a/c woes ..opinions please

[MNDave]

My accumulator line and the lower line at the firewall are leaking also there is a leak below the tube located to the extreme right front;is that the liquid line?. Question: Is this something a novice can tackle? Dealer will RR to 134A with all new O-rings in all lines for 350$ with me providing the dryer line and retro kit.Half the shops I've called won't even touch it...too much of a hassle to work on. If I decide to try this myself what am I in for..what do I need to RR the lines and O-rings that at leaking? I have dug into the past posts but would appreciate anyone's advise. Oh,its a 91+ 72K and I have 3 bottles of R-12 and I prefer to keep it R-12. If I don't fix the leaks till next Spring will that harm the compressor,etc.. There's only a weeks worth of hot weather left up here in MN.

Many Thanks
Dave

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

if you actually have 3 bottles of R12 hanging around i would say pay to have the new o-rings put in and your new lines and whatever else you need and have it refilled with the R12. if your mechanic is good then it should remain a trouble-free and chilly system for a long while when done. you could probably do it yourself, but if youve never done it before and dont have someone around to help you may wish you hadnt in the end. but i also dont entirely know what would be involved so maybe someone else can say something there.

leaving the leaks as they are could possibly harm the compressor by causing it to run dry. you could always just load oil charge in there once a month or whenever, but this of course is just kind of pointless since it wont solve the problem. again i would recommend just paying for the rebuild. youre either going to pay for it now or possibly pay more later on down the road. let us know how it goes!

 

[MNDave]

That's what I would like to do.But finding a shop that will do R-12 is a crap-shoot. The dealer said legally they have to convert it to R-134A. Another mechanic said he would fix just the leaks and use my freon and charge me 450$...I'm leaning on converting it..but I'll keep looking..A complete replacement of all o-rings and a flush and vac with R-134A will be cheaper in the long run?..Pros and cons..people seem to think it will leak again sooner or later..I just don't know what to do for the future;If I could get the same done with R-12 as the dealer estimate I think I will. I'll keep looking.

Thanks for the reply
Dave

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Dave, my recommendation to you is to have all the o-rings replaced, any lines you need done or other parts (like the accumulator, etc). if you have the cans of R12 you could probably refill it yourself (i dont know what the cans look like but you could most likely buy the fittings at autozone to do the refill). take a look at a new can of 134a and if its the same just use those fittings and refill it yourself. but i guess first you should find out how much an overhaul without refill would cost you.

 

[wood_e]

I wouldn't convert it.... R12 blows so nice and cold....

 

[MNDave]

This saga is starting to make me crazy.As you can tell I'm trying to make the most economical as well as the best choice for the long haul.

I will be picking up the SHO today after having the rear struts replaced and adding Moog springs..they said the mounts still look like new,but it needed new swaybar links..whew. Not to mention the radio wont play unless its sit in the sun and warmed up the cabin. I've replaced the rear calipers and roters and pads right after I got the car in April so spending another 5 bills right now is painful. eek!

I called a A/C shop called Dealers Automotive in Hopkins and they say the compressor should be fine as long as I don't use it..maybe disable the switch for safety sake. And they also said a new accumulator hose wouldnt be necessary if keeping R-12 there prices are around 4-500 for the overhaul.

If I decide to do it this summer I think I'll buy both dryer and liquid lines and have it installed and do the vac and fill myself,a friend has the old style gage set.That is if I don't talk myself out of it and go for the dealer retrofit....Gawwwd I sound like "Move the sofa over there...NO WAIT...Try it over there...NO...move it.. is there a toll free number somewhere for SHO owners in need of therapy. cry

Many thanks for listening and replies
Dave

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

no problem Dave. you should pick up a haynes or chiltons manual and see how complicated it is to do yourself. if you pull the plug off the switch on the front of the compressor it should prevent it from turning on. i would still say you should stick with R12, especially since you allready have the refill bottles. borrow some gauges and hoses and refill it yourself thumb good luck!

 

[drdave]

Lets put the brakes on for a moment.

You can do the job yourself. It's not fun, but you can do it. I knew absolutely nothing about A/C, and with the help of Jack, I completely retrofitted my entire system the right way. And if you do it the right way, it will work as well as R-12. I can blow 36 from the center vent on a 100-degree day in my Black 93.

I spent just under $200.00 in total, and replaced everything short of the compressor, evaporator and condenser. We can walk you through this, but you will be cursing you way through the job. Replacing the o-rings isn't too bad, but the spring-lock connectors can frustrate you.

