Ok, to sum up this little adventure. Remanufactured A/C compressors ALL SUCK.

Once upon a time I would never have hesitated installing a overhauled A/C compressor in a car. But the mexican overhauled junk that is being sold by parts stores has changed my opinion forever.

Going back a few months ago, the clutch sheared off the original compressor, probably due to the putz who threaded the serpentine belt on wrong when changing the alternator. ( I broke my own personal rule of letting someone else work on my car.)

So, remanufactured A/C Compressor #1 went on. Made by RediAire, sold by AutoZone. Worked Ok but rattled like a bitch. Tried warranty replaced with reman compressor #2 (Visteon?) This piece of junk had blown seals right out of the box...back it went to Autozone. Remanf compressor #3 (another RediAire P.O.*.) held pressure, but had a short in the clutch coil that blew fuses...back it went too. Reman #1 went back on the car while very unhappy Autozone store manager tries to order me a NEW compressor instead of another remanufactured P.O.*. While it sounded like it was going to blow up when it was running, at least it still worked.

Finally, after two months of waiting, a brand new compressor gets here and I installed it this evening. What a difference. Holds pressure, very quiet (only difference you hear is the click of the clutch engaging and the motor jumping up to high idle.) This replacement was made by CompressorWorks of Dallas, TX. Got kickin cold A/C again without the car sounding like it'* about to throw a rod through to hood.

Ahhh, time for a beer. (or two..maybe three )

I am replacing all the hoses and components on my 88 sse and I am finding that many parts are not the same, like threaded fittings and accumulator/dryer. Glad your chillin'. I hope to get mine finished soon. Still looking for one more part.

I'm surprised to hear that. Only problem I encountered on the fit of replacement parts was the accumulator. First one was the wrong part in right P/N box. Second one was correct.

Are you trying a mix-and-match for R134a using later model parts, or just rebuilding the system as a 1988 R-12 and just filling it with R134a when you are done?

mix and match, mostly from Ebay .

Ditto Here. I'm still carrying the "short" belt and a socket wrench in the back of the car "just in case". And I'll never do another reman again. For the extra $150 for a new one, I'll chalk it up to keeping my sanity and not having to do the job multiple times.

That explains it. The plumbing changes from time to time. Like the one accumulator that came out of the box had the male and female pipe fittings reversed (as well as only one service port on it.) It may work on someone else'* car, but it wouldn't have fit on mine.

You are best served by sticking to one model year for the entire system, even if it is an R12 system originally.

My experiences with reman compressors have been similar. Last car I tried to use a reman compressor was a Lincoln Town Car. It took me three before I got one that worked well and for longer than 30 days. I recently replaced my Bonneville compressor with a factory new one. Well worth the extra $, IMO.

AC replacement is a wonderful thing.
It was expensive but I don't regret it at all. With the way summer has been up here this year, similar to the weather you lucky buggers get in FL. My favorite state for sure.
CLM2112- I know what you mean about re-manfactured compressors. They are crap. My 89 SSE saw 4 of them. They lasted a few months and burned out. So frustrating. But what a difference it makes. It totally changes the comfort of the Bonny