my sons 1998 nissan altima has engine coolant leaking from the air conditioning compressor my best guess is a leak in radiator has slugged the compressor and both are toast . i see there is separate cooler for ac is it possible to isolate that section while repairing so he can still drive to work (short distance less than mile) while i find replacement or is it not possible
“Air Conditioning Compressor” Means Air Conditioning Condenser Or Evaporator ??
“Slugged” Means Sludged ?
Compressors have compressor oil, not coolant.
Is coolant leaking inside the passenger compartment at the evaporator/heater core ?
Is the radiator leaking coolant, too.
What’s going on , here ?
CSA
Slugging a compressor means refrigerant enters the compressor as a liquid causing the compressor to lock up. It’s impossible for engine coolant to get inside the compressor causing it to slug.
If the radiator is leaking replace it.
Tester
could be a pinhole leak on the radiator spraying coolant onto the AC condenser, which then drips down and makes it look like it’s leaking from the condenser.
I suggest you take the car to a shop to have it properly diagnosed and repaired.
No offense, but your post makes it evident that you don’t have a fundamental understanding of how the hvac system in your car works.
Either that, or you didn’t word your post accurately enough.
if any liquid gets into ac compressor it causes slugging no i dont know that much about car ac but i do have engine coolant leaking from seal in compressor my question was its an old car is it not worth repairing what else could this have screwed up but you know it alls are just too sarcastic must be nice up on that pedestal of yours
the only liq. that does belong in the a/c comp. is the oil in the system and the system is closed. its not coolant leaking from the comp. but refigrant with dye mixed in if it is yellow and green in color. or you could have a leaking water pump. maybe time to have the coolant system presure tested and see if it is a coolant leak and where its coming from.
i have worked in the auto parts industry for over 20 years and never heard of the term "slugging"what does it mean?
Wildwoodme, the terms you are using are confusing some of these very knowledgeable people trying to help. For instance, the A/C system is a totally closed system using refrigerant and compressor oil. Refrigerant flows through A/C lines between the compressor, the condendser coil in front of the radiator, and the evaporator coil under the dash. The engine cooling system uses coolant that flowed through the engine, heater core and is cooled in the radiator. Neither refrigerant or coolant mix nor can they mix, as there is no common point for the two to come in contact. The water pump leaking cannot get into the refrigerant line.
If you wish to disconnect the compressor due to slugging or a bad bearing hanging up, you can shut it down by unplugging the magnetic clutch connection at the compressor. If the clutch bearing is bad, you’ll need an A/C bypass belt.