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Apologies if this is a dumb question. My BMW E92 has a moldy/mildewy smell coming out of the vents. It's worst when the HVAC first comes on but not very noticeable while it's running. I assume there is actual mold or mildew on the evaporator, unfortunately cleaning or replacing that is a $2500 job. I have seen plenty of guides about spraying cleaner in the AC intakes but I assume that is just going to make the smell go away for a bit since it isn't treating the source of the problem. I also saw this, which I guess I would need an HVAC technician to do, but is it legit? The thing already needs like 3k in paint work and if the HVAC is gonna be permanently moldy I'm just gonna sell the loving thing.
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Oct 8, 2021 06:28
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Step 1: clean the drains. Your drain pan is probably full of nasty condensate. Once that's drained and dry the smell will very likely go away.
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Oct 8, 2021 14:27
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I bought a can of this stuff and have been meaning to try it. https://www.lubegard.com/products/evap/
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Oct 8, 2021 15:20
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Thanks, I will try both of the above!
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Oct 8, 2021 19:09
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Bringing this back from the dead. It's hot in Texas already. Figured I'd slap gauges on the 'Vic. I don't have any complaints about the AC, only things I've noticed is the compressor doesn't cycle at all with the fan on anything but the lowest setting (then it seems to cycle off for 10 seconds, on for ~30). It looks like the low pressure cutout is what's making it cycle with the fan on low, it cuts out right at 20 PSI, cuts back in at 30. Low side seems a little low, high side a bit high, but both sides equalize within 1 minute of shutting off the AC. Engine was already warm (just got home from the grocery store), and the condenser is starting to shed a little (looks like most of a row of fins is trying to escape). The fins aren't really damaged, it's... just getting old (2007 model). Since it's still cooling fine, should I just wait for a problem to show up, or should I proactively start looking for a blockage? I did notice it bubbling from the low side schrader, but I don't have one o dem fancy core swap tools that let you swap it without recovering the system (can't hear anything once the cap is back on, and I've had the car right at a year without touching the AC). Ambient is 75F, PCM was commanding the engine fan at 50%. Still R134a. Someone's been in here before, it's full of dye.  If I do need to do the condenser, I'll probably swap to 152 at that point and replace the accumulator (a known weak spot on these, they rust out around the bottom bracket) - I can't pass a gas station with the AC on, 152 has lower running pressures, which should hopefully translate into less drag on the engine. Annoyingly, the transmission cooler is part of the condenser... randomidiot fucked around with this message at 14:07 on May 30, 2022 |
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May 30, 2022 13:59
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Stupid car ac question. In my C10 I have replaced: Evaporator Condenser Drier Compressor Low pressure sensor The controls in the cab are new, I have reviewed the wiring and believe it is all setup. Because the condenser is an after market one I modified to fit the truck as getting an OEM one is a no go as no where has them including places like LMC truck, CPP etc…, I have bought a bead lock kit to make my own lines and have a bead lock line crimper. I have all the o rings and an adaptor for the R4 compressor to use non GM lines and finally some Nyloc Blue to lube the o rings. Is there anything I am missing for making the lines and putting everything together? Next question is what do I need to charge the system? The $50 Hazard Fraught kit and a can of refrigerant? Or do I try to find somewhere to do it? Reason I am making the lines myself to begin with is no ac repair place was interested in making custom lines because hey the owner has been loving around with it and will blame us it it doesn’t work!!! That said it needs an alignment and most of those places will do charges as well but I would like to be able to test that is holds pressure as well.
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Jun 2, 2022 22:57
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You also need the correct amount and type of oil for the compressor used, a txv or capillary tube depending on which the system was designed for, a vacuum pump, and a manifold gauge set for your chosen refrigerant, probably the HF one will be fine. Wish you were still close by, I have all my ac service stuff right where it was last time still and another set in Washington already. None of this is super expensive, you can probably get it all for less than a chain store will charge for one vac and refill these days.
