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View Full Version : A/C is taking all my money away


pacotaco345
08-07-2012, 11:14 PM
CAR IS A 91 WITH 95 KA and 91 AC PARTS

So I'm about to head to Texas from SoCal back to college in a week and I've been on this mad dash to get my ac working. I've had all the crap (lines, condenser, drier, pressure switch) in my back yard for almost 2 years now which is when I ripped it all out. It never worked since I had the car, I think it just needed a charge way back when.

Anyways, I took all the stuff out of my yard and blew it out with ac system cleaner through an HVLP gun, got as much old nasty oil out as I could, then did the same with the fittings on the firewall that lead to the evaporator & expansion valve. Put all the stuff in, filled it with $60 worth of 134 and PAG oil and nothing, compressor wouldn't turn on.

We never were able to pull a good vacuum on it or get as much freon in it as we wanted to so I wasn't surprised at this result.

Fast forward to today, I brought it to a shop where they gave me new fittings, replaced one leaking o ring, and charged the system (without the compressor running still). They told me it held vacuum and I looked at the manifold where it said 100% full and still nothing. So that cost me $80. Brought the car home & jumped the ac relay to get the compressor to engage, air still isn't blowing cold. Grabbed hold of both high and low pressure lines, neither one is hot nor cold (this is with the compressor on mind you).

So, my thoughts are... I was going back and forth between the climate controller was broken, (but everything else on it works, recirc, hot/cold, changing airflow position), the physical wiring (I really hope it isn't this), the expansion valve being clogged, the drier having sat outside for 2 years, the hi/low pressure switch, or any combination of these. My main concern is that even if everything was bad (drier & expansion valve), the pressure switch shouldn't have been affected by the weather and the compressor should still cycle.

I'm about to take it back to the shop tomorrow and hopefully be armed with some information. If you actually took the time to read through this thanks, any insight would be much appreciated.

lude4life13
08-08-2012, 01:27 AM
My A/C wasnt working in the beginning of the year and it ended up being the compressor not getting enough power. If you hear the compressor "click" on/off when you press the button on the dash then your problem is not electrical or the climate control module. It would have to be one of the mechanical parts of the system. Hope that helps.

inopsey
08-08-2012, 09:10 AM
the compressor should of turned on when you were recharging the system. look at you triple pressure switch (on the dryer) first.

lok
08-08-2012, 09:17 AM
You should always replace the dryer ( silver can by the fuse box with the triple pressure switch) when the system has been exposed to the elements for a significant amount of time.

They are not very expensive and can be bought at any parts store.

The shop you took it to should have replaced it.

pacotaco345
08-08-2012, 07:07 PM
I dropped by the shop this morning before work and they were too busy to do anything with my car at the time. Anyways they told me to bring it by tomorrow morning and they would flush the system so I could install a new dryer, pressure switch, and expansion valve myself.

Once I finish all this they said I could bring it back and they'll recharge it for free since it didn't work the first time. Does anyone have any problems with this theory/sequence of events that I'm about to make happen? lol