2004 Jeep ac compressor

Hello. Question about my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L w about 113k.. Recently starting making some noise under the hood in the front end. I could tell it was coming from a pulley or something around that area. Went to a Jeep mechanic last week that I’ve used a few times and he came out with his stethoscope and said it’s the ac compressor that’s bad, also needs a news tensioner and belt. Called me the next day with a price of $800+ !! I don’t know much about cars besides the basic brake/oil changes. I wasn’t expecting a price anywhere near that. He told me it’s a little bit of work to swap the compressor out. Told me to plan on leaving the car for a full day, possibly a second day. That also seems like a lot of time to do the work. Does any of this sound normal? Is this work that I can do myself ? I’m definitely going to get a second opinion. I just don’t want to attempt to do the work myself and get stuck halfway through and not be able to finish and have to tow to a shop and lose a day of work. Any help would be appreciated

 

I think the price is good for the work involved especially when the a/c work is involved. Mechanic has to recover/vac/recharge the a/c system, compressor, tensioner and belt. Perhaps you can remove the compressor and related parts and/or order the new/rebuilt compressor.

 

So if I’m reading correctly you’re saying that I could possibly do all the work but I would need someone to recharge the system afterwards..? Is it a matter of just buying a recharge can from the storing and recharging it that way or would there be more to it than that ? Thanks

 

The price seems high to me I replaced the compressor myself after I had the Freon recovered put my new compressor on took it back and recharge my system I had less than $200 getting my system charged that’s not counting the compressor that I purchased from rockauto.com I think it was less than 175.$ for compressor. The compressor is easy to replace it’s just having the system vacuum down and re-charged

 

How do you recover the freon? Is that a pain in the ass or not too bad? I’m sure there are videos on YouTube

 

Do not use the all-in-one quick-fix recharge cans after spending time and money installing the new compressor. Use the correct refrigerant for best results. DIY is possible but be prepared for evacuate>leaks>vacuum>charging of the system correctly. Otherwise get professional a/c work performed

 

Releasing freon is an environmental and legal concern. A shop that will recharge your system may be able to arrange for recovering the old freon before you proceed.

 

It’s the same Machine they use to charge the system as they use to vacuum system

 

Ok thanks everyone. Not sure if I’ll have time or the patience to attempt the work myself, so I may get a couple more estimates.