Thursday, May 6, 2021

New variable displacement A/C compressor

My D uses a variable displacement air-conditioning compressor - a Sanden SD7V16 model #1216 to be exact (yes, Dan!) - which is as the name would indicate a compressor that varies its displacement automatically based on the prevailing conditions, without clutch cycling. Given that I am running a turbo setup, i.e. low torque at idle, the clutch cycling of a fixed displacement compressor would stall the engine at idle so a variable displacement is a MUST.
The heart of the variable displacement feature is the so called Mass Flow Compensation Valve (MFCV), but if it starts to act up the compressor will stop modulating which is what appears to have happened with my compressor - it was stuck in minimum displacement so it was time for a new one. 
Old and new compressor

Old compressor removed

New compressor


I got about 75 cc of clean (no sign of any trash in the system) but darkish looking oil out of the old compressor and after having drained the replacement compressor I added about 100 cc of PAG 46 (equivalent to Sanden SP-10 oil) to it before installing it. The system pulled a good vacuum and after re-charge it was spitting ice cubes again!