Should i bother fixing the A/C on my beater?

[zzyzzx]

Car in question is a 1995 Ford Escort with the 1.9L engine, and I live in Baltimore, MD. The car has 213,000 miles on it. It has a leak in the A/C system which I have made several attempts to find, and despite the fact that it won't hold r134a for really any amount of time, I am unable to find any leak. As a last ditch attempt to fix it, I may inspect everything in the A/C system as I remove it to see if I find anything obvious since I really can't check the compressor seal, the back of the condenser, or the part in the dash (which I will not be removing. The rest of the car is in poor condition, except for the interior which is still nice.

But my question really is should I even bother attempt to repair the A/C on a beater?
I mean, where I live I would only really miss the A/C on afternoons on my way home from work, during the summer, and that's really not so bad. That and I can just do what I did most of last summer and drive my other car that has working air conditioning. Plus on this Escort, A/C was optional and removing it should clean up the engine bay nicely, and making future repairs easier. I would need a shorter serpentine belt, but other than that, the prescribed belt routing for this car without A/C will work just fine once the compressor and an extra idler are gone.

 

[KD0AXS]

You could try putting in a can of the R134 that has dye in it, might help you find the leak. Other than that, I probably wouldn't spend too much time or money trying to fix it.

 

[Donald]

Forget the A/C. You need a leak detector dye to find where it is.

At some point its no longer wise to dump money into a car.

 

[GreeCguy]

1993 Ford Taurus GL - have been patching the A/C for three years now. Last year, spent over 100 bucks on A/C and it lasted about 6 weeks. Finally gave up. I bought a little clip on fan that plugs into my lighter and is clipped on the side of my ash tray - works okay. It gets kind of brutal in Florida during August, but I grew up with the "4-55" A/C.

My A/C unit is still in the car and I am tempted to remove it so I can have more space to work on the engine itself. Waiting till the belt gets a little more wear and tear to it.

 

[Kuato]

Before you put a lot of money into it, try putting a charge of new refrigerant in, with some sort of stop leak, and see if that works.

If you fix it, it will be a cool summer. If not, it'll be the hottest summer on record.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
You could try putting in a can of the R134 that has dye in it, might help you find the leak. Other than that, I probably wouldn't spend too much time or money trying to fix it.


I have already tried that and go no results. Also tried soapy water and visual inspection. Of course, maybe when I remove the compressor, I'll see something. The lines running near the compressor look really rusty as well and probably all need to be replaced. So if I were to throw parts at it, I would be replacing the compressor and all the A/C lines. That's a pretty expensive shot in the proverbial dark.

I'm really not looking for repair advice, which is why I didn't post this into the maintenance forum.

 

[Fleetmon]

I doubt if I would fix it were it mine. It's probably an evaporator anyway which involves removing a lot of dash and if you go that far you might as well replace the heater core too since you're right there.

IF by chance you decided on a whim to take it somewhere to have it fixed (like you won the lottery or ssomething) make sure you tell the facility you installed refiregerant with stop leak in it....that stuff can wreak havoc on a recovery machine.

It does sound like you have multiple problems. i.e. rusting lines, probably leaking snap-lock connections, probably a leaking evaporator, and etc. Baltimore summers can be brutal and not only is the heat bad the humility (spelled that way intentionally! LOL!) can be worse! I don't envy you.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Fleetmon
It does sound like you have multiple problems. i.e. rusting lines, probably leaking snap-lock connections, probably a leaking evaporator, and etc.


This is pretty much my guess as well. Multiple leaks.

 

[Gotch]

I had a 1998 Honda wagon that the a/c didn't work...I pulled everthing out, compressor, condensor, etc. Pretty close to 50lbs. total.

I wouldn't waste the effort into fixing it.

 

[mongo161]

Sounds like a plan....

 

[rjundi]

Me personally its the sell or get rid of marker of a really old car not worth a lot.

 

[Cubey]

Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
1993 Ford Taurus GL - have been patching the A/C for three years now. Last year, spent over 100 bucks on A/C and it lasted about 6 weeks. Finally gave up. I bought a little clip on fan that plugs into my lighter and is clipped on the side of my ash tray - works okay. It gets kind of brutal in Florida during August, but I grew up with the "4-55" A/C.

My A/C unit is still in the car and I am tempted to remove it so I can have more space to work on the engine itself. Waiting till the belt gets a little more wear and tear to it.


I had a 93 Escort sedan and the AC didn't when I got the car. I ended screwed down the mount for a 12v fan to the dash which had a huge split in it. I also ran the blower fan for extra air flow. It was miserable in 100+ heat/humidity but it beat having no airflow at all when at stops.

I had a belt going go the compressor until the belt idle pulley fall off at 60mph and I pulled over, not knowing what fell off if the car (I thought it was a hubcap). I walked back a bit to look but I didn't see anything so I had to give up and go on.

I realized when I took my next about a mile or two ahead that the power steering seemed to be failing and the engine was running oddly. I realized the belt suddenly had slack so I limped it to OReilly and got a shorter belt that bypassed the ac compressor and missing idler pulley.

 

[surfstar]

Pull it all off and enjoy a slight MPG and acceleration increase!

The A/C going from cold to barely cool, is what made me realize my old Mazda was finally a 'beater'. If the power windows and A/C still function, it can't be a beater yet.

 

[Trav]

Throw a can of red angel sealer in it then fill it. Run it for an hour after its full.
I did this in a rat old Pick up for a guy and it went to the yard yrs later still working fine.

 

[meep]

don't fix it. I lived in DC for a decade, now in the deep south. The worst heat is comparable, though we get longer runs of it down here. I lived without A/C for a year and became accustomed to just keeping a sports bottle with me and unbuttoning my shirt for the hottest drives home. when I ended up in a vehicle with AC again, I found I just didn't need it as much after that. It doesn't take too long to get used to.

the only challenge can be fogging in the winter. fog-x (by rain-x) works pretty well. Or just fiddling with the controls and windows... nuisance but I figured out ways around that.

the only other consideration I have is passengers. My kids didn't mind windows down, but other folks, especially if you are single and dating, can bring other factors.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Throw a can of red angel sealer in it then fill it. Run it for an hour after its full.
I did this in a rat old Pick up for a guy and it went to the yard yrs later still working fine.


I already tried that and it didn't work and I saw no red.

My inquiries around the office suggests that nobody fixes it, and they usually don't bother removing it either (I will remove it if I am not going to use it).

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: meep
the only challenge can be fogging in the winter.


That really isn't much of an issue. It's been defogging the windshield just fine with no A/C working.

 

[GreeCguy]

The best "cool" fix I've seen to date was last summer. Saw an old buddy of mine working and stopped to chat and catch up a bit. He has an ancient 3/4 ton chevy truck with no working A/C. His solution was to jam a 3 inch 45 degree PVC angle pipe/joint between the door mirror and the door jam. Going down the road, he says it blows the air right in his face. This summer, the "Bluesmobile" is getting an addition for it's "through flow fresh air" system.

 

[morris]

DuPont started all this freon scam. i have not bought freon for 20 years, AND NEVER WILL. i have a can of computer cleaning duster. with difluoroethane CAS# 75-37-6 IS FLAMABLE. iam so glad my government is protecting me from my self. go figure.

 

[exranger06]

Meh, if you can live without it, don't fix it. I personally cannot live without AC in the summer and I would definitely fix it if it was my car. A shop would probably have an electronic leak detector that should be able to find the leak easily.