How does it look? Some what new? See if there is a mark/name on it

 

Bought it from an original owner family member that claims it has never been replaced.

 

It's a design fault, replacing a good compressor with another good one will not solve anything. IMO

If it was me, I would 1st try replacing the dessicant bag and add a bit more of refrigerant oil, then re charge the system.
Replace expansion valve if you like.

 

What new2me said, it's a known design fault.

Run it until it fails. Some parts are better to leave alone until they fail.

Like the saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

 

I thought that it was a design flaw of the original compressor and that replacement compressors would not fail in the same way with shrapnel all spewed out into the entire system. I thought I read that it was good to replace the compressor if it never had been.
That's incorrect? Replacement compressors fail the same way?
Please elaborate on "it's a design issue".
I'm not saying that you are wrong at all, just trying to understand because what I'm hearing is different than what I thought I read before.

Thanks!

 

I thought that it was a design flaw of the original compressor and that replacement compressors would not fail in the same way with shrapnel all spewed out into the entire system. I thought I read that it was good to replace the compressor if it never had been.
That's incorrect? Replacement compressors fail the same way?
Please elaborate on "it's a design issue".
I'm not saying that you are wrong at all, just trying to understand because what I'm hearing is different than what I thought I read before.

Thanks!

https://www.crvownersclub.com/threads/advice-2004-crv-a-c-compressor-questions.231128/

https://www.crvownersclub.com/threads/black-death.247556/

and there are several other threads about it too.

 

I got "lucky" and the clutch on the compressor failed before the black death set in. I priced a new clutch assembly and decided to replace the compressor with a new four seasons unit. Luckily, I already had a freon recovery unit and vacuum pump that I bought to repair another car and was able to complete the work myself, rather than paying the local a/c shop 900 to do it for me. IIRC, the new compressor was about 250 at the time.

 

The way I see it.

The only thing I can think of that can turn the refrigerant oil black is heat, excess heat.
If it overheats and breaks down then all lubricating, conditioning.... properties are no longer helping.
It will degrade and degrade taking things down with it.

That's assuming the oil is not the wrong specs which will degrade by being used on the wrong application( severe duty).
The ac compressor as it does, it compresses the refrigerant, this causes it to heat up, this is normal and desirable, but what happens when it gets to high to hot, the refrigerant will degrade little by little. A new design can change that problem. The expansion valve should be replaced for peace of mind.

A friend has a toyota using the same set up. It stopped cooling down so we open it up. The dessicant bag had the 1st inch or so blackened, after replacing the bag and expansion valve the system got set up and filled again with another Oz of oil and It began to cool down again.

I can't say that this will fix the problem but considering that there is fresh oil and a clean bag, I can only hope it extends the life of it for a x time longer.

 

I recently spoke with my local independent Honda shop about the Black Death and they said they had noticed a correlation between the electric fans failing and the compressor failing. The guy I spoke with felt pretty strongly that the root cause was the fans, not the compressor. I mention this FWIW. I've got a 2002 with under 50k miles and am trying to figure the right strategy to avoid the Black Death.

 

Just got done replacing the A/C system on a 2003 CR-V, and both fans had failed. Owner didn't notice so who knows if they failed first. However, if the issue with the compressor is overheating because the fans have failed, than what good is the thermal protector on the A/C compressor?

 

the fans failing will send the pressures way over what the compressor was designed for. forcing the scroll or piston to degrade. that would put more pressure on the clutch to keep the clamping force of the pulley to the compressor shaft. thermal protectors just shut off the clutch but they tend not to work

 

Wow... as the o.p. I didn't see this coming. I never considered replacing the compressor with the o.e. due to the inherent design flaw. I read somewhere that there were updated designs that plugged right in to eliminate the worry of eventual failure. Just wondered if anyone had experience or recommendations on which one they used. OR at this mileage (175k) should I just roll the dice and keep rockin'? (Not my instinct btw)

 

My post in this thread talks about the upgraded compressor I used. I installed it just two days ago, so I don’t have a lot of long-term experience with it. I would say that if your system is working fine, leave it alone, but that’s just my opinion.

https://www.crvownersclub.com/threads/longer-serpentine-belt-for-aftermarket-a-c-compressor.246702/?post_id=1912496#post-1912496

 

Can you tell any difference in cooling with your new piston type compressor versus the original scroll type? I've read that scroll compressors are more compact, quieter, and generally more efficient than piston compressors but don't work as well at lower RPMs.

 

No, can’t really tell because this is my brother-in-laws car, and I never drove it before the AC died.

If I were to do it again, I would probably get the same HS110R scroll compressor so that it was more seamless (could reuse the same belt and the electrical connection would be correct). But the piston compressor was slightly cheaper and I didn’t know about these issues ahead of time.