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Hypnolobster posted:6+ years ago I took the compressor belt off of my civic because it sounded awful and was dragging the motor down at an idle. I finally got tired of not having ac, so yesterday I threw a new denso compressor on along with an accumulator. There was actually still pressure in the system, which was nice to see. Low pressure on both the low and high side don't really look like a clogged metering device but since it's a txv style device it could possibly be metering incorrectly. I still don't like the low side pressures. So I'm more thinking that you're not getting liquid to the expansion valve so you don't have a sufficient pressure drop across it. It does look like low charge weight to me. Maybe you have some bad o rings in the system. Did you put any dye in there?
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Aug 29, 2022 14:26
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Does the fact that he replaced a compressor that was locked up increase the chances of an obstruction somewhere in the system? OP with the Civic, did you flush the system when it was open?
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Aug 29, 2022 14:57
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PBCrunch posted:Does the fact that he replaced a compressor that was locked up increase the chances of an obstruction somewhere in the system? OP with the Civic, did you flush the system when it was open? It certainly can, and that's a good point. If the old compressor is still around empty it into a cup. What does the oil look like? Any grit in it? Is it still golden-ish/gray ish or is it black? Those pressures still don't read as a clogged metering device. The low side should be higher and the high side lower. The pressures that were posted read like a metering device opening as far as it can to try to produce some cooling on a low charge. And it's gonna freeze the evap running that way.
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Aug 29, 2022 14:59
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About 80 degrees outside, low and high pressure are about the same around 75-80 psi. When running low goes to zero. Next steps?
everdave fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Aug 31, 2022 |
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Aug 31, 2022 18:15
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I vacuumed down the system, it went down to -29/30 after 2 hours it was around 28. I filled with around 32oz r134, bc the Japanese sheet said 950ml for the dual ac system. As of right now it is blowing ice cold but these are the pressures 
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Sep 1, 2022 00:31
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A/C on my dad's 03 350z quit working recently. I'm pretty far away so he took it to the local Nissan dealer. If I can read the techs handwriting correctly it said this. Ac does not blow cold. High side reads low. Low side reads high. Pulled .71lbs refrigerant, system held vacuum. Refilled, ac still blows warm. Low and high side still the same pressure. Compressor spinning. Diagnosed internal compressor leak. Before he took it in I helped him confirm the compressor was spinning over the phone. This makes sense to me but I'm no expert. Let me know if I'm missing something. Dealer quoted $1600 for compressor and refill. 1yr 12000 mile warranty. Another independent shop quoted $1400 for compressor, dryer, expansion valve, and filling it. Non oem parts though. +$500 for the oem compressor. 2yr 24000mi warranty. Looks like the better deal on paper but requires pulling the dash or a lot of it to get at the expansion valve. What would you go for? Is the moisture issue caused the second you open the system or is it from being empty for an extended period?
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Sep 3, 2022 23:52
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From opening. Sitting empty would imply it was open to atmosphere, but they removed 3/4 of a pound, so it wasn't empty. I would want the dealer to replace the dryer though. It'll probably make it out of their 1 year warranty just fine without replacing it, but over time the moisture can do Bad Things to everything. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Sep 4, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 03:27
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Dealer diagnosis is probably right, but their proposed repair of compressor and refill is both too expensive and not a complete job. Take it to the indy shop. They're suggesting the fix that is most likely a real permanent fix based on the available information. If aftermarket bothers you ask them to quote it out with factory parts.
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Sep 4, 2022 14:26
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Motronic posted:Dealer diagnosis is probably right, but their proposed repair of compressor and refill is both too expensive and not a complete job. Take it to the indy shop. They're suggesting the fix that is most likely a real permanent fix based on the available information. Thanks. How are aftermarket compressors? It's about double but 20 years was a good run. If they're all made by the same place though.
