My civic has R12 and has been empty for some time and I don't know if the A/C Compressor is good. A local shop quoted me $380 to Evacuate, Convert and recharge the system to R134. The same shop also told me that they COULD NOT tell me if the compressor was "good" until AFTER all of the work was done?? Sounds fishy to me.....
If they do $380 worth of work and the compressor doesn't function then it's a complete waste of $$ right?
Rip off?
How can I tell if the compressor is good?
It's semi true....when they put a vacuum pump on it to evac, they can pump it up and stop and keep the guage on it to make sure there are no leaks in the reefer system.
The main test to make sure the compressor works, which means it creates the delta P it is designed to create (pressure differential between the high and low side), is to have it charged with the correct amount of refrigerant and measure the high and low side. You can't do that unless you have the refrigerant in there.
So yes, to make sure the compressor is good you need to have the system evacuated and charged.
HOWEVER, $380 is BS....shouldn't be more than $100. The 134a to charge your a/c system costs him like $5 and it takes like 15 minutes to vacuum out the system. And 'convert' means simply putting different oil in there.
__________________
there are three things: power, reliability, and money. you can only have two.
i learned this and i know what its called but im having a brain shit right now... but if you have r12 on the older systems they used something other than a condensor, and its like a valve that gets smaller and then bigger, simply to reduce the size of the line that the refer is running through. its like pinching a garden hose, it changes the HP to LP and i THINK that can have something to do with your compressor failing. i'll have to research real quick and i should be able ot answer your question with a more educated answer
From what I've read the consensus seems to be that A/C work is better left to a professional who has the proper tools. Agree? I was thinking of trying this myself just renting a Vacuum Pump but I've literally NEVER worked on A/C and am totally clueless. Some of this equipment operates at very high pressure so I'm thinking it may not be safe.
i learned this and i know what its called but im having a brain shit right now... but if you have r12 on the older systems they used something other than a condensor, and its like a valve that gets smaller and then bigger, simply to reduce the size of the line that the refer is running through. its like pinching a garden hose, it changes the HP to LP and i THINK that can have something to do with your compressor failing. i'll have to research real quick and i should be able ot answer your question with a more educated answer
It's an expansion valve. It's on all vapor compression refrigeration systems (or some other form of metering/throttling device to drop the pressure before flowing through the evaporator) regardless of if it is r12, r22, r134a, ammonia etc in a car a/c, house heat pump or a/c, or home refrigerator. It allows for a theoretical constant enthalpy (no work performed, no heat xfer, and no change in kinetic energy) expansion which causes the refrigerant to drop in temperature and pressure to cool the cold side of the system. Also, all vapor compression refrigerant systems have condensers.
Quote:
From what I've read the consensus seems to be that A/C work is better left to a professional who has the proper tools. Agree? I was thinking of trying this myself just renting a Vacuum Pump but I've literally NEVER worked on A/C and am totally clueless. Some of this equipment operates at very high pressure so I'm thinking it may not be safe.
I was considering just bidding on this:
eBay Motors: 92-00 Honda Civic Del Sol Full AC A/C Kit w/compressor (item 160273393624 end time Aug-27-08 10:59:36 PDT)
If I just swap everything then I don't have to mess with the Evac, Charge and everything else. Thoughts??
Today 08:41 AM
I don't think a/c work is difficult nor dangerous. The main difficulty/catch is evacuating responsibly such that you do not allow for refrigerants to uncontrollably escape into the atmosphere. The equipment may be expensive too. However a vacuum pump is cheap. The hvac gauges for filling the system are the only expensive part usually. r134a is pretty cheap and the conversion kit is cheap and easy to perform.
Also for that ebay item, you'd still have to evac, and recharge. He/she is only selling the under the hood parts (condenser, compressor, expansion valve, piping etc) meaning you'd have to install this to your evap coils that are within the dash behind the glove compartment door. So that means the parts being purchased is not sealed and charged. So I say just convert your existing system given there are no leaks, which you'll determine when you evac.
__________________
there are three things: power, reliability, and money. you can only have two.
Thanks so much BD and skipbee for your replies. Each were VERY helpful and I appreciate it. A freind of mine here in town has a fully equipped Auto Shop. I took my car down yesterday and he explained everything as well. He has the Vacuum pump and the conversion kit, he's going to show me what to do step-by-step so I can learn this stuff. We're going to Evac it, install the new valves, reciever dryer and recharge.
Any tips on finding another Compressor if mine turns out to be bad??
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
