AC Compressor replacement

[dishe]

Ok, a little update. After speaking to one of the ebay sellers, he referred me to the 4 seasons website for compatibility info. 4 Seasons happens to be the same company that makes the ones I was looking at on RockAuto.

They both say that there's no difference between models from 2004-2009, with the exception of the speed pulley, which is apparently something that only applies to Mazda Speed Turbo models. But I read in another forum that people found the 4 Seasons compressors noisy, and preferred the ones from GPD, which was also available from RockAuto. Lo and behold, I found GPD compressors on their site, and there are 2 versions of them for the 2005 model year!
One says "PANASONIC; 5 Groove" and the other says "From 12/04; Panasonic; 6 Groove". The 6 groove one is actually about $30 cheaper, but my car was manufactured in 08/04, so it sounds like the 5 groove is the one I need.

I'm not sure what these "grooves" are that it is referring to, but at least they aknowledge that there is a difference! Its strange to me that this other seller seems to be saying that it doesn't matter... their compressors ARE cheaper, and I like knowing that this seller on ebay is selling the same 4 seasons part that RockAuto does, for nearly $80 cheaper! But I feel like I should lean more towards that other brand, the GPD one because they seem to be more in-line with what I've researched on the car.

Opinions? Am I off my rocker?

 

[concept]

I'd think that you can check to see how many grooves your AC compressor pulley has. That would tell you which one you need. Then again, the dealership parts person can probably do the same thing with just your VIN number.

 

[dishe]

I'd think that you can check to see how many grooves your AC compressor pulley has. That would tell you which one you need. Then again, the dealership parts person can probably do the same thing with just your VIN number.

Ok, a bit more digging and compiling information from Rock Auto, the ebay seller and car-part.com together, and I think I've figured it out.

According to ColdfusionACparts (seller on ebay), there was a 99mm 5-groove pulley that the standard Mazda 3's would use for the compressor. There was also a turbo version that uses a 124mm 6-groove pulley.

According to RockAuto's catalog, for the 2005 model has two versions from GPD.

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As you can see, there is a regular Panasonic 5-groove option. Then there is also a 6 groove version which appears to have been used on models after 12/04.

Then, if I check RockAuto's catalog for the 2006 model year, the same thing in reverse:


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A regular 5-groove Panasonic, but before 8/31/05 it was a 6-groove version.

Note that the part numbers are the same.

So basically, what the 4 Seasons part and other sellers like those on ebay are saying, is that the "standard" model is the 5-groove compressor, which is compatible with any standard model from 2004-2009. But in between 12/04 and 8/05, they used a 6 groove high speed pulley. It could be that in later years they also occasionally switched to the 6-groove one briefly, but the standard model is still the 5-groove one.

In my situation, since my car was built in 08/04, I fall under the standard pulley version with 5 grooves. But I hope this information will help others in the future!

 

[concept]

Did you physically check your AC pulley?

 

[dishe]

Did you physically check your AC pulley?

No. I'm an armchair mechanic.

 

[Keno1542]

Did you physically check your AC pulley?

This would be the easiest thing to do to make sure you get the correct one

 

[dishe]

This would be the easiest thing to do to make sure you get the correct one

If I were confident that I know what I'm looking at, I'd agree with you.

 

[Keno1542]

if you get the part number from your belt that is currently on the car, it can be decoded and you will know for sure. Or just count the number of grooves on the pulley, its not that hard.

 

[Buddywh2]

When my car refused to start, and it wasn't the battery or starter, I had it towed to my mechanic who informed me that my AC compressor was dead and siezed up (or something like that), which led to it preventing the engine from turning.... Help!

This sounds very fishy to me... there's this thing called a CLUTCH that sits between the drive belt and the A/C compressor. If you turn the AC off (with the AC switch) the clutch will completely disengage the (supposedly seized) compressor from the engine so it should start normally and run all day long without removing any drive belts.

If it's the CLUTCH itself that's seized, then a good A/C shop should be able to pull the clutch off your GOOD compressor and replace it. Should be a lot cheaper than replacing the compressor since it doesn't mean opening the closed refrigerant system. You have to replace more than just the compressor if you open the system (something called a dryer/accumulator comes to mind).

And totally stay away from junkyard/used compressors. A compressor should to be stored with a dry nitrogen back-fill and sealed to keep the insides from corroding, not many junkyards do things like that.

Or maybe it's something else entirely that's wrong???