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Sep 4, 2022 16:14
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honda whisperer posted:How are aftermarket compressors? It's about double but 20 years was a good run. If they're all made by the same place though. I do not use any part store remans of compressors, starters or alternators. The quality has goes so far in the shitter in the last 10-ish years that it's simply not worth it. Parts store NEW parts? That depends on the brand. Denso compressors, yes. Some name I've never heard of before? No. Even parts made by literally the same place are often different. There is one tier of parts that are made for the actual auto manufacturer and sold through the auto manufacturer parts supply with their logos and in their boxes. Then there's OEM, which may be the same thing in a different box or may be something that substitutes cheaper components, are reworks of components that failed to meet the QC for auto manufacturer supply parts, etc.... There are no easy answers. If you indy mechanic has been using these brands/compressor routinely they are going to have the best information on it. They aren't likely to be ordering parts that break a lot thereby pissing off their customers who don't give a poo poo if it was their work or their parts selection that caused them to have to come back for another repair.
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Sep 4, 2022 16:22
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Well, here’s to hoping I didn’t just destroy my system - I bought a can of Freon-brand R134a with dye in it and used it in my 2013 Leaf. I have several cans of undyed R134a from another brand and noticed they have this warning label: The Freon-brand stuff does NOT have a warning label, and the O’Reilly computer specifically lists my car as compatible. The explanation is that the oil for normal compressors is not compatible with the oil in hybrid and EV electric compressors - you’re even supposed to use a completely separate set of gauges so as to avoid contamination. Dye usually contains oil. Either Freon-brand uses a compatible dye or I just destroyed my compressor. Guess we’ll find out over the next few months!
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Oct 31, 2022 03:35
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The reason is EVs have a hermetically sealed electric compressor, like your fridge, home AC, etc. A little bit of Googling suggests the UV dye may make the oil either start conducting electricity, or it'll turn acidic and eat the insulation off of the windings. A little digging suggests TSI Supercool 24940 Hybrid A/C Compressor Oil is what you need to refill it with, as far as oil anyway. Also, some EVs were early adopters of alternatives to R134a, so there's that.
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Oct 31, 2022 04:27
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crossposting from the stupid questions thread to the proper thread I'm getting a ammonia type smell from my AC system in my 2013 Ford Taurus SHO. Air blows ice cold as it always has, just smells like cat piss a bit. My cats have not pissed in my car, and google search points to mold in the system, which makes sense as the car sits in my garage unless I'm taking the kids to school or running an errand by myself. I've only driven 1400 miles in the last year in the car. Current plan is to make sure the evap drain is clear, and to pump a can of KOOL-IT Evap foam cleaner in to clean the evap coil. Anything wrong with this plan, or is there a better alternative?
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Mar 7, 2023 19:58
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Seems like a pretty reasonable start and will probably solve the problem.
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Mar 7, 2023 20:20
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2002 Suburban with rear air. The A/C Clutch was out, but I elected to just remove the compressor as I couldn't tell its status. Got a kit from Rock Auto that came with this: 81onfpm71bL._AC_SL1500_ My accumulator just has the one port horizontal from the body. From the amazon reviews I assume I just use this one on my one port system, trasnferring the stud, and keep the top port (next to the stud as it exits) blocked off with the plastic insert it shipped with? Thanks!
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Apr 24, 2023 21:44
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The plastic insert for shipping won't hold up to HVAC pressures, it's just there to keep poo poo out / keep the desiccant from getting ruined if that's the dryer.
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Apr 24, 2023 23:43
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IOwnCalculus posted:The plastic insert for shipping won't hold up to HVAC pressures, it's just there to keep poo poo out / keep the desiccant from getting ruined if that's the dryer. Thanks, kind of figured it was wrong one. Wierd they give you one of the studs but not the second one. Wonder if maybe there was a blocking plate or something that did not come in my box as the box top was just taped to the outside of the dryer. Luckily, its a cheap enough part anyway.
