Air Conditioning

[MustangGirl]

My a/c went out..not sure what the problem is exactly. I went to 2 different places to see if they could tell me what the problem is but one wanted $29.99 and the other said $60. (the 2nd place didn't even ask me what year of car I had in order to find out if my car uses freon! just quoted me some price)

Anyways, am I being unrealistic thinking that there is a shop that could just let me know if I need recharging or not?

[Trannyman]

nope diagnosing isn't free

[MustangGirl]

Well fuck.....that sucks

[Hilly]

Time costs money. Quit being a cheap ass. They didn't really need to know what make/model it was. A/C is A/C ... not rocket science. You probably have a small leak and now there isn't enough pressure when it starts up to keep the switch closed.

[Trannyman]

Time costs money. Quit being a cheap ass. They didn't really need to know what make/model it was. A/C is A/C ... not rocket science. You probably have a small leak and now there isn't enough pressure when it starts up to keep the switch closed.


LMFAO :rofl:

[MustangGirl]

Time costs money. Quit being a cheap ass. They didn't really need to know what make/model it was. A/C is A/C ... not rocket science. You probably have a small leak and now there isn't enough pressure when it starts up to keep the switch closed.


piss on you....I was hoping to find the problem so that when I get to AZ I can get it fixed and save some time by knowing what the hell I'm dealing with. I don't know why I'm explaining this to YOU...but whatever

[Hilly]

Maybe cuz I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT and ur just a dumb cheap ass. U think it will be cheaper to get ur A/C fixed in AZ? UR REALLY DUMB THEN !!

[2GTalonTSI]

My a/c went out..not sure what the problem is exactly.**I went to 2 different places to see if they could tell me what the problem is but one wanted $29.99 and the other said $60.**(the 2nd place didn't even ask me what year of car I had in order to find out if my car uses freon!**just quoted me some price)

Anyways, am I being unrealistic thinking that there is a shop that could just let me know if I need recharging or not?


Good luck with that, I had the same issue with my 95GT there are numerous places where the AC's on these damn things can leak... I did all of the following and still never found the leak, I am sure it was in the compessor but sold the car and not it is not my issue anymore. :)

some responses I got on corral.net...

I found the freon leak in my pickup by putting ~100 psi of shop air into the sytem and listening for the leak. I have since picked up a leak detector for $40 so I can sniff it out next time. A lot of leaks have been found by adding dye to the system and searching for it with a black light, but I didn't have any luck that way because of where my leak was at.
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Your leak could be anywhere in the system but the most notorious spot to check is the charge valves . I lost R-134 several times over the years and noticed one day when I removed the dust cap on the low side that it blew off in my hand.Same thing on the high side. The schrader valves go bad after a period of time and they can be easily replaced. You need to evacuate the system then change them.Then recharge.

I strongly recommend that you buy a can of R-134 with the Dye in it to help diagnose the system before going any farther. This way you are not just throwing money at it.

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Also, check around the accumulator, evaporator core, condensor, and back port on the compressor.

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had a leak in my a/c a long time ago. I found the leak on the hose that runs from the compressor(small hard line that is hot when a/c is on) then goes from hard steel line to soft line and runs under the plastic cover that goes over the radiator. Anyways the hose runs over the radiator and that is where it leaked (It was rubbing and made a hole in the softline) I had to go to the dealer and get the line(it goes from the evap canister to the compressor then to the condensor) It was a large line and at the time cost me 200 bucks. After that no probs. BTW if you hear noise after you shut the car off in the a/c system it can be normal at times(pressure equalizing in the lines)

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Exactly. The sound you hear when you shut it off is the last bit of refrigerant that the compressor just compressed passing through the oriface tube and into the low side of the system to equalize.

If you actually heard a leak, it would only be minutes, maybe an hour before your A/C would be totally inoperable. You have a slow leak and they can't be heard. When i had a leak I couldn't find, I took my car to a local shop and paid them 30.00 to find the leak. Mine turned out to be the compressor, they are also notorious to leak, right at the front seal behind the pully/clutch. You can usually see alot of black soot around where it's leaking. Check around your service ports and run your finger under the rear of the A/C pully to see if there's a bunch of crud.

