking the law


here are the penalties:


Offences committed by persons that don’t hold the relevant permit

For businesses
Businesses that import, export or manufacture fluorocarbon refrigerants (either in bulk or pre-charged into equipment) without the appropriate licence commit an offence under s13 of the Act. The maximum penalty for this offence is $55,000 for a natural person and $275,000 for a corporation.
Businesses that acquire, possess or dispose of fluorocarbon refrigerant without a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (RTA) commit an offence under r112 of the Regulations. The maximum penalty for this offence is $1,100 for a natural person and $5,500 for a corporation.

For individuals
Persons that handle fluorocarbon refrigerant without a Refrigerant Handling Licence (RHL) commit an offence under r111 of the Regulation. The maximum penalty is $1,100.
Where a person engages in conduct that results in the unlawful discharge of fluorocarbon refrigerant, they commit an offence under s45B of the Act. The maximum penalty is $11,000 for a natural person and $55,000 for a corporation.
Note that where a business or person that has been convicted of one of the offences above applies for a permit, they may be refused because they are deemed not to be fit and proper to hold a permit under r122.

its not really worth doing it yourself

That law is written a bit strangely.

See its an offence to install/service AC equipment regardless if the gas is present. Yet under offences there is no penalty for installing/servicing said equipment, as there are only penalties for mis-handing the gas itself.

Just saying lol

hahaha dude, do your saying, when i got my DOHC motor on a crate, with no AC lines, by me undoing those 4 bolts holding the compressor on, taking the compressor off, then putting it back on, Ive broken a law? wow, someone sue me!

sad but yes... its really ****ed up... and it doesnt stop the real offenders... just punishes everyone else
kinda like if your exhaust is too loud you get done for creating "noise pollution" (the one pollution ive never seen)

johnny's government really screwed this country up

This is so s**t....Soon it'll be illegal to anything full stop. Cheers for the input guys.

Fixed a mates car and played around with his AC system by replacing a part. Knew nothing about this law.. .thanks for the heads up!

sad but yes... its really ****ed up... and it doesnt stop the real offenders... just punishes everyone else
kinda like if your exhaust is too loud you get done for creating "noise pollution" (the one pollution ive never seen)

johnny's government really screwed this country up

hahaha no worries mate.
I'll just wait for the knock on the door now :bowrofl:

Find a mechanic with the right equipment, explain what you want to do, get him to degas the system, go home, swap the bits, go back, get mechanic to regas and test for leaks. Simple! No pollution, no knock on the door.

BBQ gas is the best. Dont need a licence to regass if you already use it in your a/c.

yes lpg gas does work and used to be used fairly commonly until some got a leak in thier evaporator (without realising )and decided to light up a smoke needly to say end result was not pretty

My mechanic looked at it today...there is actually a leak in my pipes

Some of thw aftermarket drop in gases work well, better than R12 and R134A BUT they they are flammable!

the hydrocarbon gasses are not too good for your system
yes they get real cold
but the gas in the system serves as a coolant, and the system only gets a 1/3 fill on hydrocarbons..... poor compressors dont stand a chance
also the hydrocarbon blends tend to settle and the components leak out at different rates so pretty soon the blend is out of whack
we were going to go down the hydrocarbon track when this licencing BS started up, but after doing our homework, decided that we'd just stay with R134a
of course i cant wait until CO2 becomes mainstream

though they were phasing out r134a for some new one thats so much better (2% or so) for enviroment???
bout the time that the distrubtion rights for r134a run out????

"allegedly" better flourocarbon blend by Du-pont/Honeywell HFO-1234yf (2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoroprop-1-ene)
but the europeans seem to be heading for CO2
not to say it has its merits but im not sold on it yet
guess time will tell if dupont/honeywell can pull the wool over the greenies eyes

CO2 systems can do both heating and cooling apparently. AND we will finally be allowed to do our own regassing I imagine.

you can heat and cool with any gas, its just a matter of swapping the flow thru the evap and condensor... but its more economical to use some of the waste heat from the engine to heat the cabin
also i wouldnt count on being able to regas yourself, CO2 systems work at much higher pressures and CO2 is regarded as a global warming gas

you can heat and cool with any gas, its just a matter of swapping the flow thru the evap and condensor... but its more economical to use some of the waste heat from the engine to heat the cabin
also i wouldnt count on being able to regas yourself, CO2 systems work at much higher pressures and CO2 is regarded as a global warming gas

You breathe out CO2, I highly doubt they will stop you from regassing your own system based on it being a 'global warming gas'.

More likely is the high pressure system required.....

I dont see the issue with degassing a CO2 based system.....I'll just hold my breath for a minute to compensate.

CO2 or R744 runs 7 to 10 times higher pressure, uses a scroll type electric compressor - at least in an implementation by Denso.Can do both heating and cooling in an all electric car.

breathing out CO2 and dumping chemicaly obtained CO2 are two different things the former is part of the carbon cycle and the later loads up the ecosystem

the most effective way to heat a cars interior when there is no engine heat is with an electric heating element