A/C compressor dead?

[Nick R]

Well, I knew something had to go wrong. Car is in the Signature. We drove it 500 miles home on monday. It had just had a can of R-134a and stopleak put in it a couple weeks prior, and it was working great. Worked great all the way home. Went out the next day, and it just blew hot air. Said [censored], put on the little hose, it lost ~10 PSI. Put another can in, and it worked fine. Next day... Same deal, no cold air. I'm a little annoyed now, seeing as NAPA quoted me for a compressor at $230, and both the Pontiac/Buick dealership, as well as a local mechanic, are saying ~$100 for the evacuation, and then the recharge later after the compressor is replaced. True story..

Next thing to do with that, normally with this car there is an ENORMOUS difference with the A/C on and off. At idle, when you turn the A/C on it slows down and works harder. You can hear it. And acceleration is much slower. Now, A/C on or off there is no difference at all. I'm concerned the clutch isn't engaging, and it's not the fault of a leaky shaft seal (Which is a problem anyway, but not the big one I think). Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this without replacing the whole compressor?

 

[Colt45ws]

The clutch will not engage if the pressure is too low. You could find the pressure switch and jump it, but that will cause more problems than it will solve. You are going to end up replacing that compressor if you want cold air. Continually adding R134 is going to get expensive. I was lucky, my dad does A/C so we replaced it ourselves.

 

[Nick R]

Great. We can probably replace the compressor itself, but we don't have the equipment to evacuate it and then get all the air out of it later.

 

[tomcat27]

winter is almost here. tough it out for a few...
actually, the car is 12-13 years old. You're lucky that the A/C held out this long. think of it this way: fixing your A/C is less than 2 car payments.

 

[Nick R]

Yeah I wasn't planning on actually working on it till spring. I suppose 12 years is pretty good, but just kinda wish it had lasted more than 3 days in my legal possession before something broke. Oh well, what are you gonna do right?

 

[mechtech2]

You have a leak. Possibly more than one.

Therefore I see no reason to change the compressor - maybe it's seal. And whatever else is leaking.

 

[Nick R]

I thought the compressor shaft seal leak was common on cavaliers?

 

[flacoman]

At that age , the evaporator is toast, compressor's likely still OK

 

[Nick R]

I'm going to end up taking it to the dealership and having them inspect for what the problem is... Aren't I?

 

[Colt45ws]

The shaft seal on the compressor is what was leaking on my old Cavi. If you have not verified that is your problem, though, don't go ASSUMING it is the problem. Worst thing would be to spend $500 on a new compressor and installation and have the same problem.

 

[Nick R]

There was a bunch of oily orange colored stuff on teh bottom of the compressor when I looked at it the other day. Could this be the refrigerant with the leak dye?

 

[Colt45ws]

Probably. Have a blacklight?

 

[Nick R]

I have a lamp but need a new bulb. I'll try to pick one up tomorrow.

 

[The Critic]

If a component is leaking oil, then freon is going to be leaking out with the oil. Unfortunately, you may have more than one problem so you need to check to make sure that you do not have any additional leaks.

Compressors may contaminate the system when they fail, so it's important to flush the system with AC solvent prior to imstalling the new system. If you fail to do this, you might destroy the new compressor. Since the system is being opened for a repair, replacement of the receiver/drier is also manndatory. Lastly, you must hold a vacuum for 45 minutes before charging to ensure that all of the moisture is gone.

 

[mechtech2]

Seals are at all line junctures. 'O' rings are cheap, and I'd get them all instead of just doing one.
Clean out the orfice tube , if you have one.
What I mean is, if you are diving in, spend a bit more time and money and get it all done .