[Napalm260]

Last weekend I came home to my car smoking on the right side. I popped the hood and looked and nothing, so i turned the car back on still nothing till i turned on my ac and there goes the smoke. i didn't no what it was till the next day i showed my friend and this time the ac compressor started to leak from the middle of the unit. I was told i need a new compressor but money is very tight. so i checked around for a ac compressor bypass pulley and nobody has them for my car..so my question is where to find one or will i short belt work or is there anything else???

I have a 2006 chevy Malibu v6 3.5 LS

thank you,,,

 

[amydawn74]

I find it so interesting that you just posted about your A/C compressor today. My car was acting so weird this morning, so I took it into the dealer & they told me the A/C compressor is locked up...over $1000 to repair. So I'm curious how many other people have had this problem. My car is only a 2006 also, so I'm extremely frustrated that this has happened and the car is only 4 years old.

 

[endgame37]

I had the same thing happen to my car. Pulled in the drive and smelled it burning. I opened the hood just in time to see my belt snap from catching on the locked up compressor. You can buy a new compressor at Advance or Auto Zone for around $450 bucks but I would ask around, I was able to get one from a friend who owns a shop for about $200. It was an easy fix to do yourself. Pull the 3 mounting bolts, disconnect the wire harness and the R-134A hoses (You need to crack them and let them vent the gas, and they will leak a green die so put a towel down and don't breathe the gas in) and it will slide out through the top after you disconnect the radiator hose (Again you will need to drain the radiator, there is a pitcock you can turn to let it drain from the bottom). Then all you do is pop the new one in, hook everything back up how you took it apart, fill it with coolant, put a can of R-134A in it (You can get it from Walmart) and you should be good to go. I was able to do it all for about $250 bucks all told. Even if you have to buy from Advance and pay $450 you should still be able to do it yourself for under $550.00 and about 2 hours for an amatuer like me . Better than $1000.00. Oh and my car only has 66,000 miles on it and gets regular maintance. This should have never happened, I feel there is an issue with this model compressor.

 

[DrivenDaily]

I had the same thing happen to my car. Pulled in the drive and smelled it burning. I opened the hood just in time to see my belt snap from catching on the locked up compressor. You can buy a new compressor at Advance or Auto Zone for around $450 bucks but I would ask around, I was able to get one from a friend who owns a shop for about $200. It was an easy fix to do yourself. Pull the 3 mounting bolts, disconnect the wire harness and the R-134A hoses (You need to crack them and let them vent the gas, and they will leak a green die so put a towel down and don't breathe the gas in) and it will slide out through the top after you disconnect the radiator hose (Again you will need to drain the radiator, there is a pitcock you can turn to let it drain from the bottom). Then all you do is pop the new one in, hook everything back up how you took it apart, fill it with coolant, put a can of R-134A in it (You can get it from Walmart) and you should be good to go. I was able to do it all for about $250 bucks all told. Even if you have to buy from Advance and pay $450 you should still be able to do it yourself for under $550.00 and about 2 hours for an amatuer like me . Better than $1000.00. Oh and my car only has 66,000 miles on it and gets regular maintance. This should have never happened, I feel there is an issue with this model compressor.

I'm glad you were able to get it fixed. It's always a PITA to have to work on a newer car that shouldn't be failing.

Two things about your post that I'd like to comment on for others.

1. Do the environment (and therefore the rest of us) right by having your R134a captured (recycled) by an AC device, even if that means a trip to a shop.

2. To properly recharge an AC system it needs to be pulled down (evacuated) with the right machine, and then recharged with the right amount of R134a. Doing it without evacuating it can/will leave contaminants in the system. The drier may also need to be replaced and is critical to proper operation as well.

Hopefully, after hooking it back up you simply left of telling us that you had it evacuated, but it sounds like you just cracked the fittings and let the freon leak into the air. I'm not kicking you in the teeth over this; just cautioning others to not do it this way.

