Having to replace the accumulator (receiver/dryer)after a compressor failure is recomended because moments before the compressor locked up it filled the system with debris. The accumulator is impossible to clean out.

The rod is an internal part of the compressor.

Asking for old parts is a good idea if you know what to look for. If you dont know what to look for the repair shop could fill a bag with used parts from some other vehicle and you would never know the difference.

 

As far as the accumulator, the drier portion of it is supposed to be changed ANY time the system is opened.  Older ones you could replace just the desicant bag but not any more.

Don't remember the brand of truck but many compressors use no rods!  Many now are a rotary system that uses a swash plate and yokes, FWIW.

All that being said, $1400 is outrageous!  Take it elsewhere.

Well after 4 days I finally got the thing back and the total bill was $1300.

3 relays replaced- $400 in parts and labor
AC compressor and just about all related parts replaced- $900 in parts and labor

Almost 50% was labor cost alone.

I am just happy I got the thing back and it works. They were getting angry at me because if something happened I would have to hitch a ride to the rally point and would cause other delays.

$400 P&L for THREE DAMN RELAYS?!?!?  Either they are real damn proud of those relays, or they are real well hidden!

Once again, I like my Cherokee.  Relays cost about $8 EACH, and can be replaced in two minutes (except for the power antenna relay, that requires removing a kick panel.  Fifteen minutes.)

I flatly refuse to buy any OBD-II vehicle, and if it ain't an XJ, I won't buy it made past 1990.  I'm not an idiot, but idiots designed these damn things, and I don't like owning anything I can't work on myself.

Automatic transmissions?  Have a camera handy when you crack the valve body, and DON'T MOVE NOTHING until you get pictures taken!  Instructions and manuals are often wrong about where the check balls go - I've built dozens of slushboxes over the last 22 years...

FFZ

No kidding! There are a lot of things I can't do, and I'd like to learn to do most of those, but one thing I'm happy that I [b]can[/b] do is mechanic work, including knowing how to power a circuit with a standard Bosch relay.

Right now, the most "modern" I want to be is GM's TBI system - and that's just because as far as EFI systems go, it's simple to troubleshoot and repair. But give me a computer-free diesel anyday, because they don't break down in the first place! (Well, almost never.)