more A/C questions ...

tcshum

Registered User
Here's my situation, my SC has been in storage for about 6 years. Before that, the A/C worked, but I knew it had a small leak (I used to recharge the R-12 myself every 2-3 seasons).

Now that my car is running again, I'd like to get the A/C fixed. I took it to an a/c shop. I watched the guy put some freon in it, then go around with a leak detector (freon leak detector?). He went into the car to check for evaporator leaks near the passenger duct, then went back under the hood to sniff near the compressor.

He said the evaporator and compressor leaked and recommended a R134A switch. While in the dash, he recommended a heater core replacement. Totol quote was around $1700. That's when I said no thanks.

My questions to you A/C experts ...

1) How does he know the evapoartor / compressor leaked? Couldn't it have been bad o-rings?

2) Shouldn't the right thing to do be change out all the o-rings, pull a vacuum, then check for leaks?

3) If my A/C was working fine prior to storage, shouldn't everything still work if none of the freon leaked out?

4) Should I consider trying to change all the o-rings myself, then getting it leak checked and possibly filled at another shop? I've never taken apart the A/C lines before so I do not know how accessible the o-rings are.

5) Would it be better to replace all the lines while I'm at it?

Thanks for reading this!
 
More than likely if your car has been sitting for 6 years all your refridgerant has leaked out. If your R12 has leaked out then the A/C system won't work. Any time your system has been open that long it is a good idea to replace the reciever/dryer. Keep in mind you probably have a leak somewhere in the system that needs to be found and repaired. Also I would recommend switching to R134a. The conversion kits are like $30 and R134a is much cheaper that R12. Honestly I would take it to another shop. A lot of times it is hard to find a leak right away after adding dye to the system. He may have been lying to you.
 
$$$$$

the serious duckits are becuase he knows how hard it is to dismantle the dash to put in a new heater core!!!!
I'd recommend a good back flush on the core and do a pressure test and flow test to check if its still good. Same with the rest of the coolant sys.
 
Try this....

I know this ain't how it's supposed to be done, but... Go get a 134 retro kit with the compressor oil charge at Walmart and one of those 2-stage leak seal kits (also at Walmart) and do a little "home fixit" on your A/C. It should give you enough cool to get you through until you can do a full system refurb. I did this to mine a couple of years ago and still haven't done the "real fix". I just do the "annual" leak-seal and recharge when the weather gets warm. I spend about $40 a year on this which makes a lot more sense to me than investing $1500 in a 13-yr old car with 215K miles on it.....But that's just my opinion
(and, if it doesn't work out for you then there is always the full system refurb)
 
tcshum said:
Here's my situation, my SC has been in storage for about 6 years. Before that, the A/C worked, but I knew it had a small leak (I used to recharge the R-12 myself every 2-3 seasons)
Be aware that refrigerant is not a maintenance item. You should never have to add refrigerant to a tight A/C. If you ever do, then there's a leak somewhere and surely after 6 years, it empty.

tcshum said:
Now that my car is running again, I'd like to get the A/C fixed. I took it to an a/c shop. I watched the guy put some freon in it, then go around with a leak detector (freon leak detector?). He went into the car to check for evaporator leaks near the passenger duct, then went back under the hood to sniff near the compressor.

He said the evaporator and compressor leaked and recommended a R134A switch. While in the dash, he recommended a heater core replacement. Totol quote was around $1700. That's when I said no thanks.

My questions to you A/C experts ...

1) How does he know the evapoartor / compressor leaked? Couldn't it have been bad o-rings?
The Orings are most likely leaking as thats how freon gets out to begin with. If the tech took the sniffer into the car, then I'd want to know if he blocked off the evap inlet/outlet lines (on the firewall) from the air intake (bet he didn't). If the Oring from the evap outlet was leaking it could blow freon up which could then get sucked into the inlet and then inside of the car producing a false positive reading. If those lines were blocked from the air inlet, then a reading would indicate an actual leak in the evap core. If the evap core is leaking, it would have to be replaced and thats where the $ kick in. They have to pull the entire dash out. Dash removal is a time consuming job (I think they get 12 shop hours for it). With that much work on the line, it makes a lot of sense to replace the heater core at the same time regardless of its condition as you don't want to do this again.
$1700 is pricey, but not unreasonable for what is described.

The compressor also has a shaft seal that can leak.. if he pointed the detector at the front of the running compressor and got readings, then that seal is bad. Usually, they should run the snout of the detector right up to each and every Oring joint to be sure. There are 7 of them under the hood. 1 where each line connects (5) and 2 at the back of the compressor.
tcshum said:
2) Shouldn't the right thing to do be change out all the o-rings, pull a vacuum, then check for leaks?
For the $$ involved, I would probably try that first. :cool:
tcshum said:
3) If my A/C was working fine prior to storage, shouldn't everything still work if none of the freon leaked out?
I'm quite sure your freon is gone. :(


tcshum said:
4) Should I consider trying to change all the o-rings myself, then getting it leak checked and possibly filled at another shop? I've never taken apart the A/C lines before so I do not know how accessible the o-rings are.

5) Would it be better to replace all the lines while I'm at it?

Thanks for reading this!
If all you're doing is chasing down the leak, I would not replace the lines. The real question is how much do you trust the shop that diagnosed the problem. Having been through all this a few years ago, what they describe seems correct. Still though, for the $$and time involved, I'd have it checked again, or check it yourself with UV leak finder dye and/or swap some Orings out. Anything under the hood is relatively easily fixable. :cool:

Lastly, if you end up doing the evap, it makes sense to go ahead and retrofit to r134a as you'll be essentially replacing the A/C. If you instead fix the A/C tight, look at the cost of r12. It will work better. If you retrofit to r134a, you'll need a new and better condenser if you want really cold air. :D
 
FWIW, be aware that sealers are frowned upon by the A/C pros. Many consider that they don't work and some will not work on a system that has had sealer used in it as it can foul their equipment. :cool: If you do so, plan on replacing the system sometime in the future. ;) That isn't necessarily a bad thing; might save you some $, but it is a shortcut. Depends on what your goals are. I need good, solid, long term A/C as I live in Texas. Someone in Ohio might not care. After 3 years on my repair/retrofit, which I did myself, I have no leaks and good vent temps. :) Guess what I'm saying is if you do it right, it will last. :D
 
TbirdSCFan,

You are right, they did not block off the evaporator core. They also did not check the compressor while it was running.

I'm starting to seriously doubt that shop. Should I try the o-ring change myself? If so, should I go ahead and change the lines? I'm leaning toward staying with R-12 as long as I am sure the system is leak tight.
 
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