Logik

Hey Guys,

I want to know if any of you have performed an A/C related repair?? As nice as it would be if this was simply the compressor unfortunately it's not!!!:wtf: My evaporator core is gone!!!:shocked:

Is this a D.I.Y. project or should I have a mechanic perform this one. I can get the parts but I'm more concerned on access and replacing seals and and hoses correctly.

Is Dave Yo the man to see about this one?? I need to get it fixed ASAP!!:*****: I'm out of the country on a long road trip into 100 degree weather for a week!!:cry: :omg:

Solid GSR YO

Jason i'd go to a mechanic, a specialised ac mechanic, it's sooo easy to ---- up your system if you don't do it perfectly, plus you will neec the proper recharging equipment.

HyBrId

iTrader: (1)

how do u kno that ur core is gone?
im currently in the process of puttin ac bak on my teg too...
screw the less the 5 hp gain...cant take the heat anymore...

Logik

Hey guys. I found all the information I need. Plus on my trip down to the States this weekend. I got the proper recharging system kit for an amazing price!!! It is not as challenging as I first thought. I'll give you guys and update soon.....

Stealth1

What "recharding kit" did you get and what does it include? Air Conditioning systems arent too complicated but its also very easy to mess them up if you dont know exactly what your doing. Did you get a vacuum pump that can bring you down to -30psi? If you are opening up the system to replace your evaporator you need to completely vacuum out the system to get all the moisture out. Then you will need to recharge on the LOW SIDE only and to do this you will need to purcahse R134a refrigerant which in canada you cannot purchase without being ODP cert.

Logik

Stealth1 I picked up a kit that includes. A pressure gauge that will tell me exactly. What the pressure in the system is and will be after the change to the core. It alos includes, R134-A refrigerant, leak sealant, o-ring conditioner and refrigerant oil. I am aware that it's the Low Pressure line I need to work with and I will have a qualified mechanic assisting me. Not sure if he's ODP cert, but

I bought the kit it in the States and if that's the case, then they shouldn't sell similar kits at Partsource then!!:wtf:

I don't have a vaccum pump, where could I get one if I need one?? Cost??

The system has been completely dry for some time now, not to mention any moisture that may have been in there has been either blown out since I tried using it in 30 degree heat or was vaccumed out when I got it diagnosed a few days ago.

Stealth1

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/Ozone/home.htm There you can read up on anything to do with refrigerants etc.

From what ive read the partsource kits arent actually R134a but there R12a which is illegal to sell and recharge a system with. The laws about all of this are weird because if your not ODP certified you can blow out as much refrigerant into the air as you want but if you are certified and you leak large amounts of refrigerant out you get charged heavily. First offence i believe is like $50,000 and second offence is $100,000 and possible jail time.

Unless you are ODP cert. you cannot purchase R134a in Canada, these quickfill kits are not the same and honestly should not be used to recharge your system IMO.

Do you know how much refrigerant oil you are suppose to put in the system? it is a measured amount based on how much was pulled from the system and/or what parts were removed/replaced.

Did you purchase a proper manifold gauge set with the 2 gauges (1 Hi 1 Low)? It should have 3 connections, 1 blue, 1 red and 1 yellow.....blue is for low, red is for high and yellow is for recovery/vacuum/recharge.

I am not sure if you can rent vacuum pumps, they are about $150 to purchase. In ontario you should be vacuuming the system down to about -28psi for 15 minutes, then let it sit for 5 minutes to see if the pressure moves at all and if it stays steady continue vacuuming for an additional 10 minutes.

esguerra

sorry to hijack jason...

but im looking to fix my ac too...problem is, my line cracked about 3 years ago (the time we all went to cayuga, and my friend's tiburon snapped a drive shaft) and then about a year after that, my ac pulley ripped off while i was driving...

any ideas how to fix that? lol

Stealth1

which line cracked in your system? Is it bent tubing or the large flexibe ones? Also when you say your a/c pulley ripped off do you mean the pulley on your compressor OR part of your crankshaft pulley OR the tensioner pulley?

esguerra

i believe its the tensioner pulley..and it was one of the bent tubes right below where a short ram intake is located

Stealth1

the tensioner is the part that you adjust on top of the a/c bracket to get tension the a/c belt. If thats the case what you would need to do is bolt that back on and put a new belt on. Then adjust it properly by loosening the bolt that holds the tensioner to the a/c bracket and turn the adjuster clockwise to move the pulley out. Then once u have the tension set correctly tighten the bolt that holds the pulley to the bracket.

You can purchase a replacement line from a dealer or find a parts car and take it off. Once its installed you will need to have your system vacuumed and checked for leaks and if it checks out ok it can be recharged.

