Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

I am working on a 1998 Ford ZX2. The A/C has been out for some time. The previous owner has documents showing that the Ford dealer diagnosed a leaky compressor seal. I got a new compressor, orifice tube, and accumulator. When I pulled the orifice tube, there were a few metal flakes on the upper most portion of the screen. When I pulled the accumulator, the oil came out clear (save for dye that was added) with no noticeable discoloration or debris.

I am trying to figure out what to do next. There doesn't seem to be any gross indication of compressor failure. Could those flakes be from another source? Should I go ahead and replace the condenser and the suction/dis manifold hose (looks like a muffler is a part of the manifold)? I really wasn't prepared to replace all the components.

Thanks

Metal flakes probably came from compressor. I would replace the condenser also. It depends upon how long you will be running the vehicle. I would flush th3e system.


"Do it right and do it once" comes to mind.

Do you think I should replace the manifold tubing too? Seems like if the condenser needs to go, so does the manifold tubing since it has the muffler (filter?) thingy attached to the lines.

What about the evap? Should I just try to flush that? Do you flush the evap from low side to high, or the other way around?

I have no desire to do this twice.