Junk Yard A/C Compressor test?

Yesterday I smelled a burning smell then there was a racket under the hood, the a/c compressor seized up. I Took it out & I can not even turn it over with a wrench on the pully, It is good & cooked!

Any test I can perform on a junkyard compressor to see if it is ok before I purchase it?
as an example, If I apply 12V to the clutch wire [and a Ground to the case] should the clutch lock up?

Am I better off purchasing one of the inexpensive new compressors offered on "E" bay?
Any recommendations?
Thanks in advance!!

The clutch should lock up.

Your best test is sadly the warranty... pay them their extra five bucks or whatever they want, install ASAP, if it doesn't work, you can pull another to replace it.

Also, if they don't drain the freon out of the cars before putting them in the JY, you will know whether it's leaky or not at least. I got an ugly surprise when I cut through an AC line on a Volvo recently at my local yard and it hosed me pretty bad :shiver:

kastein said:

I got an ugly surprise when I cut through an AC line on a Volvo recently at my local yard and it hosed me pretty bad :shiver:

Click to expand...

i've had this happen. if you hear hissing, stop or get ready. fortunately i jump like a jackrabbit. everything else got hosed with refrigerant/lubricant.

my yard sells a/c compressors cheap and everything has a 30-day limited warranty. hopefully yours does too.

kastein said:

I got an ugly surprise when I cut through an AC line on a Volvo recently at my local yard and it hosed me pretty bad :shiver:

Click to expand...

i've had this happen. if you hear hissing, stop or get ready. fortunately i jump like a jackrabbit. everything else got hosed with refrigerant/lubricant.

my yard sells a/c compressors cheap and everything has a 30-day limited warranty. hopefully yours does too. heck they pay me $2 to pull one for them (which is what i was doing at the time).

Honestly the best test I can think of would be to find a system that's still pressurized--it would indicate that the PO probably serviced the A/C. Small screwdriver on one of the Schraeder valves will tell you what you want to know.

Has anyone used one of the NEW compressors sold on "E" bay ?

I replaced mine with one from Ebay... was actually a Dallas based company. Replaced last yea and worked fine all summer... used it only once so far this spring and works fine... if that helps :cheers: