Air Conditioner Not Working

traysurehunter

Registered User
I purchased a 1990 SC that has been "retro fitted" with A/C. First off I am not mechanical and have no idea what that means. The mechanic is the one that told me the car had been retro fitted but to make it work it needed a new computer. So for $200 I purchased a Ford factory part and replaced the old computer. This did not fix the problem. I have had the system recharged several times now but it has leaked off and the mechanic, using a "sniffer", tells me he can't find any leaks. The valve with the "red cap" on it has been replaced as well and the A/C still does not work. The other thing is when the A/C has worked for a few minutes it only blows a luke cool air and the car surges when your driving??? Now another mechanic tells me I have "Black Death". I am seriously frustrated and with temperatures over 100 I can't take it anymore. Can any one out there help me? Tell me what to do, what part(s) I need to fix this thing, ect...?

:( HELP!!!!!!!!!!! :confused:
 
My goodness. Not to pick, but how did they manage to suck you into a new computer, when the main problem is the refrigerant leaks out?

You need to find a real mechanic and see what he thinks. Using a Sniffer with R-134A is nearly pointless. Using R-12 today is way too expensive.


Black death doesn't sound good and is caused by the wrong oil being used with R-134A refrigerant.
 
sucker punched A/C problem

I think I was sucker punched because I'm a girl and I have STUPID tattooed on my forhead.:mad:

Anyway, I trusted the mechanic that gave me the information about the computer. So the real problem isn't just the A/C but the mechanic?? How do I know he/she is "good" until after the fact????? Without having some working knowledge about how A/C works mechanics can see the blank stare:rolleyes: on your face when they begin explaining to you how the system works, which means, I wouldn't know if they are full of BS or if there right on. This could be a very long and expensive experience and trust me this car only has so much value before it's a money pit.

Thank you for you reply

Pam
 

Attachments

  • mvc-019s.jpg
    mvc-019s.jpg
    39.6 KB · Views: 174
i would say for you to ask your friends relatives or anyone you know who knows anything about cars and if they know a real trust worthy mechanic, and maybe even get them to take your car in to their mechanic for you. otherwise your just going to get sucked in for more and more because a mechanic can easily make your ac problem very costly for you if he wants
 
You have stupid tattooed on your forehead? Now why the hell would u do that?! Now everyone knows your secret!!:rolleyes:

But on a serious note, be careful with mechanics, i've seen many people get sucked in by mehcanics... geeze, they should be car salesman! I say go with livn advice
 
Do a search on A/C in the Technical Forum. There have been a few good discussions about it. Then see what questions you have from there. Maybe we can help.
 
You can try searching around here, but if you are not mechanically inclined, an A/C system can be a real challenge to troubleshoot. And regardless of what the problem is, at some point and time you will need to get it recharged which requires a vacuum pump and gauges from someone who does that kind of work.

I would check with a local street rod group. They often have aftermarket A/C systems installed and more often than not they are a very helpful bunch. A local street rod group likely would have a local contact for you of a shop that knows A/C systems and is trustworthy.

I would start with the Street Rods of Idaho website:
http://www.streetrodsofidaho.com/index.html
 
Thank you for the A/C help

I no longer feel like I have stupid tattoed on my forhead thanks to all you guys out there who have given me some excellent advice, information and links to follow.

A couple of these awesome links are:

www.airconditioning.com

and

www.ackits.com

If your in a sauna barrel like I am these two sites, which I wouldn't have found without the SC Clubs help, are chuck full of information, including the dreaded "Black Death" that I have decided I have.

THANKS AGAIN GUYS YOUR AWESOME!!!!!!

Pam ;)
 
Good luck, and come back just to chat when you feel like it. Always can use some more active people around here.
 
When you get into it and have any questions, just ask. I had to do a A/C system replacement to get mine working. Only thing I got to reuse was the high pressure line/manifold/suction line assembly which I easily flushed with brake parts cleaner. Everything else I had to replace. Thats the way it is when the compressor goes. If your evaporator is leaking (mine was), its a PITA to replace. You can do 1 of 2 things wrt the evap:
1. Ignore the fact that it might leak and move ahead with the repairs.
2. Have the system pressurized at an A/C shop before you starty your repairs and see if its leaking. If it is, some of the work you do will be wasted.

A/C is easy to mess up if you don't know how it works and the right way to fix it. Plenty of places just "Add some freon". Unfortunately, that may get you out of the garage quickly and cheaply with cold air, but in reality its a sloppy fix. It will leak out again and compressor failure due to oil starvation will eventually follow. Been there... done that and only last year did I understand what the mechanics had done that was wrong wrt my A/C.
 
Back
Top