How to move A/C compressor out of the way for an engine swap?

[mweidner]

I am replacing my 3.0 engine and I had read that you can just unbolt the A/C compressor and move it off to the side so you don't have to discharge it, then just bolt it back up when you drop the new engine in.

Sounds great, however it seems that there are two hoses coming off my A/C compressor, and they go to opposite sides of the engine, so how can I move it out of the way? Is there just one of those that is under pressure?

FYI, this is a 2002 ranger.

 

[exbass94]

If you disconnect ANY AC hose, you will lose all the refrigerant and it will need to be recharged after. Those 2 hoses are actually part of a single hose assembly. It's all one huge piece:

The rectangular piece in the middle is the part that bolts to the back of the compressor. I don't know how you would move it out of the way without disconnecting the lines, it doesn't really seem possible to me.

 

[mweidner]

That was kind of what I was thinking, well at least I know I am not missing something. All the vehicles I have worked on in the past didn't have A/C, so I don't know that much about how it goes together.

 

[Elutheros]

I managed to keep it connected a couple weeks ago when I swapped engines in my 1994 4.0L--but I'm not sure about your newer model. When removing the engine, I had the waterpump and heads off, and the radiator was out, so I had more room. The hard part was putting the replacement engine in. I had the A/C compressor pulled over to the passenger side and low on the radiator. As i got the engine part way in, I wrestled the compressor/hoses up past the fan(yes, it was on there) and used a bungee cord to keep it up while I lowered the engine in small increments. It was a really tight squeeze, but I got it by the fan and back to the driver's side where it mounts. I still think I induced some leaking from tweaking the hoses so hard. I don't think I would do it that way again.