A/C Compressor Removal

[GC8E2DD]

I'm taking out my aircon crap today. I've gotten all the hard lines and the accumulator out. I now have a couple of green goo dribbling stubs coming out of the firewall.

Thought I would tackle the compressor next. I have taken the top two horizontal bolts out, and undone the front bottom one. I can't pull that all the way out so I hope I don't need to. The bottom rear - wtf. How do I get to that easily? ... or do I have to just keep swearing and grubbing my knuckles open. I can't for the life of me crack it and it is starting to burr - arrgh! Anyone have a magic trick?

[funkytown]

i can probly help sam.... bring the R by and il have a look. Mine was a piece of pie to remove

[Guest boostin]

You have to take the whole bracket off the engine, remove the compressor, then refit the bracket for the alternator to bolt to.

[ReubenH]

Can be done with a ratcheting 12mm spanner, that's how I took mine off when I did my engine.

[GC8E2DD]

 boostin said:

You have to take the whole bracket off the engine, remove the compressor, then refit the bracket for the alternator to bolt to.

Hrm, just found part of the service manual which shows it apart. Looks like one way or another I have to get that rear bottom horizontal bolt undone in place as it goes right through to the bracket the alternator is on? I'll have another go at it one night this week as it is getting lighter in the evenings and I want it off by Sunday. I'm assuming I can do this without taking the alternator off - and I was just going to cut the belt.

Yeah Reuben, maybe I should get try a ratchet spanner before I burr the bolt head round and have to hack the compressor into little bits with a hacksaw.

[Guest boostin]

It shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes to do the whole job. It's pretty easy to get the bracket off the engine. You may need a universal to get to the rear bolt though.

[GC8E2DD]

Yeah, seems like I just never have the right tool which makes everything much harder and take longer than it should.

[mattapo]

the best way i have found to get the ac pump off it undo the bracket and to get to the last bolt thats kinda under the intake manifold is leave it to last and use a 3/8 drive with a flexy, use a pry bar to tweak it a tad to get it in and it comes out easy