AC compressor locking up

[bigboytoy]

I got same problem on my loader to .. 2500 + hours on machines .. then the compressor locks up .. its the vane pump that doesn't like dirt and heat .. and then its John deere parts are not aftermarket prices YET ... they recommend replacing coils, hoses, pump , filter ... everything to get it back to clean again .. you can just replace the pump it will lock up too in 5 hrs? or so .. has anybody found a cheaper cure for what I call robbery ... oh and the labor to dig in to replacing all of this is a lot its buried deep .. a 40$ hose should not be $700 .. Geez .. help!

 

[1693TA]

Can you break that down a bit further into layman's language? Seems you are relaying your air conditioning compressor is locking up, or ceasing to turn? Vane pump? Though can't say for absolute certain, this should be an axial piston unit. Dirty coils definitely can increase head pressure until the force required to rotate the compressor exceeds the drive belt's ability to do this job.

First thing you want to do it clean those coils till bright and shiny. Then start troubleshooting the system. You may have other problems but very easy to get into a "rabbit hole" so start with the basics.

 

[bigboytoy]

it is a vane pump ... it is locking up ... the vanes are not sliding like they should from burnt oils in the system .. the coils have headers the dirt is on the inside from burnt oils circulating .. the outside of coils should be clean yes but they are when this happens .. the coils are a new school ?? instead of a series of passes with fins they found a cheap way to build them (but they are not cheap to buy) in the new school case each fin goes to the header ... that header has lots on little nooks and crannies for dirt to collect making them not cleanable from just flushing them .. yes I am a 30 HVAC guy and this one kind of pisses me off ... its a $5000 part replacement job the john deere way and they are china and they do protect there copy rights .. so does anybody have a go around ... I am thinking a replaceable input filter that is over sized and easy to replace like an oil filter is ... come on you "school of hard knocks" engineers my answer please ...

 

[bigboytoy]

"the dumbest guy will find the easiest cheapest fix" ... I am thinking cut the suction line hose then good luck getting a seal to a common $20 hvac filter/dryer... ... the burnt oil can circulate as it doesn't effect the coils or performance as long as it does not enter the compressor .. the HVAC filter is like a porous stone? the problem will be if it clogs the compressor will over heat and cause it to lock up from burnt gummy oil ...

 

[bigboytoy]

Can you break that down a bit further into layman's language? Seems you are relaying your air conditioning compressor is locking up, or ceasing to turn? Vane pump? Though can't say for absolute certain, this should be an axial piston unit. Dirty coils definitely can increase head pressure until the force required to rotate the compressor exceeds the drive belt's ability to do this job.

First thing you want to do it clean those coils till bright and shiny. Then start troubleshooting the system. You may have other problems but very easy to get into a "rabbit hole" so start with the basics.

I wish it was a piston pump it would be more durable to the abuse it is getting.. but then it would not be as profitable from there point of view ...

 

[ahart]

There’s no filter that’s going to do what you’re asking. You need to start with a clean system before the new compressor makes the first rotation. If that means new components because the contaminated ones can’t effectively be cleaned, then that’s what it takes. If you’re an AC guy, you know this already. There’s no cheap solution. Contaminants can’t be filtered out of a machine AC system and the filter that’s there isn’t for contaminants, it’s for moisture.

 

[bigboytoy]

I am an AC guy ... on residential units and they run with dirt in them... but they are not vane type pumps ... one of the go arounds on a loader I have was to take back window out and install a 12inch diameter radiator fan from a junkyard .. without air movement on a hot sunny day it can get 100+ in cab as would a parked car... it works fine making a 10mph whole cab breeze ..

 

[ahart]

Yep, that’s cheaper than fixing the AC, I clearly hadn’t considered that option as a viable repair.

 

[funwithfuel]

Any chance you can post a pic of your compressor? I've yet to see a vane pump in an automotive/ non-stationary application, so my curiosity is through the roof.

 

[bigboytoy]

Any chance you can post a pic of your compressor? I've yet to see a vane pump in an automotive/ non-stationary application, so my curiosity is through the roof.

well its definitely a vane pump ... my loader had same issue ... the problem reoccurred 3 time in one year the fixes did not last ... thought I was buying too cheap ... I finally took one apart to see why it would lock up ... it easily unlocked , it was simply gummed up just a little from burnt oil ... these pumps are way to fragile for the application in my opinion .. and parts are way overpriced ... now I bought another used machine ... it had no gas in the AC system .. well that's a lie they knew what they had was a $5000 fix with 30 hrs of work to do it ... the cycle of death is simple small gas leak , the suction is not returning cool enough to keep compressor from over heating , burning the oil, gumming up ... operator keeps running it and it circulates dirty oil ..

 

[bigboytoy]

I still have a condenser in my scrap pile I will cut it open and see the dirt... just for proof?

 

[bigboytoy]

school of hard knocks... there it is crud ... simply band sawed down the header .. look at the little black dots on the fin cuts ... and I flushed this coil ... you can not get it clean .. the vane pump is a bad idea ... poor engineering

 

[funwithfuel]

But is the condenser receiving proper air flow? That is number one fault in mobile HVAC. Either the binary/trinary switch fails, the fan or relay fails, or there is obstructed air flow across the condenser.

 

[funwithfuel]

And that's a dense pack condenser that some jag-offs put AC stop leak in, it looks like.

 

[bigboytoy]

well keep in mind that I can replace the compressor that is locking up ... it will cool perfectly fine for 3-5 hrs ... enough time to circulate the crud to the new compressor ... then it locks up ... stop leak usage i see no evidence of, ussually it leaks a glowing type fluid .. out side of the coil is clean its the inside crud causing the problem ... yes the electric fan on the kubota loader worked as it should

 

[heymccall]

Having never seen an AC vane pump, couldn't you simply upgrade with an axial piston unit. Heck, the vane pump must be on an R12 system anywho.

 

[bigboytoy]

I wish I could change to piston type its hard to identify what kind of pump it is on this John Deere but it looks just like the vane pump on a kubota loader svl90 ... still looking at parts and prices... I will talk to John deere people tomorrow in person ... maybe some mechanics too ... I am very leary of these systoms from the last dance ..

 

[heymccall]

You could share a model number of the machine. Just saying.

 

[bigboytoy]

2015 JD 60G ... it has a Sanden SD7H13 model 8957 compressor ...

 

[1693TA]

This is just an Amazon quick search as so many look to them for most anything anymore:

https://www.amazon.com/Sanden-SD7H13-Compressor-4674027-Excavator/dp/B0BFPGXM3Q