so i just bought this car a week ago for $1000. they said it had an air condition leak but im not buyin it. i think its just from sitting so long cuz it does blow ever so slightly cooler than the outside temp. anyway, i think the freon is pretty much gone because they kept trying to charge it up with new freon and its still the old system. i keep the ac on anyway cuz its about 97 these days lol.

so i was driving it today and it started squawlin and squeakin up in the corner under the dash on the passenger. got progressively worse and worse until it would puff out white mist(maybe smoke, steam, coldness, i dont know). finally i pulled over and popped the hood. the screaming was coming from the round box attached to the firewall. im assuming this is the compressor because it says "warning, refrigerants under pressure". i unplugged it and it quite. and so did the fan.....

so did i kill my compressor or what? what happened?

 

that is the blower fan

 

well than where is the compressor? and did i kill the blower fan or is it dyin on its own

 

the blower is either going bad or has trash in it. the compressor is bolted to the engine and is belt driven

 

how expensive/difficult is it to fix a blower fan

 

Easily done with basic hand tools (stuff a shop rag/towel under it or you'll lose the screws). Auto parts stores should be able to provide the motor. Prices vary, but as I recall, I paid around $30 for mine.

JamesC

 

so dont bother having a mechanic do it? they are going to have to convert the ac anyway. should i have them do the blower or should i do it before i take it?

and one more question. what part of the air condition system goes through the firewall and into the dash? is it a section that could leak freon? i ask because the previous owner said they dyed the sytem to find the leak and couldn't find it. so he thought it was under the dash.

 

condensor is in front of your radiator

compressor is belt driven and on the passenger side

accumulator (dryer) is the metal cylinder and also has the low pressure connector where you add refrigerant

orifice tube is in a line right near the accumulator

evaporator is what is in the plastic housing and also what sweats the water that you see dripping from cars

if you open the system, you'll probably need to updgrade so you'll be buying a new compressor and dryer as well as orifice


oh, the pag oil should come with a new compressor but you can get it at any parts store but DO NOT buy their refrigerant for $20 per can. WalMart has them at $9 per can and you need qty 2 to charge a new system

 

im thinkin ill just have my mechanic do it. he is ridiculously cheap and lets me pay on time. and i know it'll be done right. i've used him since my first vehicle

 

There a ton of satisfaction in doing it yourself (and this isn't rocket science. Much of what we do to our cars is unbolt and bolt-up). Just sayin'.

JamesC

 

if it was the only thing being done, then yeah id do it myself for sure. but its gettin alot of stuff done. new exhaust, new oil pan, new blower fan, ac conversion, transmission switch out.

 

a- i understand why. headers and a good catback

b: why?

c: if that is what's bad

d: may not be necessary, you don't know yet

e: please expand upon that