My mechanic said that the A/C is leaking and needs to be changed from the old A/C to the new stuff and that the after market stuff doesnt work very well so he says I need to spend a grand to switch to new GM A/C. Is this a rip off? Should I not worry about it? What do you think?

thanks guys

 

I have a 1989 Camaro RS V6, and I had my A/C switched to the new freon and it cost about $215.0 at the Chevy dealership.

 

Wow, that seems like a lot of money. Here is what i would do.

Find the leak.

Fix the leak.

Change your oriffice thing

Vacuum down system to remove moisture

Charge with r143a

Be cool.

I did mine for like 60 bucks. Granted i do have all the vacuum equipment, but you could even charge it with out the vacuum.

So yeah, a thousand bucks is a lot of money.

 

If your compresor is bad, you are looking at aprox $400 just for the new compressor (not installed). Should be around $800 for all parts and labor for a new upgraded R134 system.

 

AGOOD2.8 has a good point there. If your compressor is bad, it could be big bucks.

I have found most of the leaks i have had over the years are from bad O-rings on lines and such, but thats just been my experience.

When i did my bird 3 some years ago, i did not switch my compressor, i just emptied the system, change that part, vacuumed it down, and refilled it. It has benn ice cold ever since.

 

Some good info here


http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25703


http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25792

 

yeah, i believe the mechanic said the compressor is leaking. He said it would be a 1000 bucks including labor and all th enecesary parts to get the new system

 

Here's an idea....get rid of it, and cruise with the t-tops off
It'll definately save you a bit of money

 

Used to live in DC area so I know the humidity.
Here's what I did.
In my area, a real good guy sells the R12 at a very fair price.
I charged my system & eventually the compressor froze.
So I did this.
Silver canister REPLACED IT, Non-rebuildable item. $40-ish
Orfice tube, easy fix - $15 or so. It's right in tube infront of silver canister ("filter" for the AC system, like an oil filter)
New rebuilt compressor - $130-ish maybe more.
Refilled system with R12 & the car freezes like no tomorrow.
Or like the Eagles last tour name "Hell Freezes Over".
How easy is this stuff to swap?
All ya need is a big adjustable wrench for the silver canister area and the rest, you should already have the 13mm, 15mm, 17mm sockets & wrenches.
The compressor was a bear to do, as it's heavy and awkward.
Find the parts & then have system filled with R12. The silver canister will be difficult to locate, I'll bet. I know of a shop out in LA area that will ship the canister to you for $10.
No driving with the Tops off, doesn't "work" that well.
I know. I do that in my 1974 Corvette.
Works well, until the outside temp reaches about 100*, then I leave on the tops & roast in the oven cockpit (magnified by the heat from the engine headers)

 

I agree; might as well go with a rebuilt compressor. Your mechanic's probably right as far as longevity goes, but think of how many rebuilt a/c compressors you could buy until you hit the price of the GM one!

Plus for less, you could do the system yourself.

http://www.epatest.com for 609 certification

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3952 for a vacuum pump

http://www.chpower.com/chstore/hot_b...ir_Compressors for an air compressor (or get the Home Depot card and finance a better one)

http://www.carparts.com for a/c parts ...

15-20292 , Rebuilt air compressor, AC/Delco, $218
33198, Accumulator (shiny can), Four Seasons, $55
53976, Condensor (in front of radiator), 4 Seasons, $187
15-30010, both hoses, AC/Delco, $76

And chances are, you don't need all those parts. Throw in whatever the cost of the R134a refrigerant and oil, or R-12 if you're so inclined (and got your 609 cert) and some other misc stuff, and you're done.

 

Isnt there a dryer in there some where. hidden deep in the dash???

 

Hmm...you know, when the compressor on my friends 2.8L bird went we just replaced it with one from Autozone. Had the clutch already on it and it was $150.

Can't remember if it was rebuilt or not, but it wasn't as expensive as the $1000 repair job your looking at.

 

Bought a discount compressor for my 86 and in 1995 and lasted till I sold it in 99..... Still was working when I sold the ride... It was under 150 for it too...

 

Nope, only one dryer on our systems. (AKA the accumulator)

There's some other parts I left out of the list (like o-rings and the expansion valve Karl mentioned in the oriface tube), but that's all dependant on where the leak is. I think it's recommended to change the o-rings if you do an R134a conversion.

The accumulator should definately be changed though; the dessicant inside is probably shot. I think JCWhitney sells a/c stuff, too... brand might be 4 Seasons, not sure. But you know them and their shipping costs (Buy a $5 fifty-pound chunk of steel, $5 to ship. Pay $300 for a featherweight radar detector and pay $30 to ship. Go figure.)

 

i had my system fixed awhile back. New compressor, orfice tube, and big silver cansiter replaced, and then had it filled with r-134. I never thought the system blew out very cold, even on the max setting. The car would eventually cool down though. It may have had something to do with the fact that i live in Texas and that was in the middle of July. Any ideas?

 

Read over them two thread at V8Buick.com and you will learn how to make the new stuff just as ice cold as the old.

 

I found these: http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectPa...r%20w%2FClutch

whats the difference and which one do I want?

 

Here's what I do.
I shop on line or call local stores.
Then the ONE local store I like, I tell manager, "you want my money? I can get this part for $ from this source."
Always try to buy local
IF there is a problem.....
Shipping costs on a AC compressor seems like it would cost a small fortune because the compressor does weigh a ton.