Yep I had another look snap, poor mans leather better known as vinyl. They look better than the velour Ghia trims and go well with the leather seat. Need some good quality sheep skins to cover the fronts.

After having a look around, I found a company that sell compressor spares to the general public. A 20 minute trip down to Cardiff to pick up these seals for the compressor overhaul. All up, $57 inc gst. There is the large o ring seal which I suspect is the culprit in mine and the small seals are going to be replaced while I'm at it. There is the shaft seal and a dust felt seal with it. The existing bearing feels good so I'll re-use it.




Yesterday, I took the wagon to a workshop to get the air con gas evacuated and told them why I wanted it done. The bloke laughed at me and said that even if I put new seals into my compressor, it will still leak and that I'll need a new one. I asked why but of course he had a giggle to himself. I politely told him that I will not be spending money on a new one if its simply a case of a busted seal and I'll look elsewhere for assistance and thanks for his valuable time. Whether he thought that I was a gimp or what I don't know. I'm a fitter-machinist but explaining that to him would be useless and a waste of time so I moved on.

Anyhow, fast forward the time by 24 hours and I go to another workshop and they evacuated my air con system for free and even gave me a few pointers here and there in regards to the replacement of the seals. The bloke even had a look for some of his old tools for the job. A good bloke who shows a genuine interest in mods too. He commented on my dual exhaust and the lopey cam and asked how the hell did the stock ECU handle it. I pointed to the MAF and told him thats how.

I'm going to document the job anyway in case there are any other E series V8 owners out there that want to have a go at fixing their air con compressors. The job would be the same for 6cyl owners but you guys can just buy another compressor for didly squat anyway.

i have to disagree.. i have 2 EA-ED aircon pumps and both are shot.. and the prices of unknown condition second hand units were asking more then your kit.. so i have a feeling ill be sourcing one of these kits. prefer to know its done properly then have one stuff up within a few months

im keen to see a write up

Yep, you can buy 6 cylinder ones by the box load, but who knows if they are any good.

I too would rather refresh one.

Looking forward to your write up.

Cheers
BenJ

I suppose you could get some leather and redo the door handle panels, but the difference to the eye won't be noticeable I'd think.

Key thing with the compressors is the seal and shaft - if the seal leaks badly, just replacing it won't be enough - the shaft needs to be replaced, and they can't be purchased on their own (so I've been told).
Otherwise, there's not a lot to them - that seal needs a particular tool to remove/install them, I need to do it on my EL, and I'm thinking of making a tool.
Remember to get the compatible oil to the refridgerant - I'm guessing your's will have R134A (green O rings).
Yes, you need to find an A/C person who 'wants' to help you and part with some knowledge.

Hey thanks snap. Yes there is a special tool to pull out and install the shaft seal but I'll give my pliers and a decent hook a go sometime today.

Time will soon tell whether the compressor shaft is worn, I hope not. My guess is the outer ring gasket where the housing bolts together, thats what I'm hoping for anyway.

Here's where I'm up to. I removed the compressor last night and I'll rip it apart today:

Managed to pull down the compressor today. What I found is that the compressor on my car, is a non servicable unit where you cannot remove the bearing, shaft seal and felt ring. This differs from the EF-EL spec Sanden compressors as they can be easily pulled part. Basically the difference between the ED V8 and the EF-ELs is that the small shaft bearing on the latter models protrudes a small amount with a circlip groove so grabbing it and pulling it out is easier than what mine has. My small shaft beaing is seated flush in the aluminium housing which means that I'd have to destroy my good bearing.

Good news is that I cannot see any leaks from the shaft. The leak was where I suspected all along, the housing O ring. I started stripping the compressor by taking off the clutch and the pulley:



After these, the coil was next. Here you can see the small shaft bearing. There is nil evidence of any UV dye here meaning that the shaft seal is intact and still sealing ok.



With this part all cleaned up, I then undid half a dozen 8mm bolts around the housing. Once I pulled this apart, I could clearly see where my refrigerant and oil was going. The O ring was cactus:



I dipped the new one in oil and fitted it:



This is what a scroll compressor looks like inside. You can see the carbon seal from the other scroll part sitting inside, sort of looks like a mosquito ring:



I put it all together and back into the car. Just need a leak test, new oil and a re-gas to test it out. For what it's worth, the repair on this cost me under $5 in parts. If anyone is interested in a Sanden TRF105 and TRS105 shaft seal kit, I have a spare here for sale...

will one of those kits fit EA-ED I6? if not could you price one from where you got yours for me? i cant seem to find anyone local here that sell the kits, your right about them not giving out info and tips

Cooldrive is your friend

cooldrive?

Firstly huggie, what model are you playing with? EA, EB or what? You're going to need to find out what the compressor has come out of. Most EBs etc had the TRF105 compressor.

Give these guys a call:

CoolDrive Brisbane
60 Eagleview Place
Eagle Farm 4009
Ph 07 3623 2133
qld_sales@cooldrive.com.au

Tell them what model the compressor is and what year model. There is a casting date stamp on the back of the compressor. Find out where yours is leaking - shaft seal or O ring and then ask for the seals that you need. I'm going to take my shaft seal kit back as I'm 100% confident that was not my problem.

cheers for the info, the one in question is from an EBII, the bearing is noisey as hell s it would need a new one, so i thought at the cost might aswell replace the whole lot, then atleast ill know its all good.

thanks for the contact details, ill give them a call

Yeah, the seal kits normally fit a range of the Sanden compressors, TRS90, etc.
I would think the systems would be the same between 6 & 8 - I guess it'd be easy enough to check the condensers, evaporators and suction valves numbers at an A/C place.
If the seal leaks, normally you'll see evidence around the clutch plate area - if gas leaks, oil is usually there too.
The R134A refridgerant change occurred around the ED time, so earlier models will need O rings changed, receiver/dryer change, and a flush.

ED was the change to 134a for Ford Australia, it was stated in the magazine for mechanics by Ford, 134a was good for the automotive aircon industry, not only did it more work with retro fits, it increased work with more failures due to higher pressures, plus the fact it never worked as good as R12 for cooling.

I heard rumours there is a new gas available for automotive, apparently it runs at lower pressures to what 134a runs at and better cooling efficiency, has anyone heard about this?

R12 became a fairly expensive commodity as well, due to limited availability.
At least we kept the greenies happy - 'CFC' nasty word, 'HFC' friendlier word.

134a is a crock of s**t anyway, if it was safe for the environment you would not need a licence to buy it.