I have a refrigerant leak at the compressor on my '09 V8V and I can't tell exactly where it's coming from, only that it drips from the back end of the compressor below where the lines attach to it. I'm presuming that it's coming from one of the lines, and I know there are O-rings on them that may deteriorate over time.

Has anyone changed the O-rings? How difficult a job is it (after having a shop evacuate the refrigerant, of course)?

I'm really hoping that's the issue and I don't need a new compressor.

 

I just replaced the o-rings the other day, I'm replacing the compressor as well, but that's a whole different job. I was actually able to find a pack of R134a compatible o-rings at autozone and they had the right sizes in there, if you want to get the official ones, I think Scuderia has them in stock. Getting the lines out of the compressor isn't easy, I went at them through the driver side wheel well. I believe they're 10mm bolts that hold them in. If you evacuate your AC system and leave it open to the air for any amount of time, you're going to want to replace your drier too which is on the other side of the engine bay. The autozone pack had sizes in there that fit the drier o-rings as well.

 

I was disappointed in the advance auto o-rings and picked up a set from scuderia. Regardless Nyloc blue is the proper lube for the seals. Highly recommended!

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably order them from Scuderia, despite their apparent policy of exclusively using DHL to ship everything.

And here's where I go off on a tangent. Freaking DHL? Really? I have to pay literally $20 (not kidding; that's the actual number) to ship a $5 bag of rubber o-rings that weigh maybe half an ounce? Ugh. It's not that $25 is a lot of money, it's the principle of charging your customer 4 times the cost of the part rather than send it in a USPS flat rate box like every other business in the country. That ridiculous shipping cost is the reason I recently ordered my front brake rotors and bearings from astonmartinbits instead of Scuderia. Even shipped from the UK, and being charged an international transaction fee, it was still hundreds of dollars less expensive.

Ok, rant over. Sorry. I just hate horrible business practices.

 

Anyway, here's the next question: the Vantage shop manual instructions say to torque the bolts that hold the lines onto the compressor, but it doesn't list a torque value at the beginning of that section in the table with the other torque items.

Anyone know what that torque value is supposed to be?

 

I smiled because on the DB9 there is no way a torque wrench could make the route. Those are M6 bolts, so it won't take much.

 

The "General" torque values are found in the appendix, and are by fastener size and rating: