I was wondering if maybe someone had any ideas on what is going on with my car.

My A/C clutch has been out for a couple of years and I finally got the whole compressor replaced a couple of weeks ago. It worked alright the day I got it back but I went on a drive about an hr outside of town and the compressor seemed to blow up under the hood. The car filled up with this burnt, smoke smell--it was awful. I took it back to the mechanic that fixed it and he said the compressor just exploded and that was not normal (especially after only having it for less than a week) so he put in a brand new one again. WELL, I was on my way down to Florida the other day and the same thing happened! The burnt, smoke smell, the AC blowing hot hair and the car making weird noises (again, I have only had this new compressor for about a week). It was working fine when I drove around town, but it seems it could not withstand the extended trip.

So has this happened to anyone? Does anyone know why my car may be blowing up multiple compressors? Is is possibly something in the car that destroying these compressors, or is possible that I've just gotten crap compressors up to this point?

Any insight is helpful. Thanks!

 

when I needed to replace the compressor on my 850, I also replaced a few other parts - the orifice tube and the dryer (along with the various o-rings). As to what should blow up a compressor - the cars are designed with both low pressure and high pressure sensors which cut off the compressor. I believe there is also a duty cycle to the AC - ie it should cycle on/off when reaching operating temperatures so I wonder if there's a temp sensor keeping the compressor on full cycle (I'd have to research this point). My only other thought is when the system was filled, it was not properly cleaned out and you have some contaminants/moisture in there or the wrong freon was used (ie not enough oil in the freon). I Assume your "new" compressor was a factory rebuilt or replacement and not a used part?

 

mt6127,

I do not think they replaced anything besides the compressor, and yes each time the put in a brand new compressor, not a used one. I did not ask, but I am assuming they flushed the system and did all of the necessary work that is required when getting a new compressor. I do not think they would have just skipped that since they have had to re-do the work once already--and will be redoing it again either this week or the next.

Maybe I should have them check the low pressure and high pressure sensors?

 

the pressure sensors are designed to cut off power (voltage) to the compressor clutch so as to protect the compressor. It almost sounds like they forgot to recharge with the right amount/type of compressor oil. Also most shops replace the receiver/dryer (and some compressor's warranty require it) whenever the system is opened up for servicing. It sits on the high pressure side of the compressor to capture freon and oil when the system is not compressing and removes any moisture in the system to extend the effectiveness of the compressor's oiling mechanism. That said, I don't think that would cause the compressor to burn out in a week if not replaced - but may lead to corrosion or premature wear. Interesting thought is if you don't replace the receiver dryer there should be a few ounces of oil in the system but most systems take 6-9 ounces with full recharge so its not a small amount... What I'd do is ask the tech to replace the receiver dryer with the next compressor and ask how much oil the system is supposed to take, then ask them to check the AC pressure after the charge up to make sure the system is not overfilled...