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Jun 2, 2022 23:09
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Ehhhhhhh I will just try to get it charged. I made sure to get stuff that uses R134a since getting R12 is not happening. I just know that I will get there to be charged and it will have a leak somewhere and it won’t happen and I am back to plan b which is a cooler with a fan on it plugged into the 12v outlet.
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Jun 2, 2022 23:13
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BigPaddy posted:Reason I am making the lines myself to begin with is no ac repair place was interested in making custom lines because hey the owner has been loving around with it and will blame us it it doesn’t work!!! That said it needs an alignment and most of those places will do charges as well but I would like to be able to test that is holds pressure as well. I had a place in Mesa that did one-off lines for me once but that was approximately forever ago and I can't find the receipt, and nothing on Google Maps looks like what I thought it was. Had them do it at the same time as a pinion seal fix. They didn't even bat an eye. I wouldn't expect that much pushback if you find a shop that's at all capable/willing to build hoses. Even my Vintage Air kit came with "build it yourself" hoses. Bought a crimper kit but haven't gotten anywhere near around to putting that together.
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Jun 3, 2022 00:12
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There is a place around the corner who are were all good to do it then they didn’t want to mess with my non oem condenser. Anyway I have the lines and the crimper so gently caress it I will make the lines myself and then have someone charge it and tell me it leaks. Since it has taken 4 attempts to get an alignment because it was booked in and then the machine is broken or the alignment guy is sick or we didn’t have time etc… I am just low on patience with professional shops.
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Jun 3, 2022 01:57
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Crossposting because apparently "just pump it full of R134. I'm wearing PPE, what's the worst that could happen?" is not a good plan. builds character posted:Part of the joy of parking on the street in NYC is you get to see people do stupid things. Like park their cars directly into the tow hitch on your van for... reasons? It's funny because there was a good two feet of room behind them and behind that was a crosswalk so it's not like they were really trying to squeeze in. RIP, your license plate, dude. It made very bad crunchy sounds when I pulled forward a little bit to get in the back for some tools. Current plan: 1. Check pressure with gauges that come today. 2. Check that heater control unit is sending power to compressor when snowflake button is pushed. 3. Check that compressor is receiving power when snowflake button is pushed. 4. Post. 5. Do what Motronic says.
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Jun 7, 2022 18:36
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BigPaddy posted:There is a place around the corner who are were all good to do it then they didn’t want to mess with my non oem condenser. Anyway I have the lines and the crimper so gently caress it I will make the lines myself and then have someone charge it and tell me it leaks. Since it has taken 4 attempts to get an alignment because it was booked in and then the machine is broken or the alignment guy is sick or we didn’t have time etc… I am just low on patience with professional shops. Supposedly the system was already filled with UV dye by the OP so I'll try to examine it tonight. The condenser is the obvious culprit but there could be other areas of course. Would a shop be typically willing to just diagnose or fill it up with dye again? Unfortunately there don't seem to be any DIY kits available in the country.
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Jun 8, 2022 13:42
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It's 2022, time to update the thread. I was just thinking about this series of threads today. About 6 years ago, I bought the '05 Escalade with front and rear air conditioning systems. It needed a charge, and I used the current Motronic thread to charge it, and it has worked fine since then. It's time for air conditioning again, and it fired up fine today, but through cold parts of the winter, I started it several times and saw the compressor-indicating snowflake flashing on the display.I figured that was a message that the pressure was too low to engage the compressor? Anyway, I'm thinking I need to pop the gauges on, double-check the charge, and probably add a bit, since it was pointed out before that the system has some long rubber hoses that allow refrigerant to diffuse over time. Right?
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Jun 9, 2022 00:28
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EVERYWHERE 
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Yes, there's no perfect seal on an air conditioning system with flexible hoses and very-imperfect service valves involved. Over the span of years those tiny losses add up to enough to degrade performance.
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Jun 9, 2022 02:25
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meatpimp posted:It's 2022, time to update the thread. I dunno what the snowflake thing means, but your guess sounds right. Definitely put the gauges on. The rear-AC burban my buddy had definitely needed a top up on year 4 or 5 after we replaced the rotted out hard lines with barrier hoses. There's just a LOT of lines on that thing. If it looks a bit low I'd charge it and consider it normal seepage from a system that big.
