One side note: I considered replacing the crankshaft pulley and requested a quote from the dealer. That came in at $260!


I decided to pass and restore then reuse the existing one.

Same applied to the power steering pump which came back at a quote of $160 plus a $70 core charge. And that's a reman part BTW. Nah, I'll pass, thanks.

Whatever you do wrt the AC compressor, 2 things, be glad its a '06 because the '03-'05 scroll compressors are garbage, and 2, if at all possible try and source an aluminum accumulator can. The accumulators LOVE to rust out, especially on a '03+ where they are wrapped in foam insulation that traps condensation against the can, plus its location means it gets moisture from elsewhere too. They'll also rust out on the older cars, but since they're mounted in front of the evaporator housing they're only dealing with condensation so it usually takes longer. I had to put one in my '98 last year, and the one in the '97 has had its insulation soaked in PAG oil for years but somehow holds a charge.

If it were a '03-'05 I would suggest one of the retrofit kits to put the venerable Visteon FS-10 compressor in it. That was Ford's "standard issue" compressor from the time of the r134a switch until they tried the scroll compressors. Its a piston type compressor, noisy, relatively inefficient, but they do work well and last forever. They switched to other types because they require less power to run, thus less load on the engine and in theory less impact on fuel efficiency. IIRC an '06 uses a Visteon FS-16 compressor which is a more modern variant of the FS-10 and they're pretty reliable.

The can is enclosed in a plastic bracket causing them to hold moisture and rot out. Check this clip that came out a few days ago for reference. I've taken note of it and plan to perforate that holder when I clear my other projects. Not sure if they are using that encompassing holder as a bracket as well as insulation? Does it even need insulation? Ive seen a handful of newer cars dont have anything on the accumulator.

Yeah I saw his video some time ago and it's a good reference for how the accumulators can fail on Panthers. I seem to recall bluejay mentioning that they always leak much earlier in this thread, so perhaps he's seen quite a few that have failed in this manner too. I inquired with the parts guys at the dealership and they claim that the one I have ordered is aluminum, but we'll see what it actually is when it comes in. Furthermore they tell me that the Global compressor comes with the clutch and pulley, so it would be a bolt in replacement. I am just a tad hesitant to use any reman'd compressor, as I have not had very good luck with those in the past.

What I do know is that the A/C system wasn't working at all when I bought Ol' Blue. Given the condition of the accumulator and compressor I wasn't surprised. The compressor appears to be original, at least to that engine, which I am not at all certain is original to the car itself.

I digress.

Thank you for the feeback BigMerc and Blu!

I made it out to the (used car) dealer from whom I purchased The 5-O and the other CVPI tonight. The goal was to get an intact valley plug. I was successful, but of course I ended up bringing home a bunch of other kruft that I probably don't need.

And here it is:



The top part number is the one printed on the part. The bottom is the part number by which it was more easily found during an Internet search. This particular part is obsolete and discontinued by Ford. You cannot purchase it, at least not from Ford you can't.

And then my natural OCD-ish mechanism kicked into high gear:

And then after a cleaning, it found its new home:


Before you ask, yes. Yes I do feel better now that this plug is in-place. Still not happy that the one (apparently the last one) I found online went (temporarily) missing, but I'll find it soon enough. This however will do nicely.

Thank you for reading.

I posted this p/n for you a couple pages ago, lol. Did you get the trans plug too? the one opposite side of the starter?

Hi Blu-
Yes, I have that in the new parts box. For whatever reason, you can still purchase that one new from Ford. Just not the valley plug.
Thanks!