Hello. My cat 320c a/c compressor started locking up a while back. My machine uses a separate v belt for the main serpentine belt to drive the compressor. So....I reached up underneath and cut the belt with a knife and kept working it with no a/c. So as I was working on my machine yesterday....I pulled the a/c compressor off and plugged the lines and went on the hunt for a new compressor. Caterpillar dealer wants $642.00 for a new compressor! Part#24577781 So.....I look at this compressor and it looks pretty standard. I think....I can go to napa or somewhere and match this thing up and get an aftermarket for less than half price. The old napa dealer had a source on compressors.....so he called. The compressor guy told him $620.00 and he found one in Texas. He wants my old compressor for a core even though the compressor he can get me is a new one. Hmmmm.....? Sounds as thought the guy called caterpillar and they had one in a warehouse in Texas? Very close in price. The YANCEY cat mechanic said he thinks this compressor might be sullair brand? But he isn't sure.... He said it uses pag oil and comes with the oil in it and holds 2.2 pounds refridgerant. So the compressor has four bolts that mount it. Aluminum case. Many markings on it but no brand name is visible. Does anyone have any ideas of where I can find a compressor at a decent price? This is ridiculous I feel as most a/c compressors are in the $250 to $300 range on import Hondas and such! I was thinking of calling costex parts...Heavyquip...iron peddlers.....etc..... I could post pictures maybe? Thanks!
Some pics attached Pictures are attached .... Hopefully !
Got one too many digits in the part number, it's 245-7781? Looks like a Denso, should be readily available from NAPA or Red Dot or..... Cheap seats: http://www.coolairpart.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1586 Really cheap seats: http://www.sphereautoparts.com/hd-a...4-245-7781-176-1895-201-3837-447220-3848.html Cheers, Lantraxco
Yes. I meant to type cat part number 2457781 . Thank you for the links. For some reason I cannot get pictures to load. Do you have experiences with ordering from these online stores? Will the take a return if the product does not match etc? My compressor looks like the one in the photo on the site. But, I have to get my compressor back from the parts guy today to visually look. So mine is a denso or sanden.....? I really appreciate it! I will further investigate!
Cat a/c compressors are generally made by Sanden, but if you check with any outlet that sells the Sanden brand they will not have that particular compressor listed because it's made exclusively for Cat. The may be able to repair one though.
Had this issue with our PC400. Komatsu wanted $1100 for a new compressor. I decided to try a new one off ebay for $300 and it's been going strong for 2yrs.
According to DTAC and a few others it is a Denso replacement, but I wouldn't swear the original was, they're fairly interchangeable. Just match the displacement, standard 4 bolt pad mount, the right clutch for the belt and voltage, cool city. No, I haven't dealt with those particular online companies. If you do a search on that CAT part number on Machinery Trader and Rock and Dirt they list lots of places that sell replacements that might be more familiar to you. It's also listed on Ebay. Quality is anybody's guess, sometimes you pay more and still get a Chinese knockoff, which may last as long as OEM, or grenade in a week, you just never know.
Thanks for the links ! So, I showed those links to my local napa And cross matched the numbers vas found a compressor. Napa wants $700 + !!! Weird. So gonna be calling that website to verify that their ac pump matches mine. The cat and napa price is ridiculous! This is ultimate ripoff!
Up to $1,000 is common for an a/c compressor in Australia. Those of you in the USA, think yourself lucky. I am constantly amazed at how cheap you can buy your machinery and parts. The echange rate is a tiny part of the problem but can't be the cause of such huge differences in prices.
Plant Fitter, Don't know if you have stiffer regulations or not, I think the biggest reason for the low prices here in the US is lots of competition in the aftermarket bringing in Chinese or Indian made knockoffs and chasing each other down towards cost. I should know, I'm one of them, in my little corner, lol.
A bit like the old chestnut car buying quote "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it"............
Y'all are so right. Some components caterpillar makes better. Or, cat has higher specs demanded from a manufacturer. Undercarriage and Rockwell hardness for example. I have heard that people rebuild ac compressors pretty easily. I wonder if this one can be done this way? Much like a starter and alternator rebuilding shop. It's getting to be a thing of the past. Somewhere near atlanta, Chattanooga, or asheville..... Speaking of starters..... My d6d has a weird starter issue. I have new batteries and alternator. The starter might click... Once a week. Or might spin continuously after activating and I have to turn off the master switch. Sometimes I need to short out the starter. But it mostly works . Cat wants $550 for a reman ! Isn't it just a Delco based starter? Sounds like I need a rebuild. The rebuild will take a few days. Might cost what? Or I can drive to Yancey and spend $550 and only lose 1 day.... Or just find some place that has an exchange...for half price....but where is that place? Lol
Depending on what your a/c compressor needs if you can find a specialist who deals in Sanden they could most likely rebuild it, but how do you know how much it will cost until they get it apart and can see what parts they need..? Regarding the starter motor are you sure its not an intermittent bad connection somewhere between batteries, frame/engine grounds, disconnect switch, and starter..? The problem as I see it with rebuilding these smaller components (and that's if they are designed to be "rebuildable" in the first place) is that with current labor rates it's got to the stage where even just the labor cost of D&A of something like a starter or a/c compressor makes the cost of rebuilding one uneconomic unless you do it yourself and charge your own labor at "zero". Then of course the customer expects a warranty on top of the rebuild ........... whatever next..?
