Can I be sure that the AC compressor is my problem?

[Anonymm]

If the new compressor comes with a charge of oil in it, I'd say you are Ok for the short drive. When a hose busts, it will carry most if not all the oil out of the system with the refrigerant, there fore the warning about running without refrigerant How are you planning to de-gas the system? you really should have a shop capture the gas before you pull the compressor.
I'll let others with more experience with "clutchless" compressors weigh in on if they think it requires a compressor change, my gut says yes but I have no experience with them.

Thank you for your reply.
I am interested inn making this repair as cheap as possible due to my financial situation and the simple fact that this is an old car that I don't want to spend too much money on. (man-hours at car workshops here in Norway is extremely expensive).
I was thinking I could ask my local workshop for what they call AC-service. That means changing the gas in the system. This is a fixed price, quite cheap.
But if I ask them to do it in two steps: first drain the gas, then I can come back some days later after I have replaced the comressor, and then they can fill it up wirh new gas.

[Cornbinder89]

If the new compressor comes with a charge of oil in it, I'd say you are Ok for the short drive. When a hose busts, it will carry most if not all the oil out of the system with the refrigerant, there fore the warning about running without refrigerant How are you planning to de-gas the system? you really should have a shop capture the gas before you pull the compressor.
I'll let others with more experience with "clutchless" compressors weigh in on if they think it requires a compressor change, my gut says yes but I have no experience with them.

[Anonymm]

Hello good people!

I live in Norway, which is cold most of the year, so the fact that Air Conditioning doesn't work is not something you think about other than one short period in the summer. So, I've been having this problem for a few years, but not done anything about it... yet...

My car is a 2005 Toyota Avensis, with the 1,8l petrol engine. (And the type of AC/Heating system that has the digital display, not the rotary switches)

Here's what I know:

-AC doesn't blow cooled air. It dssapeared on the left side of the cabin first and then on both sides.

-I have had the coolant changed and that is with dye, so I should see leaks. I am sure there are no leaks.

-All duct doors that should open and close are working. I have opened the interior of the car and looked at all of them. Even removed servos and tried to open and close them manually.

-This model doesn't have the traditional electromagnetic clutch that engages and disengages the AC-compressor, instead it's a "variable displacement"-compressor with a solenoid that changes the position of a disc inside of the compressor.

-With the plug connected to the solenoid, I measure 12V on the wire that supplies the solenoid when AC is turned on in the cabin, and 0V when AC is turned off.

-This leads me to believe that the solenoid is not working. (It gets voltage but nothing happens). In other words: Replace the complete compressor and it should work.

-I called a Toyota-workshop and talked to a guy who at least sounded like he knew this stuff. He told me to double-check it by the following test: Take the drive belt off the pulley on the compressor. The pulley should be easy to turn. Feed 12V directly to the solenoid and try to turn the pulley again, it should be harder to rotate. I tried this and felt absolutely no difference.



So my questions are:

-Does anyone disagree that replacing the compressor would fix the problem?

-I have read that you shouldn't drive a car with this type of compressor when you don't have coolant in the system. I am guessing this is because the coolant also contains lubricant, and since the compressor is always rotating, there will be mechanical wear to it without lubrication. DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN IDEA HOW FAR IT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT COOLANT, BEFORE THE COMPRESSOR IS COMPLETELY DESTROYED? I am asking this because I am considering replacing the compressor myself, then driving to the nearest workshop to have the system filled with refrigerant.

-If the answer to the last question is "Not far at all", I am thinking that I could buy a shorter drive belt to put on, so that I can drive the car a little without the compressor rotating. Will a drive belt for cars without AC fit if over all the components except the AC-compressor?



Thank you so much for any answer!