New A/C Compressor??

[radiopat]

Hey guys,

Back again with yet another question. I went to get the A/C charged yesterday on my '88 GP withe 66xxx miles and it needed about a pound of the R-12 stuff. Upon completion, the mechanic showed me on the gauges (the left one facing me) that the compressor at idle read about 50, and with the engine at 2K it read close to 30. The a/c appears to be working fine with no compressor noises, but the mechanic told me that the compressor won't last much longer because of the "50" reading and should be replaced. Is he being truthful?

Again, as always, thanks for your advice.

[Slade901]

Don't have them replace the compressor yet.

 

Compressor mostly fails when the seal on the compressor breaks and leaks out the a/c charge and then you'll notice you don't have cold air coming in.

 

Have the compressor replaced when it has failed because more likely you would still get a couple of years with it.

 

Get yourself a oil, charge, seal conditioner, leak sealer in one. The thing is that getting r12 freon is not easy because you have to have a certification (easy to pass and get though). I am sure the oil charge/leak sealer/o-ring conditioner for r12 is readily available.

 

BTW, r12 prices are getting high. How much did you pay for that 1 lb of r12?

As far as I kow, servicing an a/c is gonna cost you $$$.

 

Our 1994 Pontiac Grand Am has a leak (r-134a system) and got a quote for it and was costing around > $1200+ excluding other "unexpected" parts.

 

Well, I decided I am going to get the tools myself. I got myself certified online for around $20 and I got my EPA-Approved Section 609 certification. It allows me to buy r12 if I need to service r12 system.

 

I got all the tools to service an a/c system. By the time I'm done with the repair, it only cost me around $600-800 but mostly are the tools and I already have them and learned how to fix an a/c system.

 

My 1990 Cutlass Supreme is r12 sytem but I won't fool around getting r12 freon because it cost a lot and I just have to convert it to r134a even though it is not cold as the r12 but you won't feel the difference.

[gimp19]

I had my A/C retrofitted to the 134a last year it worked great, this year it comes out maybe alittle colder then outside temp if I'm going 30 or under when I go faster its outside air temp. Any ideas?

[Slade901]

Now, when they retrofitted your a/c system into r134a, did they removed all r12 completely out, (removed/replaced) the a/c accumulator and have done a 45 minute vacuum on the a/c system before putting the r134a?

 

If it has an orifice tube then it should have replaced it. There are additives for your r134a which removes any air in the system and turn it into a harmless oil. If the air is left in the system, the air combines with the freon and becomes an acid and that is where the rust happen and you will then notice decrease in coldness in your a/c system and later leaks occur.

[supreme_style21]

I wish my A/C worked at all. The compressor doesnt' engage. I push the button and I get nothin.

[Slade901]

I wish my A/C worked at all. The compressor doesnt' engage. I push the button and I get nothin.

 

Either low on a/c charge. The compressor won't click or engage when the a/c charge is very low. Perhaps there is a leak and compressor is shot.

 

If your system is r134a then get 2-3 cans of r134a that includes the charging adaptor. Leak detector (dye) is not expensive and is good at finding a leak with supplied goggle.

[mdelorie]

When I had my A/C converted to R134a, they put in an R134a accumulator. Whole process cost me 900 bucks.

[supreme_style21]

I wish my A/C worked at all. The compressor doesnt' engage. I push the button and I get nothin.

 

Either low on a/c charge. The compressor won't click or engage when the a/c charge is very low. Perhaps there is a leak and compressor is shot.

 

If your system is r134a then get 2-3 cans of r134a that includes the charging adaptor. Leak detector (dye) is not expensive and is good at finding a leak with supplied goggle.

 

Any (cheap) way to find out which is the cause? The car is worth almost nothing, but I'd like some cool air in this summer.

[Slade901]

Any (cheap) way to find out which is the cause? The car is worth almost nothing, but I'd like some cool air in this summer.

 

The quick way is to get 2 cans of R-134a with a charging hose.

First locate the low-side port because that is where you will connect the charging hose.

 

Start the car and set the fan to high and set the a/c to max.

Connect one can to the charging hose and connect the other end of the hose to the low-side (charging) port and turn the knob to pierce the R-134a can and then turn the knob back off to release the charge. Turn the can upside down and you will know that the can is empty because it will get very cold.

 

Disconnect the hose from the low-side (charging) port and remove the empty R-134a can and put a new R-134a can and connect the other end of the hose back to the low-side (charging) port and the then turn the knob to pierce the new R-134a can and then turn the knob back off to release the charge. Turn the can upside down and you will know that the can is empty because it will get very cold.

 

Two cans of R-134a should be enough to engage the compressor and you should feel the cold blowing inside. If there is a leak, the coldness should last maybe less than an hour and full max setting on the a/c.

 

Next, you have to find a leak. A leak detector flourescent dye and will goggle will help you find where the leak is coming from and then you can make an informed decision if you want to fix it or not.