So I've searched everywhere trying to find a good tutorial on how to get my a/c compressor back in my 04 wrx and all I'm finding is how to take it out. My mod mentor has been deployed so I'm on my own for this one and with tommorrow supposed to be feeling like 110° I was hoping to pick someone's brain for some helpful tips. If I remember correctly the reason we took it out in the first place was to put in a SPT timing belt and had to move it out anyway. If anyone has some knowledge to throw my way it would be highly appreciated so please do otherwise I'll probably have some kidney's for sale soon so I can bring it to a shop.
Well there are two brackets that it bolts into. The first one is large and mounts the alternator; it goes in between the alternator and A/C compressor. The second one is smaller and goes underneath the compressor. It is rather tricky to get it in and out, so you'll have to be cleaver with your tools. Below are two pics, one installed and one showing just the two brackets. Notice there are two long bolts on top and two long bolts on bottom. ~Dan
Thanks a bunch the pics are mucho appreciated. Looks like I'm going to have to craft up some custom brackets. I remember getting it out was a royal p.i.t.a. Now getting it back in I know the top 3 bolts were fairly decent getting out and the last/lower bolt, the one that looks like its connected to the intake manifold, was nearly impossible even with an imact wrench. Any chance that you would happen to know if I could squeak by with a flex joint ratchet with a extender? Don't have the right size impact anymore and I'd rather not have to rent one if I can just drum up the patience to do it with a ratchet. The brackets im sure won't be a cake walk either but that bottom bolt is whats got me worried about doing this little project myself.
Steel bolts into a cast aluminum part? You shouldn't be using an impact wrench. My advice would be to chase out the holes with a wire brush or better yet, a correctly sized tap and try again. Those bolts shouldn't require an impact wrench to bottom them out, a simple socket wrench and hand torque should be sufficient to bury those bolts.
The impact wrench was used as a last resort. I tried just about everything short of a hacksaw to get the dang thing out. Hopefully it shouldn't be as big of an issue now but just wanted to see if it would still require more than a simple hand tool to get it back in. Thanks for the info again I really appreciate it, like I said I couldn't find much out there.
My suggestion would be to pick up a set of taps and chase the threaded hole through with the tap. And use some sort of lubricant while you are doing it. When you're done, get a small wire brush or pipe cleaner and make sure there isn't any debris left in the threads on the hole. Put a dab of anti-seize on the bolt threads as you reinstall it. That should keep them from getting thread stuck again like that.