If you don't want to retrofit completely, at least replace the o-rings, find and use a product called Nylog, and use Freeze-12. I’m not a big fan of refrigerant blends, but others love Freeze-12, it’s cheaper than R-12, and does not require an oil change. If you can tolerate the hassle of replacing the o-rings, that part of the job will cost you under $20.00. But if you don't do the whole job you'll be left guessing how much oil is still left in the system, making it difficult to know how much oil to add.

So in the end, I didn't enjoy the job, but I did a more complete job than a shop would have done, and saved a TON of money. Trust me, you can do it yourself!

 

[drdave]

I guess I missed a few lines in your first post. If you don't want to do the work, get a 4oz r-12 oil charge and use you R-12. BUT YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE OIL LOST IN THE SYSTEM.

If the system is completely empty, go to Autozone and use their tool borrow program and get a vacuum pump and a gauge set. Will cost you $300.00, refundable when returned. Pull a vacuum on the system for an hour and charge into the vacuum. If it's not empty, just charge it until it blows cold. Not what I would do, but it's an option.

But keep this in mind. If you don't stop the leaks, you will loose the charge at some point. R-12 is very expensive, and if you fix the leaks, it may work for a very long time.

 

[MNDave]

That is my problem.I would really get a lot of satisfaction doing the job myself and would regret not trying. I guess I could at least try to get the dryer line replaced and if not the garage can. How bout this: I'll pick myself up and see what I can accomplish. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks to all for your input.

Dave

 

[rangerj]

MNDAVE,

Drdave is telling it like it is. You can do this.

If you want to try, we will walk you through it, right doc.

I do not know who keeps perpetuating the myth that R-12 is a better refrigerant than R-134a, but it is pure Texas longhorn bovine excrement.

An A/C system that has properly working components will be just as cold, and just as quickly, with R-134a as R-12. rangerj

 

[MNDave]

The latest...Cant find the vaccum pump and AZ dont have one to loan,nor does any store. So I tried to take off a Gator spring,the right hand one with the AZ plastic ring tool. Looks easy enough. Crawl under there and snap it on and push it into the collar..it moved the spring back but I couldnt pull thoses lines apart..is that the right tool?. Hows it work? Guys if I cant get even one apart...well. shrug

Many Thanks

Dave

 

[rangerj]

MNDAVE,

Stop and take a deep breath. Relax a minute.

Ok, now take a close look at one of the connections. Make sure you have enough light. Inside the "female" side of the connection is a GARTER spring. It is a coiled round spring that sits in the grove.

The male side of the connection has a couple of "O" rings mounted on the stem that goes into the female side. The male side also has a bulge that is pushed in past the garter spring. The garter spring then prevents the male tube from coming back out.

In order to take the male side out of the female side the garter spring has to be expanded outward. This is what the tool does. When you push the tool into the coupler it expands the garter spring.

Pull out on the male tube and the tool at the same time to get the bulge in the male tube past the expanded garter spring. There may be some rust and crap in the groove that the garter spring fits into. This prevents the garter spring from expanding.

Try some WD-40, or other penetrating oil, in the groove. Then run a piece of wire, like a paper clip, around the inside of the groove, then try again.

Once you get one apart take a good look at it so you have a better understanding of how it works. The rest will be easier.

Once you replace all the parts you can get a shop to vacuum the system and charge it for you. This will still be cheaper than having a shop do all of the work!
rangerj

 

[DigDeez]

I mean, coming from a None-DIY individual, you guys sound very motivating on doing the job yourself. Dude, I only wish I had the balls to do it myself. I mean, the only significant car repair I ever did was a R/R job of an alternator on a Tempo. And with all the repairs I've had done to my car, I could easier be in the Mod section with my Sho. But before I can get to that stage, I have about 3-5 maintenance repairs that may need to be accomplished.

DigDeez

 

[projectSHO89]

You're in the rust belt.

Spray that sum'bi$ch with PB Blaster.

Then wedge the tool in there as far as it will go.

Combine twisting, pulling, and some creative cussing until the connector comes apart. I'll bet you come up with at lease three new cuss words and at least three skinned knuckles before you get it apart.

Twisting while pulling is the key. The cussing just helps to take your mind off the skinned knuckles.

Steve

 

[rangerj]

Thanks Steve,

I forgot about the expletives. I have called my SHO's maternal heritage into question many times. I have even accused it of maternal ****** on occasion.

I even thought about having it painted blood red, so you couldn't see the spots of blood from the nicks and cuts.

It must be addicting, because we just keep coming back for more! rangerj