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Apr 25, 2023 02:41
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So my wife's AC compressor in her car is seized hard. It seems to have been working fine with no odd noises or anything up until Thursday this past week, when she called me to tell me her car was smoking, and smelled like burning. After getting over the momentary panic and checking it out at home, the smoke/burning was the AC clutch cooking itself. The history: 3 years ago we replaced the AC compressor/condensor/high and low lines due to a leak in the compressor shaft seal. Everything looked clean at removal, and the system was empty of any appreciable amount of refrigerant (~5psi on the manifold gauges high/low), so I just R&R'd everything myself, put the proper amount of oil in, and then recharged based on weight. Everything was great up until Thursday. I'll be doing a recovery/system replacement/recharge again. Are there any special concerns I should have regarding the recovery/recharge? The recovery machine has a replaceable dryer/filter that goes on the inlet side, but is that the only thing I need if I intend to recharge with the recovered refrigerant, plus any makeup charge from a still-sealed can or two of 134a? I am assuming that filter is sufficient to catch any debris that might be in the system currently from the seized compressor, but I don't want to reuse the refrigerant if it would be better to just recharge with new. Sorry if these seem like basic questions. I understand the principle of automotive AC enough to be able to vac and recharge with a pump and gauges, but this will be the first time I've actually HAD to recover refrigerant from a system, much less one that's failed in this fashion. Up to this point I've avoided having to do major work on a system that still had a charge in it, other than swapping the occasional leaking schrader valve core (with the appropriate no-loss swap tool/chamber).
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May 13, 2023 23:13
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When a compressor fails, it's best to just assume the refrigerant is contaminated and can't be reused. Once it's evacuated and the compressor lines are unhooked, you can evaluate from there, but if there's any hint of black death, sludge, metal shavings, etc, plan to replace most, if not all, of the system. You can SOMETIMES flush a lot of it out, but you'll have to install a filter to keep the warranty on the compressor.
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May 14, 2023 00:05
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PitViper posted:So my wife's AC compressor in her car is seized hard. It seems to have been working fine with no odd noises or anything up until Thursday this past week, when she called me to tell me her car was smoking, and smelled like burning. After getting over the momentary panic and checking it out at home, the smoke/burning was the AC clutch cooking itself. The history: So the compressor is bad or the clutch is bad? This makes a huge difference. If the compressor is bad you need to be concerned about contamination and flushing the system. If it's the clutch then whatever, it's all fine.
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May 14, 2023 22:30
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Motronic posted:So the compressor is bad or the clutch is bad? This makes a huge difference. The compressor is 100% toast. I can't spin the center section of the clutch at all, where my car with the same compressor spins freely. I'm already planning on replacing everything except any body-mounted hard lines, and those will be flushed thoroughly. My question is mostly whether the recovered refrigerant is suitable to be reused at the end, or if I should charge with fresh and figure out what to do with the recovered. I can't imagine that the recovered refrigerant is contaminated with debris past the inline filter on the suction hose, or it would contaminate the machine as well for any future use. The only guidance Robinair has is that recovering a burned system recommends a pair of acid filters as well, but I'm not sure what the best path to determining that is. Short of just assuming worst case and recovering through the acid filter/dryer filter and then proceeding as usual. Much as I find car work relaxing, I'd rather not repeat this process again anytime soon. I already have two other cars that are 20/30 years old and still on their original compressors, so that's why I'm sucking it up and buying the equipment to do this properly.
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May 15, 2023 00:54
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PitViper posted:The compressor is 100% toast. I can't spin the center section of the clutch at all, where my car with the same compressor spins freely. The refrigerant is worth much less than the filters. Put a new recovery tank on the machine. Mark it "don't use this poo poo" and recover into that. Use new/recovered from a not trashed system refrigerant.
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May 15, 2023 14:08
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I'm perfectly fine doing that. What do I do with the recovered refrigerant? Eventually I'd need to use that tank again, I'm assuming there is someplace that will vacuum it out and dispose/reclaim it for a fee?
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May 16, 2023 00:39
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PitViper posted:I'm perfectly fine doing that. What do I do with the recovered refrigerant? Eventually I'd need to use that tank again, I'm assuming there is someplace that will vacuum it out and dispose/reclaim it for a fee? I put mine in old 30 lb jugs (this is not what you're supposed to do - never refill those - I'm a very bad person) and send those to recycling so I'm not losing a nice recovery cylinder. But I do know of places that will vac your recovery cylinders, they're just not anywhere close to me. So this is totally a YMMV based on where you live situation. This old relic should be totally safe, right?  (I need to cut that thing in half so the metal recyclers will take it) Motronic fucked around with this message at 01:18 on May 16, 2023 |
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May 16, 2023 01:15
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I'll have to make that a thing to investigate, then. I'd rather not treat a recovery tank as a disposable item. Looks like I know what I'll be doing next weekend now! Possibly with the postmortem of a dead compressor if I'm feeling up to it.
