GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello all,

I have a 2009 Vibe GT 2.4L (Red Hot Metallic) which I am the original owner with 107,000 miles. The car has been great with no issues except some oil burning and only required maintenance. Also the notorious Red paint clearcoat peeling and hood chips. I switched to Valvoline Protect and Restore and it really slowed down the oil burning down to approximately a quart between oil and filter changes. It seems to get better each time.

Recently my AC compressor started making a knocking sound. I was hoping this was just an AC clutch issue only, but my AC mechanic diagnosed a bad compressor. I took it to my AC mechanic and he said yes it was definitely the compressor going bad and it would require changing out the compressor and condenser. He said it is cooling normally and if I did not want to repair it to just drive it until the compressor went out. Cost to repair would be right at $1275.00 Well it just stopped cooling and the compressor is not working. No more noise but no more AC as well.

I looked into replacing the compressor and condenser myself to try and save some monies after having the refrigerant recovered by a mechanic, then have him vacuum the system and install the refrigerant after repairing. I've done this job before on my 1981 Corvette when I was mechanically restoring in the same manor.

Asking here if in fact the compressor and condenser as well as possibly replacing the expansion valves while I have things apart and flushed is necessary? Or if I could just replace the compressor? I've read online that there could be metal from the compressor going in the lines and condenser, reason the mechanic mentioned replacing both?

With the car having 107,000 miles on a Florida car, other than the clear coat peeling, hood chips and some oil burning that is getting better, if it would be worth spending the money on the AC repairs? Otherwise I'd probably consider selling the car.

Thanks

Late reply, but if it were me I'd probably just replace the compressor. I guess it really depends on how much all the other stuff would cost to replace.

I agree with Joat. Not sure on the overall design and layout of the Vibe AC system BUT there almost always is some sort of filter/screen and sometimes even a muffler between the compressor and inlet of evaporator. Minute particles that maybe discharged may pass BUT large ones would not. Most of my AC work over the past 50 years has pretty much been commercial & industrial. Worked on a lot of automotive AC back in the 70's & 80's when R12 was 1$/lb !!! Todays cars are so different that I almost feel lost working on the few that I've encountered.

A separate question though. When did your Vibe start burning oil? One of ours burns it BAD at the rate of 1 qt/ 900 miles (currently at 170k miles), the other burns ZERO (currently at 45k miles). Heard a LOT of good things about that Valvoline oil you mentioned. We'll try that at the next oil change.