Thread: Air Conditioning...summer will be here soon

Ok so I need to swap the compressor out since mine is seized or dragging. How hard is it to swap the compressor out and what else would need to be swapped out. Ive never even looked at the AC system except when i was pulling it out for weight savings. Kinda wanna keep this car original for a while with a simple DE. Also will any compressor work or do I need to get a B13 SR20 one specifically?

I know it will need to be recharged once I swap the compressor out. But is it really that much of a pain in the ass to get all the other stuff? We cant use the stuff our system was designed for I dont think. Im pretty sure its illegal now. Any input please? Thanks

I had the same issue with my NX when I first got it and eventually the compressor locked up. I procrastinated on it forever because I thought it was way more of a PITA than it actually is.

You just need to swap to any b13 or b14 compressor and replace the dryer canister. If the o-rings look good then leave them alone. Then you just need a set of gauges and a vac pump, which you can rent for free from Autozone. Follow a good youtube video on vacuuming the system and charging it, and you are good to go.

So 100% a B14 compressor will work Will? I was under the impression that they are all different. B13 sr20 is dif then b14 sr20 and b13 ga16 is dif then both of those and b14 ga is diff then all three previously mentioned. Is that not true? Also what part of the A/C system is the dryer?

And what would I be filling it with? 134? Would I need a retrofit kit or anything?

when it comes to vaccuming these things are awsome if you allready have an air compressor.


Vacuum Pump - AC Vacuum Pump w/ R134A & R12 Connectors

The dryer looks similar to the pic below and is located up front by the radiator.



...and if the system is already apart, it makes sense to go ahead and replace the orings...jmo

Ahhh ok the little canister looking thing on the drivers side. As you can tell I dont know squat about AC stuff. I always just snatched it out. But im getting older now and having the fastest car possible with a stripped out interior isnt really a priority. Its not a good look when you have to be some where important and your all sweaty lol.

Im gonna do some searching here. But about how much am i looking at for a new dryer, o rings, getting the stuff vacuumed out and refilled round about? If the cost starts to get ridiculous then it wont really be worth it to fix it. But if I can do it for cheap id love to have it. All the AC stuff on the car is still intact and no seals have been broken yet.

Thanks guys

All of this really depends on if the car is already r-134. I believe the '93 cars are, but you need to check the sticker under the hood, or the label on the compressor, or compare the valves.

You want to get a compressor that is r-134 compatible, well actually, it's the oil that is the issue. You also need to get an r-134 dryer, I have heard that the r-134 will cause the r-12 dryer material to fall apart and get pulled through the system, screwing everything up.

I got a 1994 se-r compressor and the label says it is compatible with both r134 and r12. Any b14 sr20 compressor should work though, as long as it is from an sr20 the lines should line up.

The hardest thing I had to do was modify the b14 dryer to fit properly. They swapped the side on which the centering pin on the line goes into the dryer between b13 and b14, so I had to drill a shallow hole in the dryer for the pin. I drilled it oversized so it isn't doing much, but It's been a year and I have had no trouble.

IIRC, the dryer was about $30. If the system is sealed, I highly recommend just leaving everything alone, don't go pulling it all apart unless you have to. You can replace the o-rings for the dryer and compressor if you want. In my case the originals seemed better than the ones I bought, so I just left them.

Pm me your number and I'll text you pics of what I did to the dryer if you want.

Pmed you will