Napa here gave me this book from http://www.meicorporation.com/ .....Lil did they know it helps me get the a/c part numbers I need online cheaper ...Hope this helps
On your starter issue, it could be an intermittent bad connection, but I bet it's in the solenoid. Does your machine have a solenoid to activate the solenoid on the starter, or is it just the one?
On the subject of Sanden compressors, Nige is right; you can't order the Cat spec ones from Sanden. You can get a close match but the problem is the coil. Cat use a two wire coil for their switched ground system and Sanden will only supply compressors with a one wire coil, which means you've got to do some jiggery-pokery with a relay to make them work properly. BUT............ I got a new compressor from Cat a couple of weeks ago and what was in the box? Only a cheap Chinese copy with a Cat sticker on it. I'm guessing that Sanden's rights to supply that two wire coil may have expired. It might be worth searching again for cheap replacements.
http://www.sphereautoparts.com/hd-ag-caterpillar-compressor-10s17c-1gr-5-33in-24v-dus Ok! So I ordered the compressor. http://www.sphereautoparts.com/hd-a...4-245-7781-176-1895-201-3837-447220-3848.html Fingers crossed. But, my gosh , is the Chinese compressor really made of cheaper grade aluminum? Maybe the compressors are really Chinese to start with and this place that I'm ordering from has a direct source. As for my starter..... It has the black plastic solenoid wire hook up on the end of the solenoid tube that mounts above the starter motor. I'm thinking it's a Motorola? Why can't I post pictures on this site! I attach the pictures just as I would an email but never works.
Are you clicking the "insert image" button at the top of the reply window?
Likely not, the reduction in cost to produce any particular item is mostly in the cheap labor and the fact that they have basically no regulations of any kind, safety, insurance, pollution, etc. I am amazed at what I buy some things from China for, as a for instance I buy some machined shafts from across the pond, non critical stuff, my landed price here on the West coast is less than I or my local machine shops can buy the raw material for here.
I am using an ipad and an iPhone. I do select the insert image tab. I will try again. Maybe it was a glitch or the picture resolution is too high. Thanks for the reply. I will try again. As far as the compressor...... If I get the compressor and it works....how do I get try specs on charging the ac? Hoe many pounds of 134? What type of oil? How much? I will need to replace the orifice and dryer I suppose.....? Can I get these at napa? Thanks for all the help guys!
Yair . . . Plant Fitter . Me too. I just don't understand. I suppose it has much to do with volume. Australia has about the population of Texas in an area similar to the lower 48 states in the US, I guess that makes a difference . . . did you notice that tidy HD16 at four big ones and a half an another thread? As I mentioned a mate of mine just gave that for a second hand Gravely mower. (shakes head) Cheers.
Picture 1 of cat320c compressor
Picture set 2 of original cat320c a/c compressor
The interchange numbers and info for a replacement from the sphere auto parts website. http://www.sphereautoparts.com/hd-a...4-245-7781-176-1895-201-3837-447220-3848.html HD/AG CATERPILLAR COMPRESSOR 10S17C 1GR 5.33in 24VDUST COVERCATERPILLAROEM: 231-6984;245-7781;176-1895;201-3837;447220-3848 $150.00 In stockSKU : HCO-CAT87108 Brand New High Quality Universal Air Conditioning compressors include Sanden, Sanden replacements manufactured in China, TAMA, New 10PA or Denso replacement compressors, York, and FS10 models.
So I received the a/c compressor last week. It looks almost identical to the original unit! Here is side by side comparison. Not perfect pictures but you get the idea.... The cool part is that the new compressor included an extra harness plug that can be spliced into the female end of the pig tail.
Looks good, give 'er the acid test!
It might have something to do with the tax rate and economies of scale.:beatsme
Next up is matching an aftermarket dryer to this. Then I will need to find the orifice. Does anyone know where the orifice is? Part number for this cat dryer is: 176-1902 447810-0560
The first seven digits are the part number 176-1902. This place is ridiculously cheap: http://www.truckerac.com/accumulator-caterpillar-oem-1761902.html Dunno about the orifice tube, or expansion valve?
Thank you so much iantraxco! How did you find that and I couldn't find it in a google search?
Eh, practice mostly, some dumb luck. It's kinda what I do, along with building odd machines, is find stuff. Some people do puzzles, I solve little mysteries...not always correctly! LOL Call the CAT dealer, get a price and part number on your orifice tube, maybe a picture of where it lives. My dealer will usually do that for me anyway. Shoot me your serial number and I can get it, if your local dealer isn't friendly. Cheers :drinkup
This system probably has a block valve instead of an orifice tube, located where the A/C lines join onto the evaporator.