LS A/C Condenser - Other than Motorcraft?

LS-jsf

LS-jsf

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Ok, our LS journey is really not fun so far. We love the car itself, but a new tranny and now the power steering pump and the A/C condenser need to be replaced. Bought the car around last Labor Day with 48k miles on it and all of this within 5k miles. (2003 LS V8 Sport)

I would like to know a couple things about the A/C condenser. I know everyone here almost always says stay with OEM (Motorcraft) parts, I get it. But not all aftermarket parts can be piles of crap, can they? After all it is normally the OEM parts that are going out that need to be replaced, correct? Is Motorcraft part #YCC148 the correct one? I see there are many other aftermarket ones, does anyone have a stay away from brand(s) or a aftermarket brand they have had good luck with? I can't believe everyone on here has used only OEM parts, or are they just too scared they're going to receive backlash on this site for saying they used aftermarket parts? I saw an old post where even joegr said he tried a aftermarket one, didn't sound like with positive results though, but I'm not sure what brand that was.

As always, thank you everyone for your input.
 
As an example of a aftermarket A/C condenser. The UAC #102530AC is $119.99 on Amazon, free delivery, no sales tax. AutoZone sells the same one for $287.99 plus tax. This one says it comes with Ford Scroll Compressor assembly. What does that mean, is it good or bad, etc.?
 
Sorry, my bad. I meant A/C compressor, not condenser. Guess I was a little tired when I wrote this last night.
 
Does the LS use a Block Expansion Valve instead of a Orafice Tube? I'm also putting on a new receiver/dryer, figured it should be done now as well. Thanks again for your input.
 
I guess bringing up aftermarket parts doesn't go over well here. Other than 04_Sport_LS (thank you) it's been a bit quiet. I spoke with an old friend who works for a manufacturer of racing radiators and other cooling parts. He said UAC parts should be ok. So I ordered a UAC A/C compressor, receiver dryer, expansion valve and a Dayco serpentine belt. Total cost was $169 delivered. The shop I went to wanted $815 just for the Motorcraft compressor. I realize it could be bought for much less online, but I'm going to give UAC a try. I'll do a follow up later on to let others know the results, good, bad or ugly. Summers in Las Vegas should be a good test. And to all of you who help us all on this site such as joegr and others, we thank you all for your continuous help.
 
LS-jsf said:
Does the LS use a Block Expansion Valve instead of a Orafice Tube? I'm also putting on a new receiver/dryer, figured it should be done now as well. Thanks again for your input.
Click to expand...

Thermal expansion valve.
This is what you have to do to replace it: Dash Board Removal Thread

My Chinese compressor lasted only a few months.

Is your condenser leaking or is it clogged? If clogged, then you really should replace the evaporator too, and have the lines professionally flushed. (Flushing is easy, getting every little bit of the flush chemicals back out is very, very difficult without the right equipment.)

If it is leaking, then it's probably due to a rock hit, not a defect.
 
As I mentioned above, I must have been a little tired when I wrote this as it is the compressor that's bad, not the condenser. They filled it up with 'Freon' and the A/C was coming out nice and cold and when he got underneath it, it was leaking bad, enough to smell it even. So he said the compressor hadn't imploded yet (but leaking) which I'm assuming is a good thing, hopefully not full of little pieces that need to be flushed out. He said the machine he has cost him $8k and since this is Las Vegas with a lot of heat, hopefully it is quality equipment. Do I need to replace the evaporator if it's just the compressor that's bad? Thanks joegr.
 
For cooling system parts... Motorcraft/OEM Ford.

For suspension parts... the same, (if can be found).

Coils and plugs... That's up for debate as far as I am concerned. I have done pretty well with USA made aftermarket coils and German plugs.

Anything else is a mixed bag... depending on coutry of origin. Most European manufacture is pretty good,,, along with Japan and Canada. Other than that... I'd stay away from anything Asian or South of the U.S. border. Quality control gets a bit iffy at that point.
 
It's very possible that you only needed a $10 o-ring instead of the whole compressor. I made that mistake a couple of times. In my case, three times now (two LSes), the leak has been at the control valve o-ring at the back of the compressor. It's hard to find, but only about $10. When the really cheap aftermarket compressor fails, you can take the o-ring from it and put it on your original factory compressor.
 
You didn't mention if I need to replace the evaporator if the compressor is bad? I will hang on to the original compressor in case that happens joegr.

Where is the Motorcraft A/C compressor made? I've seen stories that Ford sources/buys billions of dollars of parts from China each year. I wonder what those Ford parts are?


joegr said:
It's very possible that you only needed a $10 o-ring instead of the whole compressor. I made that mistake a couple of times. In my case, three times now (two LSes), the leak has been at the control valve o-ring at the back of the compressor. It's hard to find, but only about $10. When the really cheap aftermarket compressor fails, you can take the o-ring from it and put it on your original factory compressor.
Click to expand...
 
The other factor is if you can still get one of the Motorcrafts from Rock Auto at 375$ there is no point for getting a rebuilt at half that price IMO.
 
Well as I mentioned earlier, I've already ordered a new UAC compressor for $120 delivered so I'm going to give that a try.
 
LS-jsf said:
You didn't mention if I need to replace the evaporator if the compressor is bad? I will hang on to the original compressor in case that happens joegr.

Where is the Motorcraft A/C compressor made? I've seen stories that Ford sources/buys billions of dollars of parts from China each year. I wonder what those Ford parts are?
Click to expand...

If the compressor was just leaking and didn't come apart internally, then there is no need to replace anything else, other than the dryer.

It possibly/probably is China. One part made somewhere in China is not necessarily the same as any other part made in China. Some factories have better quality control than others. Some sell the parts that don't test out as meeting the QA spec for OEM as aftermarket, and so on.

It's your LS, so take your chances, just like I have. I informed you of my results (not good), but perhaps you will do better.
 
UAC compressors are manufactured at tier 1 facilities. Tier 1 companies are direct suppliers to OEMs. So hopefully the part will work out ok. Time will tell I guess. *fingers crossed*
 
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