Compressor Bearing Replacement?

[kotiko]

Hey There!

I've got a Sanden (TRS090 I presume) compressor from a City '04 that seems to have a bearing issue. May ugong na sound tuwing nakaengage ang compressor and when you rev the engine. It started maybe 3 weeks ago.

The noise is annoying, but the aircon is performing perfect. No sign of giving way aside from the annoying noise. Diagnosed twice by different persons, one said it was a "balancer" while another said it was bearing. Never heard of a balancer before so the bearing was more convincing.

Either way, it will require a pulldown of the compressor with a perfectly working aircon system. Would cost at least 1,500 for labor, around 800 for freon charging, and possibly a thousand more for a few more stuff (bearing replacement, compressor oil, additional labor for opening up the compressor).

QUESTIONS:

1. I understand the clutch / pulley has a bearing there and I am hoping that it's just that because it's a more commonly repaired part, possible rin ba that it's a bearing inside the compressor itself? How complicated can it get? I've only experienced a compressor na sealed type before, pero from what I know Sandens are commonly opened up and are generally easier to repair?

2. Can anyone recommend a shop who has the right tools / workshop that specializes in this kind of work? Within Metro Manila... Had a nightmare before kung saan kinatay sa harap ko ang compressor ng isa pang sasakyan without the proper equipment... I'm eying maybe EEB Aire in QC (not sure if they do this type of work) or Maxicon in BF (but it's too far), so might call them tomorrow.

3. Is it OK to keep using it for the meantime? For how long? Like I said, the aircon works perfectly right now. One thing I don't like tampering with the compressor is it sometimes bring more problems lalo na pag binuksan na. Talagang may unpleasant na ugong.

4. Will it damage the whole compressor if used for a prolonged period?

Thanks for all who's read and will reply to this. I would appreciate first hand experiences too! I'm really confused and I'm hesitant to have this repaired for obvious reasons.