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May 16, 2023 03:08
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Nippondenso 10PA rebuild kit for $13 to solve all three o rings on the body leaking refrigerant: I give it 5 stars and it's been an interesting ride. I also bought a $15 bearing for the clutch which I have not installed yet. I just thought this whole piston and swash plate arrangement was super cool. Hopefully I have put the valve plates back together in the correct orientation.
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May 23, 2023 01:33
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If it's anything like most automotive systems I've seen, they probably designed it to not be possible to put together wrong, unless there was no other choice.
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May 23, 2023 08:34
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2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD extended cab with 8' bed; 6.0, 199,000 miles. One owner, reasonably unmolested (it's my neighbor's, and I have done all of the molesting since he bought it 19-years ago) I'm working on the 'reduced power' issue that cropped up about 8-years ago, and had gradually gotten worse until it sidelined this truck for the past couple years. May have it licked; I've been driving it daily to see if it'll go into limp. Noticed the A/C was warm. It has never had any A/C work done on it, and worked fine a year+ ago but it's been sitting mostly all that time because it would go into RPM as soon as it was started. Static pressure at 78-degrees was 25/65. The compressor would not kick on until I added refrigerant, and then it started short-cycling, with the low side 25-80 and the high side 50-100, alternating when the compressor kicked on (for about 4-seconds, then 10-seconds off). No matter how much refrigerant I introduced (maybe 8-ounces), only the low side went up - as far as 90. Drew down the refrigerant in case I ruptured something. I'm guessing: - bad compressor - blocked orifice tube - bad temp/pressure sensor somewhere.
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Jun 7, 2023 05:11
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PainterofCrap posted:Static pressure at 78-degrees was 25/65. Try this again after sitting overnight. Your static pressure should be the same on both sides. If it's really sticking around on a split for that long I'm guessing clogged metering device. At that age and being a GM it could have just puked the dryer media into the tube. Could be the compressor too - your running pressures splits didn't sound super healthy, but that's hard to tell without the proper charge weight. The one good thing about being a GM is the parts will be cheap.
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Jun 7, 2023 13:40
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Checked today, both reading 45. I’m replacing the orifice tube and the receiver/drier/accumulator as well as the switch on it. You ain’t kidding about cheap: all 3-parts were $42.00. After that it’ll be the compressor, if he wants to. At the risk of being repetitive/not reading: is it possible to get a recommendation for the compressor? PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Jun 8, 2023 |
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Jun 8, 2023 00:02
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PainterofCrap posted:At the risk of being repetitive/not reading: is it possible to get a recommendation for the compressor? Unfortunately all the rebuilds are junk, just like rebuilt starters and alternators. It's luck of the draw/the individual sample in your hands.
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Jun 8, 2023 15:30
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I bought all the tools from the op in 2015, then sold the car that needed AC work instead of doing anything. This weekend I tried to help my brother and a friend with their cars, and new truck has a suspected seized compressor, so time to try things. Canada has banned the sale of 134A, so the only thing they sell in stores is 12A - https://redtek.ca/refrigerants/12a/ I couldn't find a pressure chart to figure out what to do with it, the link doesn't work on their webpage. Supposedly you fill the systems with liquid. We filled one of the cars with vapor - and we didn't have a redtek valve and mine didn't go down far enough to activate the resealing valve on the can. I used a side tap, but it has a valve on it, and the yellow hose doesn't have anything to activate it, so I took the valve out before puncturing it, and then the rest of the can came out when disconnecting the hose. It seemed to cool, but that one went to the shop and they "fixed it" - recharge with oil in it. We were just testing things because that one went flat without a good reason so it was more of a test to see if it would all leak out. The other car had a condensor replaced after a front end crash, and it had pressure in it when it was removed. there was a better chance for this one, so we followed the directions and put the can in upside like it says. None of the pressures seemed to line up, either on the Redtek gauge or the real gauge. The gauge lines filled themselves with liquid and oil when we took them off. We put the 1.5 lbs of coolant in as per the sticker. The system cools great now, but who knows how long it will last. So I am aware we did everything wrong, but what should I have done instead? How should I use the side tap? How do you put oil into the system? Anyone else use this 12A stuff?
