Black Death of A/C...

[greggash]

My A/C went warm last night

Then I could smell the clutch burning on the compressor, it was locked up solid.

This morning I clicked it on again, when the clutch engaged, there were sparks flying all around, (very nice ) and smoke etc... from the clutch.

Looks to be a fairly large A/C job, Lots of parts to replace/Clean
Due to the compressor lock up and metal particles throughout the system.

I guess thats why they call it the "Black Death" for a ford A/C system

[RoyLPita]

I believe that replacing the compressor with its related parts plus the orifice along with a full system flush will solve your problem.

[Dennis Reinhart]

The term black death comes from the contamination that results when the Ford compressor burns up, the compressor has Teflon seals, that shred and come apart stopping up the orifice tube, which in turn raises ac head pressure, burning up the compressor, when you have this failure it is always best to replace the condenser, lines and accumulator and orifice tube, you cannot flush the condenser and get all the trash out of it, this will just lead to another compressor failure.

[Cobra25]

Sorry to hear that happened too you.

[gdmjoe]

RoyLPita - I believe that replacing the compressor with its related parts plus the orifice along with a full system flush will solve your problem.
There is no cure for the Nippondenso black death, save replacing the entire A/C system.

Any attempt to piece-meal and flush (of any kind) will be a stop-gap / interim measure; it's impossible to rid the system of the coking and it will eventually still make it's way throughout the system and will lead to compressor failure(s).

[Icarus]

Could be just the clutch that siezed up...

When the clutch siezed on my Merc, it sent a shower of sparks about 6' in the air when I opened the hood. It snapped the belt after a couple minutes. Scared the crap outta me ;) Replaced the clutch and all was fine after that...
I don't know if the clutch is servicable on the Maurauder in-vehicle, but you may want to look into it.

[RoyLPita]

The term black death comes from the contamination that results when the Ford compressor burns up, the compressor has Teflon seals, that shred and come apart stopping up the orifice tube, which in turn raises ac head pressure, burning up the compressor, when you have this failure it is always best to replace the condenser, lines and accumulator and orifice tube, you cannot flush the condenser and get all the trash out of it, this will just lead to another compressor failure.


There is no cure for the Nippondenso black death, save replacing the entire A/C system.

Any attempt to piece-meal and flush (of any kind) will be a stop-gap / interim measure; it's impossible to rid the system of the coking and it will eventually still make it's way throughout the system and will lead to compressor failure(s).

I gave Gregg an estimate on what to replace and backed that up with a technician who specializes in a/c repair and will do the work. It is his decision on who he deals with for this repair. All I did was give him a quote.

[JimmyXR7]

This is great info from all of you.

The A/C failure occured at what mileage?
Or is A/C compressor failure a random failure and could it occur at various mileage?
I have 53,000 miles on my 2003 Marauder.
Jim

[finster101]

Clutch failure alone is very rare. Compressor failure can occur at any time and mileage does not really seem to matter. From my experience as a tech I would see what the orifice tube looks like before I start replacing everything.If you do not see any debris in it the I would replace the compressor, orifice tube, and install an inline filter. If you do see debris in it replace the condensor as well as the previously mentioned parts.

[gdmjoe]

JimmyXR7 ... The A/C failure occured at what mileage?
Or is A/C compressor failure a random failure and could it occur at various mileage?
I have 53,000 miles on my 2003 Marauder. Jim
The Ford / Nippondenso black death isn't a frequent problem, however, does happen.

Ford licensed by Nippondenso, designed and manufactures the compressors. Ford named the first attempt the FX15. These units had a multitude of problems. The Teflon piston rings deteriorated and caused a sludge to form. This sludge would be pushed through the A/C system an becomes impossible to flush-out.

After 47 modifications to the FX15, Ford renamed it the FS10 in 1993. Ford is using the FS10 on R134A systems. These systems are still experiencing the black death.

Heat is what kills the compressor. If the compressor becomes overheated (low refrigerant, high refrigerant, contaminated refrigerant, low oil, etc., etc., etc.), material from the swash plate and pistons will mix with the refrigerant and oil and be distributed thought the system. This black coating will cause blockage and prevent proper heat transfer at the condenser (and even more over-heating).

All Ford A/C systems will loose refrigerant past the spring lock fittings. If you maintain the proper refrigerant and oil charge in the system you will avoid major failures.

[gdmjoe]

RoyLPita - I gave Gregg an estimate on what to replace and backed that up with a technician who specializes in a/c repair and will do the work. It is his decision on who he deals with for this repair. All I did was give him a quote.
Understand and NBD.

As long as the technician who specializes in a/c repair warranties the work for (say) a year, there shouldn't be an issue. *we'd probably do the same at our shop since the customer chokes on alternative estimate. However, come-back and customer satisfaction would be what we would -TRY- to consider (though as you note ... it -IS- the customer's choice).

[greggash]

The failure occurred at about 62500 miles
I did not use the A/C as much as I should have...it may have lasted longer.

In the last 1000 miles I did notice a burning wire/clutch smell, not alot, then the funny shine on the gatorback belt, from the compressor locking up totally.

I guess I should be in the market for a water pump soon too!




This is great info from all of you.

The A/C failure occured at what mileage?
Or is A/C compressor failure a random failure and could it occur at various mileage?
I have 53,000 miles on my 2003 Marauder.
Jim

[Aren Jay]

So what does a New AC system cost?

Does the vent still work?

[Dennis Reinhart]

So what does a New AC system cost?

Does the vent still work?


That would totaly depend on where you have it done, and if it was reman or OEM parts,

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Now you guys are scaring me! I am working on an AC system myself on one of my other cars because I have access to evac equipment. The MM is not a car I want to be screwing w/ the AC on! I drive w/ the climate control on 68 all the time!!!

[gdmjoe]

VicsEvilBrother - Now you guys are scaring me! I am working on an AC system myself on one of my other cars because I have access to evac equipment. The MM is not a car I want to be screwing w/ the AC on! I drive w/ the climate control on 68 all the time!!!
Are you trained on the equipment ?

Probably (?) not an issue if you're the original / only owner and haven't had previous A/C work done ... however ... Before hooking-up to the evac' you should test for any sealant that may have been added (separate, limited use tester), test purity / identify the refrigerant (using yet another machine, you're actually testing for contaminants - i.e. RF12, propane, air, etc.), and then connecting to the evac' / recovery machine.

*Note: A "good" evac' / recovery machine will have two or more refrigerant cylinders; one for system charging and the other one for recovery (which you let stabilize for at least 24 hours - 48 preferred - BEFORE using). *Monitor the pressure and temperature of the stabilized cylinder and purge the air until the temperature and pressure are equal; use appropriate pressure / temperature charts to determine if non-condensable gases are present in the recovered refrigerant.

Remember ... Your A/C system is only as pure as the last charge connection that was made. And you'd be surprised how a contaminated evac' machine can corrupt several A/C systems that it charged.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I have access to a ford dealership at night, w/ the help of a tech who is a friend. I am not going to be performing the evac procedure myself. But thanks for the pointers. My brother is also a certified master refrigeration tech. You can easily go over my head personally.