Logik

Well I battled the good fight and finished the A/C repair. My evaporator core was toast, when I opened it up the UV dye was apparent out the core fins and a inlet pipe. Not to mention the fact that the core housing was 1/3 full with dirt and leaves and crap it looked like a honeycomb from a hive!!!:shocked:

I swapped in the new core and checked the pressure with the A/C on max. . . . .0 PSI nice and empty!! Added the first bottle of refrigerant and checked it again after condenser came on!! 35 PSI, perfect!!! So I proceed to add the second bottle (Integra takes between 650 and 700g) and this would put it at 680! All seems fine. Check the pressure again and am 50 PSI, now this is 5 PSI over the recommended level. So I checked to make sure the compressor wasn't sweating and it was fine.

I'm good as far as I know, but since Stealth1, you seem to know this stuff like the back of your hand. What can I do to releive that extra little bit of pressure? Do I need to vaccum out anything? There shouldn't be too much refrigerant right??:dunno:

Stealth1

Damn moisture killed your evaporator. Gonna need a couple things before I can really give you a straight answer. First, was this pressure on the high side or the low side? Was this with the car on or off and were u testing the pressure during the time the compressor was engaged or not engaged?

If you were taking the pressure while the car was on and compressor not engaged then u should see the pressure rising to somewhere around 50psi and once it gets there the compressor will kick in and it will drop down to 30 something (sometimes a bit lower). If you were testing with the car off then you should have equal pressure on both the high and low sides and it should be ambient temp = system psi (ex. 70 degrees fareneheit ambient around the engine = 70psi reading on the high and low side). Get back to me on this info and I can do my best to help you.

Also I hope you completely vacumed the system out before throwing the refrigerant in because if not ur more than likely going to be needing to replace same or more stuff down the road.

Logik

Ok to answer your questions:

1) The pressure readings I took were all on the low side. Didn't mess with the high side at all.
2) The car was on all the time and the A/C and fan were running at full.
3) The compressor was engaged all the way through, but the condenser was only on after the first bit of refrigerant went in. Then it cycled after that point as it normally would.

If there was no refrigerant in the system for some time before I did this, what would vaccuming out the system accomplish? Is that normally done when you get your system checked?

Stealth1

Well first I would hookup the manifold gauge set to the high and low side and check if the pressure readings with the system off are what they should be, which is the same or very close to ambient temperature around the car.

The condenser doesnt come on and off, the only thing in the system that cycles is the compressor and the expansion valve. If everything was on like you say it was then you would have noticed the low side pressure going from 50 with the compressor off and then when it went on it would drop down to about 30ish and shut off. Was this happening or no?

The refrigerant isnt what you should be concerned about being in the system, its the air/moisture that you do not want in the system at all. You may think "oh my system has been dry for x amount of time so no worries" but any little bit of moisture will mess the system up. Vacuuming the system removes all the air/moisture from the system so check for any leaks aswell as make sure there is no water or anything present in the system. It is a sealed system and anything that gets in will contaminate it and things will go downhill from there. I think you are confusing vacuuming with recovering which are 2 different things in the A/C business. Recovery is basically what it says, recovering the refrigerant that is present inside your system. After you recover then you vacuum the system down to -28psi for a total of 25 minutes with the 5 minute wait period to check that the system holds the vacuum steady. Some places may do the test but even if they did vacuum it, as soon as you hooked up your manifold gauge set lines to it and opened em up you just let moisture enter your system. The proper way would have been to leave the line to the low side unhooked and connect up the bottle to the middle/yellow part on the gauge set and open it up. Then you would need to open the low side valve on the gauge set for just a second til it comes out the low side line and then close it and connect it to the low side connection. This may sound like alot of work but this woulda been the proper way to do things.

Logik

Well it sounds like my best bet at this point is to get it checked over by a technician and see what they say. Are you one and where's your shop? If you're not, can you recommenend a reasonably priced place?

Stealth1

Yeah it may be beneficial to have the system recovered, vacuumed and then recharged. Also I was wondering if you threw in the recommended amount of lubricating oil when you recharged the system?

The only reason I would be concerned is because you just threw in some new parts that probably cost u a bit of cash and it would be a shame to see them get ruined. If your not too concerned I would just hookup the gauge set to the car and check that the off readings are approx. ambient temp. If they are then your system is pretty much fully charged and ready to go.

As for a shop I do not currently have one nor can i recommend any at this time either. My best recommendation for you or anyone else looking to even just have there system recharged is to take the continuing education night course at centennial college for A/C level 1. You will learn alot AND included in the cost of the course you can check, recover, vacuum and recharge your car. So basically you will learn proper techniques for working on A/C systems and get to recharge your system for about the cost of taking it to any local garage.

Logik

Well I can definitely check the ambient temperature. Not a problem. As far as the lubricating oil, I used the right amount and also new O-rings, and O-ring sealant, and silicone when installing them, as well as basic leak sealant. The housing was also cleaned before installing the new parts. I hope when I check the ambient temp, all is well.

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Stealth1

If you have a thermometer take the temp just in front of the car. Then compare that to the readings on your manifold gauge set and if its very similar you should be good. Did you put leak sealant in the system? Alot of people dont recommend using it unless you just need a temporary fix as it can have negative effects on the system. Ideally I would have the system vacuumed and recharged but its entirely up to you.

Hope it blows some nice cold air