tfl1166

Recently my daughter completed a 400 mile trip in her 2002 ES300 (70K Miles) with no noted issues. Upon starting the car within four hours of the trip, the compressor began making a very loud growling as the ac clutch engaged and disengaged sporadically. I had two separate mechanics diagnose the issue as a bad compressor locking up. Each noted that this is not an easy fix and must have the compressor, condenser, dryer, and expansion valve replaced. Each quoting $2800 - $3300 with most of the cost going to replacing the expansion valve. A $28 part located in the dash that takes 8 hours of labor to change. I have more time than money so it will get fixed (DIY) with a total of $450 in Denso OEM parts.

Has anyone else encountered this AC experience and is it truly necessary to replace the expansion valve or is there some inspection to verify it needing to be replaced?

Arsenii

Hello,

To see if the compressor is locked up, try spinning the Outer part of the clutch, it should spin relatively easy, if it doesn't, or there is some crunching going on along with it, then you know there is a problem.

In those cars, the Dryer can be replaced separately from the Condenser, so unless it is damaged, there is likely no reason to replace it. Part Number for the Dryer is 88474-47010, considering the price, I would replace it just in case.

Considering that the compressor got locked up, there is likely a very good reason for it, so as part of a procedure, it is highly recommended to Flush all parts of the system to prevent any debris, moisture or metal filings made by a cooked compressor from causing any further damage. If the system was empty for a while, with no refrigerant for more than a few months, there is a chance that corrosion will start to develop on the Inside of Aluminum parts, so in that case, it is even more important to flush the system and replace the Expansion Valve.

Expansion Valve is essentially a very thin needle designed to rapidly drop pressure, causing Refrigerant to cool down. Any kind of debris in the system will definitely clog it, and the A/C will still fail to function even after all the work. It's not like it will wreck the system if you don't replace it right away, it just won't function, so you may as well try leaving it in place until you replace the Compressor and see how it goes.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

tfl1166

Arsenii,

Thanks so much for the feedback. The system was working perfectly fine until the abrupt growling upon start up of the car, so fortunately, the system still has pressure and should not be subject to moisture intrusion (that's a plus!).

The clutch absolutely will not move by hand and my knowledge says "Bad compressor", This was confirmed by two separate mechanics as well, but both were very adamant that once the compressor goes, the entire system must be changed out. This may be their caution of knowing issues with metal filings contaminating the system or maybe they are overly cautious to insure they get the job done 100% the first time. I hope this is the case and they are not just trying to make a bigger job out of the opportunity.

Either way, $3,300 is way too expensive for something I can do myself. I have purchased a new Denso Compressor, Condenser, Dryer, Expansion Valve, O-rings, Oil, etc... ($450 Total). I like your idea of foregoing the expansion valve changeout until I perform the other work and see if it truly needs to be done. This will potentially save me a lot of tedious dashboard removal work that will take hours to complete,