I'm trying to get my A/C system running properly again. I replaced the seals on the compressor and the seal for the orifice filter, but someone said that I would probably need to replace the accumulator as well. This car has been retrofitted to the R-134a, but I replaced the compressor. Before replacing the seals and the orifice filter, with a 'shoved-in' charge with some ambient air it was blowing cool air. I just got done having the A/C system vacuumed after replacing those seals and the orifice filter and it holds vacuum just fine. Do I HAVE to replace the accumulator to get this car to blow cold air? Or will just charging it back up properly work? I know that there are a lot of variables left, I'm just trying to get this thing working again with what I can afford for this month.

 

It blows much cooler air than before and I just got done with the wiring since the factory stuff didn't want to engage the clutch. I'm not sure what the problem is, all I know right now is that it isn't the high or the low pressure switches, but I'll be looking at that later sometime. I put in the oil that I had as well as the R-134a, but I didn't have enough to fully charge the system. I did notice while the compressor was running that there seems to be a leak a the bottom of the compressor on the back by a "seam". I might have to go back to a friends house and get my old compressor back as I'm not sure if this is because of the R-134a being used in a R-12 compressor or not, but it is certainly cheaper than buying a new one right now($200). I'm going to go get some more R-134a and charge it the rest of the way to see if everything operates properly once it is fully charged.

 

 

I asked some guys up at Advance about the compressor leaking and they said that it shouldn't leak either. I'll have to pick up another compressor sometime when I have the money since it's $150 for rebuilt and $200 for new. I still have yet to price the accumulator though, but I think that I probably will go ahead and replace that as well.

How can I clean out the system? Can I use compressed air and some copious amounts of alcohol to clean all the lines out and maybe even the condenser other items? Someone suggested that but I wasn't sure if that was a good way to clean it out.