Air in W-Body

[Z-06]

^^^ She is not running cold any more. The AC seems hotter than hot FL weather. As far as the documentations show, the AC system is a closed one and before adding freon one has to make sure that there are no apparent leaks. Any quick way to fix the AC hotness without breaking the bank?

[Camino LS6]

Too many variables.

Is it R134A?

Are all of the parts OK?

If the answer to both question is yes, then it should be a cheap fix with a recharge.

[z28luvr01]

Almost all A/C systems are designed to be closed, so if it's blowing hot air, it is very likely that you do have a leak. Unfortunately, you need to charge the system to find out where it's leaking out. When you fill it, they have a dye that you can put in the system that will show you where the freon leaks out of. You can probably cheap out and not fully charge the system. But once you do find the leak and replace the part, evacuate the system completely and then give it a full charge.

[Z-06]

Yes it is R134A. How can I check if the parts are okay?

[Z-06]

Unfortunately, you need to charge the system to find out where it's leaking out. When you fill it, they have a dye that you can put in the system that will show you where the freon leaks out of. Youan probably cheap out and not fully charge the system. But once you do find the leak and replace the part, evacuate the system completely and then give it a full charge.

Yes that is what I have heard from most of the tech, and they are asking for an asinine some of at least $700. The car is not more than twice that worth.

[z28luvr01]

That's probably because the machine to do the evacuation/recharging is so expensive. It allows you to collect any freon that is in the system since it's illegal to let it escape into the air. You also have to be certifed to work on AC systems. Just get a couple of cans of R134a from Autozone (they might sell the dye too), charge it, and call it a day.

[Camino LS6]

That price is insane!

No way should it cost anything like that amount.

[Z-06]

That's probably because the machine to do the evacuation/recharging is so expensive. It allows you to collect any freon that is in the system since it's illegal to let it escape into the air. You also have to be certifed to work on AC systems. Just get a couple of cans of R134a from Autozone (they might sell the dye too), charge it, and call it a day.

Got it. I guess I need to keep on filling it every other bit. Hopefully if the leak is not significant, I will end up with cheap refill once every while.

[SAmadei]

That's probably because the machine to do the evacuation/recharging is so expensive. It allows you to collect any freon that is in the system since it's illegal to let it escape into the air. You also have to be certifed to work on AC systems. Just get a couple of cans of R134a from Autozone (they might sell the dye too), charge it, and call it a day.

Its illegal to release freon (R12) willfully, but not R134a... I'm not saying I like the idea of venting R134a, but its a fact of life... its leaking all the time, from hundreds of thousands of cars anyway.

Its also still perfectly legal to fix you own AC. There simply is no effective way to reclaim the R134a for a home mechanic.

As for the original question, you can inject some dye... or just get a UV light... given the age of the car, you may already have dye in it... the dye never really leaves. Once you fix the leak, which, unless you caught a porcupine in the grill, always seems to be the compressor, since it is the biggest moving part, you can test the system by applying a vacuum over night... Harbor Freight has a $10 vacuum pump. This also rids the system of water vapor and other contaminates.

Personally, I would put a can of R134a in, and see how long that gets you. If you get a season, that's a pretty slow leak. Most AC systems have a low pressure cutoff that saves the compressor if the pressure falls to low. A system with barely enough refrigerant actually works too well, giving you overly cold air, sometimes fogging the glass or freezing the core... then you drop just below the pressure threshold and the system suddenly stops... giving you the impression the system leaked quickly. In fact, the opposite is true. Anyway, if your can of R134a only gets you a couple weeks, you're going to have some work to do or some money to dish out.

$700 for a marked up compressor, accumulator, assorted odds and ends and labor is likely not that far off. Compressors run just under $300. Thats why people with old cars fix them themselves or go without luxuries like AC.

BTW, is the system always kicking out nothing but warm air? If the orifice tube is clogged, you will get a brief blast of AC... a minute or so, until the pressure builds up and the compressor is shutoff, so you get warm air. When the car sits (I dunno, a few hours), the pressure bleeds down and you get that sweet minute of cold air.

Good luck... keep us posted.