Hi everyone.

My Mazda 3 compressor had a catastrophic failure. There was no abnormal noise, etc; just blew warm air.

The car was literally miles over warranty when it failed.
Here's some photos of the incident.

The system was evacuated at a mechanic from freon and the compressor was disassembled to inspect the failure and determine if there was debris/shrapnel released into the system.

The compressor's part that creates the compression disintegrated.

The failed compressor fully disassembled:


The destroyed metal pieces found loose in the compression chamber:


More photos of shrapnel/debris from compression chamber:















There's obviously an abundant amount of shrapnel/debris.

That shown, I do have some questions:

- The high-pressure side of the compressor (exhaust) seemed to be relatively clean from debris. While very small pieces of metal were found on the high-pressure side, I am not sure if they were there due to contamination during dis-assembly. The two options aside from contamination is that no significant amount of shrapnel entered the high-pressure (exhaust) side of compressor, OR, that the shrapnel/debris entering high pressure side were blown out into the condenser/dryer, and so it only appears clean while it contaminated the system.
It is obviously a lot easier to just replace the compressor than cleaning out / replacing the entire system, so answering this question is significant.

Its well known if shrapnel got into the system it will end up in the compressor again and destroy the new one.

From speaking to mechanics seems like while the its possible clean the evaporator & compressor, it can't be cleaned fully 100% without purchasing new replacement. The consensus is that Mazda's condenser's piping/openings are very small and blockage can occur, that can't be cleaned out, leading to poor cooling if re-installed even after cleaning.
I hope someone has more detailed info on the condensers and cleaning them....?
How realistic is to keep the same condenser and simply clean it with cleaning liquid/air blown both ways, considering the compressor's catastrophic failure and possibility for debris entering condenser?

The dryer has to be replaced every time..

Would these debris have had the possibility to get past the condenser and dryer/filter and enter the evaporator and expansion valve, possibly clogging the expansion valve? That said, how does this affect the evaporator need to be cleaned too, or would it stay clean due to the shrapnel/debris catching in the condenser/compressor?

Considering all above, what is the chance of the system working properly for next 30-50k miles if only the compressor and dryer is replaced?

When installing a new dryer/compressor, how fast does the system need to be evacuated in order not to damage dryer by soaking the dryer with moisture from the air that's in the AC lines? Does it need to be done immediately? I'm looking at assembling everything and taking to mechanic for vacuum, but want to know the time frame if this has to be done within the minute, hour or day or week? Not sure how sensitive the dryer is to this.

 

Thats not out of the ordinery. Yes you can evac the system, replace the compressor, and go from there. You should also have a vacuum pulled on the new system before charge to check for leaks.

 

After days of searching, accidentally stumbled upon this thread that solved most of the questions:

Phil's AC Hell thread: info for diagnosis and condensor/evaporator install tips. - Mazda3 Forums : The #1 Mazda 3 Forum

Good info for most AC repairs since a lot applies to most AC systems where people are looking to DIY.