What happens if I don't replace my A/C compressor?

[Whatthefluff]

Whenever I start the car, the A/C compressor makes a lot of noise. It's so expensive to replace so I'm wondering if the car will be ruined if I just don't replace it.

Updates

+1 y

Thank you all
I know someone who is a retired mechanic; hopefully they would help with diagnosing the problem.
I just get nervous when I look up replacement and it's like 25% value of the car

[ohshee]

Ok first of all is it a lose belt

It could be your bearing in your compressor your air conditioning compressor also take a test to see how many volts your battery is putting out if you're not putting out 13 volts in your air conditioning pump might not be spinning fast enough if you have too much drained what will happen is your air conditioning unit will freeze up in lock up you don't want that to happen because it could break a belt and you could be out in the middle of nowhere you can go to a junkyard and replace your air conditioning pump or burying you can buy a kit for it but just make sure it's not the belt itself is squealing if it is the belt with your motor off get a bar soap and on the inside of the belt wherever you can reach rub that bar soap on there when everybody's hands are out of the way start the car you might have to do it again but it will cure it if the belt is the thing that slipping I think you probably know what you're talking about though so I would just get a rebuild kit and rebuild it

[TheorionMage]

Air Conditioning works by first compressing a refrigerant which heats it and then rapidly depressurizes it which causes it to release that heat rapidly, its expansion drops its temperature. The chilled gas moves through an internal radiator to pass on that temperature 'coolness' to the car's passenger compartment ambient air.

Seek out a re-manufactured compressor to save some money but the real majority of the expense lies in the labor to change it out and to re-charge the system with replacement refrigerant. :' (

[genericname85]

the Air conditioning compressor normally runs on the drive belt. so depending on what's fucked, it can definitely mess with your motor long term or it can even cause some damage in the short term.

so actually i have a similar issue right now. I don't know if it's the same issue you have. but when i turn on the air conditioning, the motor starts jerking a bit and fluctuating performance as if the compressor was turning on and off a lot.

what i do is: i just keep the air conditioning off. the motor sounds normal then. so you can definitely do that mid term but long term, i'D have that fixed anyway. cause you don't now what's wrong with it and since it runs onn the drive belt, this "could" in the worst case damage the motor.

so in a nutshell: turn off the A/C, see if there's weird noises. if not, you're good for a while. if there's still some noise, go to the repair shop asap. but in any case it's best to have it checked.

[Chris_7565]

On vehicles with the separate belt on the compressor I used to just cut the one to the A/C. On the ones with one belt running everything you have to replace the compressor. Sometimes I would get lucky and find a smaller belt to use so I could just bypass the compressor.
The best option is to replace it because they kind of seize up sometimes.

[MrOracle]

You can simply remove the drive belt and leave it alone, and the car will be fine - you just won't have working A/C. If, later on, you can afford to replace the compressor, you can do that (and install a new belt - those are cheap), and you'll be back in business.

[Fireguy17]

no, there is a clutch on the compressor so the compressor won't run when it is turned off.
That's not saying that the bearings canfreeze and stop everything from running and your belt breaks.
When/if you use yur defroster your airconditioner cycles on and off, so save up and get it repaired.

[Redstang88]

Depending on exactly what’s wrong with it, it can be really bad. One of my buddies just had the pulley bearing go bad on his AC condenser, ended up catching fire. Lucky we had a fire extinguisher handy or the truck would’ve burned down
You might get lucky and just not have working ac, or it could be catastrophic

[Zolly99999]

It depends on what belt is running it.. if it's a combination belt that runs the A/C compressor and other accessories then if the compressor go's it could snap the belt and the other accessories would stop working. Or it could just "freewheel" and sit there and just spin. You would have no A/C obviously but at least the car would run.. it's a gamble.

[Staximus]

If the bearing goes out it will throw the belt and the car will overheat unless the water pump doesn't run off the belt. Turn the AC switch off for now. You don't have and family or friends that can fix it? It's not that hard of a job, especially if the car is older

[Staximus]

If the AC is off, then it shouldn't make noise. If the bearing is bad, it will always make noise. You might just have an old belt.

[MrOracle]

More typically, it's the clutch on the compressor. The belt has to turn whenever the car's engine is running, even though you usually don't need the compressor running, so it's got a clutch that's typically engaged electrically to run the compressor only when needed. Eventually that clutch will fail (often it's the bearings failing) and start making noise, and it will eventually seize completely, usually breaking the belt. But if you can't fix it, it's better to bypass it entirely. Sometimes the belt ONLY runs the compressor, in which case it's easy to remove the belt. Sometimes the AC belt runs something else, in which case you need to get a shorter belt that allows you to bypass the compressor.

[Slartybartfast]

It shouldn't spin when the car starts, there's a clutch that should allow the belt to move without spinning the compressor. If it failed (or the fuse or relay that turns it on/off failed) it would always be on which would eventually ruin it.

[guy_123]

For 25% ofthe car's value forget about it. It won't damage the car unless you use the A/C system.

[Phoenix98]

Your AC will stop working if your compressor goes out.

your don’t have to buy a new one you can get a refurbished one for cheaper.

[loveslongnails]

Yes, you can remove the belt without damaging the car. However, your defrost functions will not work either, most likely, but you won't hurt the engine.

[Likes2drive]

Only if the electric clutch seizes to it and the compressor is seized then the belt will break and cause other problems

[exitseven]

I just removed the fan belt. I never use the A/C in the car anyway.

[AFretiredTXn]

It might lock up completely sometime, and then cause your belts to possibly lock and stop. This could cause more problems later.

[msc545]

Not fixing it can create problems - It is belt driven and that belt connects to other things too like the alternator.

[In_Trance]

You'll never have A/C on the car again. It's a crucial decision

[slatyb]

What if the AC is off?

[Anonymous]

You might want to speak with the car shop on this

[IsoUser]

You seriously tend to sweat a lot LMFAO

[Neilbud]

You can unplug it.