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Jun 8, 2023 18:17
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I haven't worked with 12a, but from some very quick research it's a blend, so that means you won't get a proper mix if you try to charge it as a gas. Not saying it won't work/cool, but it's not going to be exactly correct. I wouldn't try charging an automotive system with liquid while it's running - it's just too small/too little volume before the compressor. You're real likely to slug it. Unfortunately I think the only way to charge that stuff properly is with a charging machine that puts it in pressureized. As to how you add oil - well in that case you just dial it into the machine and it does it. If you're charging a system as a gas you can fill up your yellow hose and/or use a special syringe to draw oil in after you've vacuumed and it's still under vac, or you can repeatedly fill the yellow hose with oil and blow it in with refrigerant as you're adding. Either way is kind of a mess. If I have a system apart that needs oil I like to put it in directly before I close things up.
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Jun 8, 2023 18:26
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Understood, putting the oil in the compressor before anything makes the most sense. For mine, maybe it will get filled at a shop since they will have to vacuum the old stuff out - all depends on how much they charge and if they want to actually do work.
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Jun 8, 2023 20:56
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2003 E39. I've checked that there is no gas in the system by hooking up a set of A/C vacuum gauges. Nothing at all registering. So I figured it all leaked out from a damaged condenser or something. I hooked up the vacuum pump and it got it down to 29mmHg and after shutting it off and closing the valves ( and fixing a leak in the connector), the system held a vacuum for at least an hour. I bought the car with the A/C not working (winter buy), so I don't know for how long it's been out or if anything preceeded it not working. The compressor obviously won't run, but I cant force it on in INPA (diagnostics program) neither, so don't know if it runs. Maybe the gas just slowly escaped and the P.O never bothered to fix it? If there anything else I should check before going to a A/C place for a charge?
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Jun 17, 2023 07:00
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MrOnBicycle posted:If there anything else I should check before going to a A/C place for a charge? The correct next step is a pressure test with dry nitrogen. A reasonable next step is charging it with refrigerant and dye and hoping for the best, ready to recover it if it's not holding.
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Jun 17, 2023 17:17
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Motronic posted:The correct next step is a pressure test with dry nitrogen. Ok, so in other words it's time for the professionals (We can't buy R134a here as a consumer) to handle it. At least now I know that there isn't a massive leak somewhere. Thanks!
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Jun 17, 2023 17:49
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MrOnBicycle posted:2003 E39. I've checked that there is no gas in the system by hooking up a set of A/C vacuum gauges. Nothing at all registering. So I figured it all leaked out from a damaged condenser or something. I hooked up the vacuum pump and it got it down to 29mmHg and after shutting it off and closing the valves ( and fixing a leak in the connector), the system held a vacuum for at least an hour. My son’s 2000 Accord had a leak we chased for over a year. Took it to a shop that charged it; leaked down within a week. Held pressure on vacuum. Finally, pulled the Schrader valves. Low-side valve had a blown inner o-ring.
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Jun 18, 2023 00:40
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PainterofCrap posted:My son’s 2000 Accord had a leak we chased for over a year. Took it to a shop that charged it; leaked down within a week. Held pressure on vacuum. The actual valves being bad is a classic "vacuums fine!" issue, and even a "hold pressure!" issue for those who don't know enough to disconnect and verify. But that's not anywhere close to the end of the issues where you'll hold vac but not pressure. I've seen this SO many times and it's always some o ring, whether on a hard line or the compressor itself that seals in one direction (or limited amount of vac you can produce) but not the other (easy to shove lots of pressure in there).
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Jun 18, 2023 00:49
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Ah, I see. I think they pressure test as well (at least it's in the description) when going to a/c shops here. I could start swapping o-rings as well as I've also had cars where the o-rings were the source of part of the leak. It's usually around $150 here for someone to look at the system, so I'm trying to do as much as I can to avoid repeating my trips to the mechanic. Not to mention nothing is open on weekends, so have to plan it around my work. Letting them do all the repairs usually ends up up with insane costs. Last time I was quoted like $1300, but fixed it for about $250 including the charge. Broken condenser and leaking o-rings in that case. Another thing to consider is that I perhaps might a well change the condenser and aux fan if I'm taking the whole front end off to get to the connectors. 20 years old as this point.
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Jun 18, 2023 07:59
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