Compressor Killer
Compressor Killer
It’s easy to blame the part, but the truth is it’s usually the installation.
Motor Age — Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow last Groundhog Day (Feb. 2, in case you forgot), and whether or not your neck of the woods really had six more weeks of winter or not, as the legend of the groundhog implies, finally spring is here and that means air conditioning season is well underway. As the cars come into your shop, some of those A/C jobs will require compressor replacement.
Unlike the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, you don’t want to see that same A/C job coming back day after day after day with repeat compressor failures. Fix it right and hope it stays fixed, right? In most cases, a compressor job goes well and the customer is happy for good. What about those times where “in most cases” doesn’t seem to apply?
I’ve spoken with many good techs who have had compressor jobs come back to bite them. Almost without exception they blame the compressor manufacturer/remanufacturer. As a tech, I’ve seen all types of parts that failed long before their time. I even have seen parts that were bad in the box. On the other hand, for quite a few years I have worked for a company that manufactures compressors. I have friends who work for other compressor manufacturers and at conventions we get together and talk about everything including warranty returns and analysis.
One thing we seem to share is the common observation that the overwhelming majority of warranty return compressors don’t die from factory defects or natural causes — they are murdered. Because none of us likes to do a job over (for free, anyway) and we all want to keep our A/C service season as stress free as possible, let’s cover some of the most common problems that lead to those “murdered” compressors.
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Source: Motor Age