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Jun 9, 2022 15:01
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meatpimp posted:It's 2022, time to update the thread. Flashing AC light on GM generally means either it's shut off the compressor because you're currently trying to break the firewall with the throttle, or a pressure switch is keeping it from turning on (high or low - in your case, I really doubt it's a high pressure switch). Not all models will flash the light when you stomp it; I seem to remember W bodies doing it, but the light is so far down on the dash (physically) that you don't notice it unless you're looking right at it. EDIT or it's just too cold for the compressor to work, thank you Kia. Toyota is generally the same, except they don't flash the light on WOT (they just shut off the compressor until you get tired of hearing that poor 1ZZ-FE trying to suck power out of a tiny straw). At least on models with the auto climate control; no idea on the full manual stuff. Mom's Avalon had the full auto setup and was constantly flashing the AC light after stepshit paid a shop to replace the condenser (just a slight overcharged... to the point that the car tried to snap your neck when the AC compressor kicked on if you were doing ~25-30). e: vvvv that too. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Jun 9, 2022 |
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Jun 9, 2022 18:39
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If it's below freezing that symbol may flash, indicating it's too cold for the compressor to engage.
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Jun 9, 2022 18:40
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Ok, motronic, what next? Vacuum, replace dryer and then refill? ENHANCE  E: still need to confirm compressor is getting power too. builds character fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Jun 9, 2022 |
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Jun 9, 2022 22:58
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So you've got jack and poo poo for pressure. Start with a vacuum and see if it holds for 30 minutes. It won't. So go get yourself the o ring replacement kit I put in the op (or similar.....whatever the gently caress I just linked the one I bought back then) and start replacing everything you can get to and hope it's the bad one(s). When you can finally get it to hold vac for a reasonable time I'd start with a single can of refrigerant and some dye. That's it. Because it's probably still gonna leak. If you were in a shop you're be pressure testing with dry nitrogen at full pressure but you don't have that. If you can jump the low pressure switch (not sure if this is mechanical/old school or all computery) do that for a bit - 30 seconds or so to get the hig side built up but not trash the compressor. Check EVERYTHING with a blacklight. Including the evap buried in the dash. See if something is leaking. Lemmie know what happens next so we can go down the decision tree.
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Jun 9, 2022 23:23
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Motronic posted:So you've got jack and poo poo for pressure. Start with a vacuum and see if it holds for 30 minutes. It won't. So go get yourself the o ring replacement kit I put in the op (or similar.....whatever the gently caress I just linked the one I bought back then) and start replacing everything you can get to and hope it's the bad one(s). Will do, thanks!
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Jun 9, 2022 23:44
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For it to not hold ANY pressure, you have a very large and angry catastrophic leak somewhere. Condenser would be my first guess, they get abused by rocks and stuff since they literally have a front row seat to anything coming at the car.
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Jun 11, 2022 07:52
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I am here to relate my AC tale. 1998 Honda Civic wasn't blowing cold air and it didn't sound like the compressor was kicking on. I grabbed a bottle of refrigerant that's been kicking around my job for a dozen or so years, my manifold kit, and got the car running. Turned the AC on, saw the low-side drop a bit so I cracked the bottle and immediately a jet of refrigerant shot out of the bottom of the condenser. Oh well. $45 at Rockauto later, I've got a new condenser and dryer. Eventually get the old condenser out of the car after some corrosion fighting, and discover the root cause: The condenser fan shroud was only held on by two of the four bolts, and the lower condenser bushings are completely shot. So the fan had been banging against the bottom of the condenser for a while and had put a pretty decent hurt on the lower cap, along with a tiny pinhole. $20 at estore.honda.com and new bushings, bolts, and AC o-rings show up. Reinstall everything, grab the trusty manifold and bottle, and charge the system. The pressures look a little wonky, but the vents are blowing 40°F air.... that's a bit colder than expected. I'm used to about a 30° difference in temperature, not 50. I do the stupid thing and check the pressure on the bottle, as well as its temperature. 88°F, 160PSI. Dammit, this is a bottle of R-22, not R-134a. The pressure should have been 95PSI or so.... Oh well. I get the R-22 recovered back into the bottle by a professional, who also vacuums down the system. A few trips to the store to get R-134 cans, a can tap, and a can tap adapter that will let my hoses plug into the can tap... and I charge the system with 22.9oz of R-134a and my AC blows cold air!