 

[Napalm260]

thanks you for the replies but i found a a/c bypass pulley..it was for a '03 Malibu but I fits my '06..I just need someone to remove my a/c compressor and replace it with the Bypass.

 

[endgame37]

I'm glad you were able to get it fixed. It's always a PITA to have to work on a newer car that shouldn't be failing.

Two things about your post that I'd like to comment on for others.

1. Do the environment (and therefore the rest of us) right by having your R134a captured (recycled) by an AC device, even if that means a trip to a shop.

2. To properly recharge an AC system it needs to be pulled down (evacuated) with the right machine, and then recharged with the right amount of R134a. Doing it without evacuating it can/will leave contaminants in the system. The drier may also need to be replaced and is critical to proper operation as well.

Hopefully, after hooking it back up you simply left of telling us that you had it evacuated, but it sounds like you just cracked the fittings and let the freon leak into the air. I'm not kicking you in the teeth over this; just cautioning others to not do it this way.

Driven Daily,

Actually it is not Freon it is R-134A. If you check the MSDS sheets on this gas it is safe for the atmosphere (Does not ozone deplete like Freon). This was one of the major gains of switching to this patented gas.

You are correct that there are possible contaminants that could be sent through the system, however as I understand it system cannot be flushed on this vehicle due to the small size of the cross holes in the condensor. However I am by no means an expert on this so the information given to me by my mechanic could be wrong.

Now as far as properly evacuating the system, you are correct that the best way is to have a shop charge it using a vaccum pump. However, I do not run my A/C often and simply wanted a running car again. The cans work by turning the car on and generating a vaccuum when you turn it on full blow. You have to make sure that you put a 1st charge can with oil in right as you turn it on to lubricate the compressor until the charge can cycle back through to avoid starving the compressor at the begining (The clutch should not engage until there is sufficient charge in the line anyway but it is a good safety measure). After that just top it off and follow the instructions. This will properly charge the system.

You are absolutely correct that the best way to charge the sytem is a shop. But if you don't have that option, (I was 4 hours from home at my parents garage with work the next day) this should work.

 

[DrivenDaily]

Cool! (Pun intended.)

I didn't realize that R134a was safe so that's a relief. I'm sure I'm not the only one who loosely refers to it as Freon, but you're correct. I probably won't get in trouble for it though so we're good.

I'll bet being able to get your AC working before a 4-hour drive was a big relief, too.

I'm not too sure about the mechanic's idea that it can't be flushed due to hole size. It wouldn't surprise me that the engineers that design it would make them small, but doesn't a flush just push the refrigerant through the system with another fluid acting as the mechanism to push it? If it's too small for the flush fluid then it seems it'd be too small for the refrigerant as well, but that's just my simple mind trying to make sense of it all.

 

[endgame37]

I checked back with that mechanic to clarify and he said it's not that the tubes are too small to flush, it's that any contaminant large enough to cause an issue would just stay lodged because of the size of the tubes, so if there is any contaminants theres no point to flush, just have to replace. With my limited understanding of A/C I can't say he's right or wrong but he likely knows more than I haha. I'm actually an engineer by trade so believe it wouldn't surprise me in the least if one of us did something like that haha.

Also found out why the old one failed, I bought it at year old (Had the same one new in Red but wrecked it on a snow storm) and it was a leased vehicle originally. The dealer must have charged the system because there was green dye in the lines and apparently that does not get put in from factory and they used the refrigerant without oil in it (Cheaper). According to an old GM mechanic I know they burn up in about 30,000 miles if you don't run a refrigerant with oil in it. I had 33,000 on mine since I bought it, so it seems to line up. Helps restore alittle confidence in it for me at least! Bottom line, be wary of a leased vehicle!!

 

[David Milster]

My sons 06 compressor was factory original and in 160xxx miles he never had ANY work done on the A/C system and he bought it brand new from the dealer.
Yet when he and I replaced his compressor, the system had the leak check dye in it. It HAD to come from the factory. I used to be an engineer at a GM car plant. The plant must have had a leak during assembly and put in dye to check/repair it before it shipped to the dealer.