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just my 2 cents,
but a couple years ago i had an ac leak and i tried using the dye. I even had the shop look for a leak with the dye. It didn't show up anywhere and i then proceded to tear apart my dash to get to the ac and heater core because that is where i thought the leak was. Well to make a long story short, the leak was in the compressor and i couldn't see the leak by using the dye. Check the ac compressor before you do anything drastic.

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Let us know where it was when you find it. So far, I've had them at the accumulator, manifold attaching to the compressor, and the low-side hard-to-softline fitting.

If a shop has a sniffer, they can probably track it down pretty quick.

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all ac systems contain oil for the compressor most of the time when freon leaks some of the oil leaks out with it, first look for an oily spot around joints or connections and the compressor. rubber hoses are bad about leaking. thier will be no soot only oil with dirt in it. check all these places with soap bubbles mixed thick if it leaking it will bubble up. HVAC guy.

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Oil + Dirt = SOOT! or SLUDGE whatever you want to call it. Either way, you will have some black gunk on your finger when you rub on a spot that leaking.

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[MustangGirl]

Oh wow.....get your common sense working there Matt......I DIDN'T SAY IT WOULD BE CHEAPER FOR ME TO HAVE IT DONE THERE! I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS TO SAVE TIME...TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON SO WHEN I GET DOWN THERE I CAN SAY "THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE....."

Thanks TGTalon.....I appreciate you posting all that

[Hilly]

Yah, common sense ... girl = clueless about cars

[jzcobra]

Ya the best way to find if its leaking is with the dye. Otherwise if a shop charges the ac with a leak they get fined up the ass. We've gotten a bunch of ac services this week at the shop and most have been a hole in the condenser. Others have just needed a charge, but most have a leak. Sometimes the shop will wave the fee for diagnostic if you have them fix the problem and it turns out to be the condenser. We have done that with a few, but its the bosses call and it all depends.

[MustangGirl]

Ya the best way to find if its leaking is with the dye. Otherwise if a shop charges the ac with a leak they get fined up the ass. We've gotten a bunch of ac services this week at the shop and most have been a hole in the condenser. Others have just needed a charge, but most have a leak. Sometimes the shop will wave the fee for diagnostic if you have them fix the problem and it turns out to be the condenser. We have done that with a few, but its the bosses call and it all depends.


Yea, there was one that said they would apply the diagnostic fee to the repair or whatever they needed to do. I'm thinking I probably do have a leak. My car is a '94...wouldn't surprise me. OK no biggie....just wanted to know if that was a normal thing to do. I mean with most anything else, people check it out for free for you, apparently not with a/c's...oh well.

[jzcobra]

Yea, there was one that said they would apply the diagnostic fee to the repair or whatever they needed to do. I'm thinking I probably do have a leak. My car is a '94...wouldn't surprise me. OK no biggie....just wanted to know if that was a normal thing to do. I mean with most anything else, people check it out for free for you, apparently not with a/c's...oh well.


Well its not like brakes were you can visually see a problem. Most time it requires a good amount of time to do, and we like most shops are busy and can't spend time doing something like that for free.

I never use my A/C, but still blows cold for a 96.

[MustangGirl]

That makes sense...I understand now. My '98 a/c pooped out after only a few times of using it...same with my '94....must be bad years for a/c or I bought those cars at the "right" time the a/c went to hell lol

[SAXD40]

RT auto works in Airway Heights. The guys there know their stuff, they keep up on the latest tech. and very honest.

RT Auto (http://www.yellowpages.com/sp/moreinfo/index.jsp?id=5646683&q=RT%20auto)

[2GTalonTSI]

That makes sense...I understand now.**My '98 a/c pooped out after only a few times of using it...same with my '94....must be bad years for a/c or I bought those cars at the "right" time the a/c went to hell lol


I charged mine a few times and it would work for a couple of days. lol (don't try this at home kids, environmentally unsound) :D

[MustangGirl]

lol well with my '98 i bought the freon or whatever it was and I tried to refill it...unsuccessful...i'm almost 100% positive that i had no idea what I was doing lol All I know is someone from the apartment complex walked by, saw the bottle and thought it was nitrous?!?!!? LOL That made me laugh