Tech / General EngineIs your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
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Actually it crapped out like last year, but I never had the money to fix it, so I just sweated my tail off all last summer.
Anyways, I was hoping it just needed a recharge, but it turns out that everything in there crapped out. The guys at Gemini quoted me $1000 to replace everything that is broke.
So I was wondering, is this a job I can do myself or not? I'm thinking because of the environmental reasons, I won't be able to. And if I can't, what is the most you would pay someone to replace all these parts?
The guy who quoted me that price, said that was with all AC Delco parts.
Help me out guys, I'm sweatin' like a pig.
-The Gunny
__________________ NEW LO5 = 262 RWHP - 365 RWTQ
OLD LO3 = 180 HP - 263 lb/ft (open element & advanced timing)
Mods: MSD cap, rotor & coil, Global West steering brace, Tokico HP struts & shocks, Pro-kit, Jet Fan Switch, MSD 8.5mm wires, K&N open element, Transgo Shiftkit, Vette Servo, tranny cooler, 6* timing, posi, 3.23 gears, Dynomax cat-back, Stewart Stage 1 WP, Spohn SFC's, LCA's w/ brackets and Panhard Bar, Hooker 2055's, Crane HI-6 ignition, TDS VAFPR, Walbro 190 fuel pump, Crane cam, Trick Flow heads and 2" TBI, EBL, Baer 4 wheel disc kit, 17x8 ROH Snypers and Pirelli PZero Nero's, Comp Magnum 1.6 RR's, Kenwood EZ500 hu
Goals: To be as fast as a new Z-28 and to humiliate imports everywhere.
"When I die and go to Heaven, St. Peter I will tell, Another Marine reporting Sir, I've served my time in hell."
"Destroy the wicked so that the good may flourish."
I fixed it myself. I fixed it 2 years ago, but I did not do a good job. I bought a remanufactured compressor from autozone, an accumulator, and an orphice tube. Those are the only 3 parts you really need.
The first time I did it I put the orphice tube upsidedown by accident, I did not flush out the system, and I did not put a vacuum on the system to get the air/water out of the system. 3 big mistakes...probably why it only lasted about a year and a half.
This time I did things better. I got my compressor from Napa...the better of the remanufactured ones, they have one for $99.99 and one for $149.99, they ran out of the cheaper ones so he gave me the better one for 99.99, good deal. I bought a new accumulator, new orphice tube, flush solvent, and oil for the compressor.
You can let all the freon out, I just let it out, but they say you should have it sucked out proffessionally to save the environment, but its not really enough to do much damage. Just press the nipple? on the accumulator(blue cap) and the gas will come out. Then take off the compressor and accumulator, you also need to unscrew the tube next to the accumulator that has the orphice tube in it, take that out as well.
with the flush you should use a flush gun, napa sells them for $70, but you would not really want to buy it if you didnt need to. I think you can pour the flush into the system and blow it out with a compressor, but I had a friend with a flush gun so i did it the recommended way. Then you put all the new parts on...after adding in the oil and put an electric vacuum on the system. This is another tool you probably wont have but you should have the system sucked out. MY friend had one of these too so I borrowed his. Then you just add freon and your good.
Its not that hard, but dont take any shortcuts or you will do it again.
So what you're saying is that all I need is the compressor, accumulator and an orphice tube? This of course doesn't include the oil and such, and the R-134 conversion kit.
Well after going to gmpartsdirect, this is what I've found.
AC Delco Compressor p/n 1134344 $265
Accumulator p/n 2724700 $52
The orphice tube wasn't on the list, but that's probably cause it doesn't matter who makes that. I'm assuming about $20 for that, and $50 for the R-134 conversion kit.
So in the end I'm looking at about $387 plus maybe $100 for oil and coolant. So for a total of $487 for parts and materials it looks like I should be able to find a better deal for doing the labor. Well, that's a lot cheaper than the $1,100 that guy quoted me. I'm sure I could find somebody who will do it for less than $600 in labor.
Is there anything that I'm missing or overlooking? After reading your post and reading the A/C tech article, this is what I've come to.
And one more question, on the gmpartsdirect website under the A/C section, they have other compressor parts such as clutches and what not; I don't need all that crap do I?
I'd spend a little time with it and find out what is really wrong with it before committing to anything major. You can go to almost any auto parts grocery store and get a few cans of replacement refrigerant and charge the system for testing. Once you detrermine the problem(s) and repair them, have the system evacuated, flushed, and refilled with the correct oil and refrigerant charge. All the rest of the work you can do yourself. Why pay someone else to bolt on parts that you can easily exchange?
__________________ Later,
Vader
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Everything should be made as simple as possible, and not one step simpler."
I have no idea why it did what it did, but I'm sweatin' my tale off in the car. 
