Removing air conditioner compressor from and installing on bracket — AUDI
Removing air conditioner compressor from and installing on bracket on Audi: 8 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
Here the air conditioning compressor is unbolted from its bracket on the platform codes listed below, usually because the bracket itself has to come off. The noise insulation under the engine and the poly V-belt come off, the compressor connector is unplugged and the mounting bolts removed. If only the bracket is the target, the refrigerant lines stay connected and the compressor is hung up out of the way with wire rather than left dangling on its hoses. Refitting is where the job is won or lost: the contact faces on compressor and bracket must be properly clean and the dowel sleeves fully seated. A dirty face or a cocked sleeve throws the compressor out of line with the engine, and that misalignment destroys it in service.
🧭 Before you start
Remove noise insulation and the belt, unplug the compressor and unbolt it. Tie it to the body with the lines still attached. Clean both contact surfaces, seat the dowel sleeves correctly, refit and follow the commissioning notes for the R134a system.
Fits: platform codes SF, SG
Don't miss
- Leave the refrigerant lines on the compressor if only the bracket is coming off.
- Support the compressor with wire; do not let it hang on its hoses.
- Clean contact surfaces on compressor and bracket thoroughly.
- Dowel sleeves must be fully seated; misalignment damages the compressor in operation.
- Check the commissioning notes for the R134a system after installation.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Remove noise insulation under engine General body repairs, exterior66Noise insulation; Assembly overview - noise insulation.
- Remove poly V-belt 13Cylinder block (pulley end); Removing and installing poly V-belt.
- Disconnect connector (5) on air conditioner compressor (1).
- Unscrew bolts (2) and remove air conditioner compressor (1). [Note: If only ancillary bracket is to be removed, do not loosen refrigerant lines (4) on air conditioner compressor.]
- Secure air conditioner compressor (1) to body with suitable material (e.g. welding wire (2)).
- Thoroughly clean the contact surfaces of the air conditioner compressor and bracket.
- Insert dowel sleeves (1) into air conditioner compressor. [Note: Ensure that dowel sleeves are properly seated and that contact surfaces are clean. Improperly fitted dowel sleeves or dirty or damaged contact surfaces can cause deviations in alignment of air conditioner compressor and engine. In the course of operation, misalignment will result in damage to the air conditioner compressor.]
- Refer to notes on commissioning of air conditioning system after installation of air conditioner compressor Air conditioning system - with refrigerant R134a.
Other AUDI procedures
- Removing and installing toothed belt – Audi · 56 torque figures
- Removing engine – Audi A8 D3 · 41 torque figures
- Removing camshaft timing chain from camshafts – Audi A6/A7 C7 · 38 torque figures
- Installing engine – Audi A8 D4 · 36 torque figures
- Removing and installing camshaft timing chain · 29 torque figures
Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
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The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.