'95 850 Seized Compressor?

Euro_Hobbs · Post by **Euro_Hobbs** » 10 Jan 2016, 08:38

Hey guys,

So my 850 has been more or less parked since November for "winter storage" but hasn't totally been parked since I'm waiting to be able to take it to my aunts for covered garage storage. It gets driven at least once a week for a good amount to get all the bits moving. One bit that hadn't really gotten use was the A/C system. The last I recall it was used on 12/4 and seemed to be working fine while defogging the interior. Hop in my car yesterday to drive it and here's what happened when I flipped the switch:
1)Extremely large load temporarily placed on the engine while the would compressor kick on (much much more than usual)
2)tiny sparks could be seen around the fan clutch before it would engage
3)a decent amount of smoke coming from the back side (not belt side) of the compressor instantly once it engages that smells like burning electrical/rubber
4) seems like theres was some white-ish material that fell on the tray right below the pulley when running
5) a new metallic sound coming from the pulley area once the A/C was shut off.

Is it safe to say my 21 year old compressor has bit the dust? It does have a slow refrigerant leak and the system is now probably low. Can they seize up that quickly with no prior signs after just not being used for a little over a month? Is my only option to disable it for the time being finding a bypass belt? With that new metallic sound coming from the compressor off, do I have to worry about pulley failure?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 10 Jan 2016, 09:16

I would say at a minimum the clutch packed it in and there is a good chance that the compressor seized. I have had good luck with Pick-n-Pull compressors and they are dirt cheap. I have an advantage though in that I have refrigerant recovery and vacuum equipment so if I were to bolt on a bad used compressor it really isn't the end of the world. I can recover the refrigerant and the put it back in with another one. That can get expensive fast if you are paying a shop to deal with vacuuming and charging the system. The bypass belt is the way to go at this point, when you go to put it on the path around the alternator follows the "old" routing.

...Lee

Post by **cn90** » 10 Jan 2016, 11:06

Search forum for a serpentine belt that bypasses the AC for now so you can use the car.

In the Spring, search for Zexel, either from junk yard, ebay or get new (new is about $300 if you want to keep the car for many more years)...

PS: How many miles in your car?

Euro_Hobbs · Post by **Euro_Hobbs** » 10 Jan 2016, 11:18

240k on the car currently...is it possible to pull a fuse to temporarily disable the compressor so I can use defrost until I can replace the belt? The pulley on the compressor seems to have a decent amount of play now, do those actually fail on these?

Post by **cn90** » 10 Jan 2016, 11:38

Yes, the typical compressor has 3 bearings:
- The pulley bearing, which goes dry and starts free wheeling around 160K-200K, there is a DIY to replace that bearing in forum.
- Inside the compressor, there are 2 bearings: front and rear, these bearings are bathed in PAG oil but they have their lifespan too. More likely, the pistons seize up at 240K.

Remove the current belt, get the shorter belt (info in forum).

PS: For temp fix, don't turn on the AC, or simply remove the AC relay in the fusebox near driver's side firewall area. Photos in forum.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 10 Jan 2016, 12:50

That fact that it is making a new noise even when it isn't engaged tells me that the clutch bearing is coming apart. It will rattle around for short period of time (10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days - you never know for sure) and then seize up and take out the serpentine belt with it. The bypass belt, K060495 or equivalent, will take that bearing out of the path completely.

...Lee

Post by **kahl** » 10 Jan 2016, 14:33

I have a serpentine belt that will bypass the compressor. If you can get up to Delaware I will help you put it on if needed.

Post by **benpineapple** » 11 Jan 2016, 09:26

If you turn the dial to one-click from the full defrost setting, it will still defrost (just not as quickly if on full defrost with a functioning compressor).

Removing it and replacing with a shorter belt is the best way of going about it. If you replace the compressor, make sure you run some tests to make sure the compressor didn't spit anything into the rest of the AC system when it blew. When the compressor on my 1990 240 gave out, it spit a bunch of metal shavings out and trashed the entire system.

Post by **cn90** » 11 Jan 2016, 10:05

benpineapple wrote:...When the compressor on my 1990 240 gave out, it spit a bunch of metal shavings out and trashed the entire system.

In the Honda world, this is known as "Black Death"...lol.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 11 Jan 2016, 18:21

If the compressor grenaded internally then the whole system needs to be flushed. According to Jimmy, you can't flush condenser coil so it would need to be replaced. The flush chemicals are pretty expensive but at least they have them in a version that doesn't require a whole flush kit and an air compressor.

...Lee