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Jun 12, 2022 17:31
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I still have a few cans of r12. 3-4 years ago fB marketplace I saw an ad with a literal sack of rusty cans and r12 as the title. No description but price was $50. Drove out to nowhere and this just rotting trailer with a brand new orange charger outside. Gave the guy 50 and got out of there. Sent a few cans with a camper I sold and had charged with one can but it lost half the cool after a month or so, charged an 80 series cruiser with one and it was ice cold, charged a mitsu Kei truck and it was awesome, have 4 cans left.
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Jun 12, 2022 17:40
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I am here to relate my AC tale. 1998 Honda Civic wasn't blowing cold air and it didn't sound like the compressor was kicking on. I gotta ask since I don't see it mentioned even though you obviously do this more than me (just on fixed systems not vehicle) - you made sure it's got enough oil in it right? That thing isn't gonna last long if you didn't add enough to make up the deficit from the condenser swap, especially since if it ran for any length of time like that it probably drat near drained itself of oil leaking liquid from the bottom of the condenser like that.
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Jun 12, 2022 21:55
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kastein posted:I gotta ask since I don't see it mentioned even though you obviously do this more than me (just on fixed systems not vehicle) - you made sure it's got enough oil in it right? That thing isn't gonna last long if you didn't add enough to make up the deficit from the condenser swap, especially since if it ran for any length of time like that it probably drat near drained itself of oil leaking liquid from the bottom of the condenser like that. I did not add oil. how hard is it to add oil now? The condenser holed itself over the winter; I don't believe it's been running in 5 or so months.
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Jun 12, 2022 22:44
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Generally you can take two approaches, one is to use an oil syringe (I think they're linked in the first or second post, not sure) or fill the yellow hose on your manifold gauges with oil and then force it in with a little refrigerant, repeat as necessary. Make sure you don't slug the compressor though. There's usually a chart for how much oil to add for each component replaced. I've never had to use it as I've always been doing either a full replacement or a component replacement and recharge on a car I barely cared about so I just kind of poured some in and slammed it back together.
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Jun 12, 2022 23:35
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Related to Everdave's post, is it still feasible to find a shop that can get old stock of R12 to do a recharge? I'm thinking I might need to take my car to another town to get the AC recharged or converted. AC on vs AC off is maybe 5 degrees difference at this point and it's getting hot.
22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Jun 13, 2022 |
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Jun 13, 2022 05:21
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Related to Everdave's post, is it still feasible to find a shop that can get old stock of R12 to do a recharge? I'm thinking I might need to take my car to another town to get the AC recharged or converted. AC on vs AC off is maybe 5 degrees difference at this point and it's getting hot. Just convert it. I've done both, a sealed system being recharged with R12 and a formerly R12 system that had been opened and needed repair THEN converted and here in the Florida summer I can't tell the difference between the conversions and not.
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Jun 13, 2022 07:35
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Thinking about it the "cool" air yesterday was still warmer than the outside, just cooler than the truck that had been baking in the sun. So if I'm thinking about it right either the compressor is done or the R12 is completely gone. I saw when checking the oil yesterday that there is no cap on one of the valves, not sure if high side or low side, but that makes me think all of the delicious R12 is now helping the environment. I'm not sure if I can find anywhere near here that will reclaim the R12 assuming there is any. I'm thinking buy the retrofit caps from O'Reilly, get their loaner pressure gauge, and if I have any pressure at all I need to get it reclaimed but if not then could I just add r134a? Or would the gauges not be able to tell me if it's completely empty? Does the 134a require adding mineral oil? Would standard kitchen rubber gloves be appropriate PPE? Is a long shirt enough or do I need something with insulation to prevent burns? I've got a full face respirator for reasons so I might just wear that on the face. E: Just saw leather gloves are specified in the OP. EE: Found a guy the next town over that can get me in today for a freon recharge. Rather pay him for an hour of labor than get all the equipment myself and get certified. 22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jun 13, 2022 |
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Jun 13, 2022 17:47
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How long is UV dye expected to stick around? The PO supposedly had it done not long before selling the car last year, but I went over it with a UV flashlight and couldn't really find any sings of leaks. Which I doubt is possible because it's not cooling at all and the condenser is visibly banged up.
