Hey guys, I know there's a few mechanics on this board so I thought I'd ask ya!

I have a 97 Ford Taurus and the AC doesn't work anymore. It's not blowing cold air and the heat works. It doesn't sound like the AC Compressor is turning on when I switch it to AC. I tried recharging it with a recharge kit but it doesn't take any of it, it just spits it back out at me. When I hook up the kit it doesnt even give me a pressure reading. Do you think maybe the freon is just low and the compressor won't kick on because of that? Also, if the compressor is bad, what would one of ya'll charge me to get it fixed?

 

You need to take it somewhere that has a real ac machine. They can vacuum the system, and tell you how much, if any r134 they removed. Then they can check the system for leaks. Those over the counter kits can't put out the kind of pressures these systems run under. But just for kicks, run the car with the AC set to full when you try it, sometimes you can draw the freon in that way. If the compressor doesn't see pressure, it won't engage. There are a lot of variables and Ford AC are some of the worst in terms of parts failures. Save yourself some time and money, and get it fixed right once.

 

I pretty much agree with Norcal on this....and depending on exact engine. I know the Overhead cam engines are more expensive to work on then the overhead valve engines. Ive seen compressor replacement with drier and orifice tube, plus a flushing and freon, compressor oil etc. range anywhere from 650-1300+ depending on the exact car and engine combination. your best bet is to take it to a licensed a/c facility and have them check it out. get an exact quote. you can sometimes have it inspected for less then 100....and some will apply that to repairs.

 

breathing refrigerant is bad.... mmmmmmkay

 

Yeah, I'm just scared at what I might get back from the quote because I def don't have 1300 to fix th AC lol!

 

well you wont know til you know...unfortunately

 

Thanks for the words of wisdom!

 

Well just have it checked out and dont agree to any repairs. I mean if the compressor is only leaking you dont really have to change the drier and orifice tube technically because the compressor didnt blow up. We quote for all that because people want a warranty. Oh and don't put a remanufactured compressor on there either. Nothing but problems.

 

Alright, when I get paid again.. I will take it to the auto hobby shop on base and see if they can check out my AC. I personally don't care about AC but the wife wants it working for when we have the baby.. I told her just roll down the windows.. and then I got smacked lol

 

Yeah the baby kind of needs it

 

Well I just got off the phone with the Auto Hobby shop on base, they said the way they work.. you bring in the car, the look at it for 60 bucks and will put freon in it for $12 a pound on top of the $60 with a dye in it so they can test for leaks. They will give it back to me for a week and run the AC then bring it back to see if there are any leaks in the system. Then go from there. So they said to start off it would probably be like $110.

 

If it's a reputable place, they will vacuum/recharge/and test for leaks at the same time. Any good AC machine will run a leak test after vacuuming/recovering the system. Make sure you they do this, because if you're throwing 100 bucks out the window every visit, that'll add up. And when they do find the problem, I bet they won't give you back some of that "time well spent." We see it all the time here, people come in with ac not cold, and it could be just a simple recharge, that stuff does dissipate over time.

 

Yup. They should vacuum test it at least. If it holds a vacuum test then i'd say recharge but just recharging it is crazy and technically illegal. A shop cannot charge up a car and ship it down the road knowing it has a leak. We like to pressure and vacuum test (sometimes it only fails one way). Now if it passes, then we recharge with a dye and if by chance it goes low again, the dye usually shows where. We try and tell people. Hey if you feel it getting hot come back asap so we can recover that freon before it all goes bye bye and save you some money!

 

Before I take my car in to the shop on base, I 'll make sure thats what they are going to do!