Zafira air conditioning compressor replacement?

My wife's Zafira has problems yet again. Thanks for the help with the
previous problems.

I usually have a Vauxhall as they have been trouble free, but this one
has been a nightmare. In 2 years (20,000 miles):-
2 starter motors
Air conditioning stopped cooling
1 ignition barrel
1 ignition switch
New brake discs all round.

I am sick of the thing (It is usually me that has to fix it!), but she
still will not get rid of it as she likes it. It is a nice car when it
is behaving.

The a/c compressor is now rattling and grinding as if the bearings are
gone, even when the a/c (which has not worked for months) is switched
off.

Anyone know if it is practical to fit an auxilliary belt from a non -a/
c zafira, and not bother with the a/c compressor?

I have been told that it probably needs a new compressor, but it could
be the a/c compressor clutch (but they want £35 to have a look to
check) and have been quoted ~£400 parts + labour (£200?) for fitting a
new a/c compressor. Anyone know of anyone near Milton Keynes that
could do this for less?

I have seen compressors on ebay for £250 (new) or £30 (from a scrapped
car). Would it be practical to fit one of these, and then get it
regassed? The a/c garage I talked to mentioned the possibility that
it might need flushed in case there was swarf from the compressor in
the system.

Many Thanks for any help.

Ken

(Replies to that address will be auto deleted as spam.
Remove the letter after my first name to get the correct email
address).

 

It was (almost). The standard belt would not fit. But Quinton Hazell
Part number QBR5900 (Equiv:MMR5900) did the job.
Thought this info might be useful to others in future.
Many Thanks to "Anglo Continental" garage, Mount Farm, Milton Keynes
for being v. helpful and figuring this out.

..

 

didn't the car come with 3 years warranty ?
my zaf is coming up to it's 4th birthday and i haven't had any problems
except the outer casing of the rear silencer box peeled off :-(
will it still pass an MOT ?

dB

 

£35 labour i took it to vauxhall got a free health check and no
labour worth a shot.

 

Should do, my wife's Zaf has exactly the same problem, and has been
through 3 MOTs like that, it rattles a bit but it's gas tight so MOT
is OK.

 

Mine also, I had to stop to rip off the lower half of the outer casing
when it started scraping along the road. MOT passed just a few weeks
ago with it missing.

Ron(UK)

 

My wife's Zafira has problems yet again. Thanks for the help with the
previous problems.

I usually have a Vauxhall as they have been trouble free, but this one
has been a nightmare. In 2 years (20,000 miles):-
2 starter motors
Air conditioning stopped cooling
1 ignition barrel
1 ignition switch
New brake discs all round.

I am sick of the thing (It is usually me that has to fix it!), but she
still will not get rid of it as she likes it. It is a nice car when it
is behaving.

The a/c compressor is now rattling and grinding as if the bearings are
gone, even when the a/c (which has not worked for months) is switched
off.

Anyone know if it is practical to fit an auxilliary belt from a non -a/
c zafira, and not bother with the a/c compressor?

I have been told that it probably needs a new compressor, but it could
be the a/c compressor clutch (but they want £35 to have a look to
check) and have been quoted ~£400 parts + labour (£200?) for fitting a
new a/c compressor. Anyone know of anyone near Milton Keynes that
could do this for less?

I have seen compressors on ebay for £250 (new) or £30 (from a scrapped
car). Would it be practical to fit one of these, and then get it
regassed? The a/c garage I talked to mentioned the possibility that
it might need flushed in case there was swarf from the compressor in
the system.

Many Thanks for any help.


If the ac isn't working, and the rattling is the same with the ac on or off,
it's almost certainly just the clutch bearing which has gone. Could be worth
checking this out, you may not need a whole compressor. Can you see the end
of the pulley? If the inside part is not turning, and the outer is (or the
other way round on some cars!), the compressor itself is not turning. So the
noise is not coming from the inside of the compressor. So (as long as it did
not fail before) the compressor itself is probably ok and the system is
probably not contaminated (you should be able to turn the compressor shaft
with some effort with your fingers).

But what will happen before long if you do nothing, is the clutch bearing
will sieze, the compressor will then run contiuously and empty itself of oil
if there's no refrigerant to carry it round, and the whole lot will fall to
bits.

Not sure if this helps much, but it might be a bit more info for you.




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