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Jun 18, 2022 16:14
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mobby_6kl posted:How long is UV dye expected to stick around? The PO supposedly had it done not long before selling the car last year, but I went over it with a UV flashlight and couldn't really find any sings of leaks. Which I doubt is possible because it's not cooling at all and the condenser is visibly banged up. You mean outside of the system? That's a pretty unanswerable question considering that like anything else it can be washed off from anything that would wash things off in your engine bay from actual engine washes to driving in the rain.
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Jun 18, 2022 16:23
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Ac just straight up wont kick on in my 07 ridgeline, i replaced the relay but no dice, most likely the compressor or is there anything else I should check?
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Jun 18, 2022 20:45
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Voltage posted:Ac just straight up wont kick on in my 07 ridgeline, i replaced the relay but no dice, most likely the compressor or is there anything else I should check? Did you check if there's any refrigerant in it? Did you check if the compressor clutch is even getting voltage when it's calling for air? Replacing a compressor is a long way off from what you've said in your post.
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Jun 18, 2022 21:08
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Motronic posted:You mean outside of the system? That's a pretty unanswerable question considering that like anything else it can be washed off from anything that would wash things off in your engine bay from actual engine washes to driving in the rain. Yeah, outside the system. But I think that kind of answered it. If it can be washed away by rainwater, it's probably gone and I'll have to do it again.
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Jun 18, 2022 22:55
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Is the dye that easily washed off by incidental water? It is carried in the compressor oil, so it seems like it would at least take some soap or nonpolar solvent to remove it from a surface?
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Jun 20, 2022 18:37
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PBCrunch posted:Is the dye that easily washed off by incidental water? It is carried in the compressor oil, so it seems like it would at least take some soap or nonpolar solvent to remove it from a surface? Depends entirely on what it lands on. Compressor oil doesn't exactly stick well to everything. Remember, we're talking about what is likely a filthy engine bay. It also doesn't help to have it blown/washed around all over the place. You want to jump the compressor and get some fresh dye out of wherever while your stationary if you can.
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Jun 20, 2022 19:07
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Yeah, the times I've used dye to diagnose a leak, it hasn't been a bright neon yellow "leak here!", but more of a slightly UV dyed greasy streak in the general area of the leak. Of course one time it was basically the whole passenger side of the condenser, but that was a fluke I'm sure.
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Jun 21, 2022 00:14
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So what do you do if your high side and low side pressures are both high and your AC only gets slightly cool?
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Jun 28, 2022 21:17
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casque posted:So what do you do if your high side and low side pressures are both high and your AC only gets slightly cool? Empty the system. It's contaminated with something that's not supposed to be in there. I'd be really curious how that happened, who was working on it, etc, etc and would want as much information as possible to inform my next decisions on how to prep the system before charging it again. I'd be inclined to flush it. And potentially replace parts. But of course this all depends on the vehicle we're talking about. And whether you can determine if someone put anything with a sealer in there (which will trash the whole system if you drain it). Motronic fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Jun 28, 2022 |
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Jun 28, 2022 21:25
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 13:37 |
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Motronic posted:Empty the system. It's contaminated with something that's not supposed to be in there. 2002 Mercedes E320. I suspect the PO may have overfilled it with refrigerant because I bought it used 5 years ago without working AC and they said they'd just recharged it. When I purchased it I cleaned the "duovalve" which got the AC working just fine until this summer. No idea if there's sealer there. I assume there's some refrigerant and while I've got a vacuum pump I'm not equipped to capture what's in there.
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Jun 29, 2022 00:52
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