Trying to get my AC working again on my car. When I got the car, there was no AC belt on the pulley. I checked the clutch resistance to make sure it was in spec and it turned freely. I put a belt on and replaced the receiver drier then took it in to a shop to vacuum the system and fill with refrigerant. Everything seemed fine at the time except the high-pressure side was a little low. The shop thought it could have been because the compressor hadn't been run in a while

It was good for a couple weeks until I started hearing a hissing noise behind the glove compartment. The AC wasn't blowing cold anymore. I started looking for leaks and noticed there was one at the receiver drier. I am planning on getting new Orings for the receiver drier, but does the hissing noise behind the glove box mean anything? Is there anything I should check there? Anything else I should change? Any other places common for leaks? I'd like to check all this before taking it back to the shop.

 

Yes yes yes and yes. There should be no hissing at all so you need to check everything before adding more freon,you don't want to be breathing that crap in.

 

yes there is a leak at you evap core. that is why there is a hissing sound when you turn the ac on. if you check for R134a it will most likely be low.

 

Thanks guys. I am pretty sure there isn't much R134a left since the compressor does not engage anymore. Is it common for leaks to pop up after the system was vacuumed and pressure test was performed?

For checking the evap core, should I just check the lines on the other side of the firewall underneath the battery? Do I need to pull the glovebox and remove the heater/evap core? Are there any internal lines I need to check as well? Please let me know as I'd like to get this sorted out.

 

if there is a leak you should be able to tell while evacuating the system the system will not reach a certain amount of vac. but depending on how big the leak is.

Ss far as checking for leaks at the evap you will need to add dye to the ac system or use an electronic leak detector. and recharge the system and inspect the drain hose under the vehicle. or when ac is in use, if you have a good nose smell the discharge air and there will be a odd odor that is r134A

 

best bet is bring it to an ac shop unless your familiar with the system and know how it operates.

 

Thanks for the advice. I am planning on taking it in to the shop, just wanted to see if I can troubleshoot anything obvious first beforehand. There was leak dye injected in the system and that is how I could tell the receiver drier lines were leaking at the O-ring. I looked at the fittings on the firewall side behind the battery and there was no sign of any leak. The hissing sound is what concerns me a bit and is what I wanted to check and see if there is any oil/dye reside in evap box or anything on the inside of the car.

Also, in terms of the high side pressure being a little low, does that mean the compressor is going out? Should I replace the compressor with another one? I made sure the compressor clutch resistance was in spec before I put the belt on. The shop did say that when they hooked it up to the machine, it had to pull oil out of the system. Could there have been excessive moisture or contaminants causing the compressor to go out?

 

If you have the tools, you're better off just getting a replacement evaporator unit off ebay. There's a huge honda/acura dismantler on Ebay with the seller name "hondapartsunlimited". They sell the evaporator units for like $35-40. My GSR did the same thing about a 1 year ago.

 

I will look into that Ebay seller. What symptoms were you having to diagnose the evaporator unit was bad? I have a decent set of tools to do normal maintenance so I would assume I could remove and replace the evaporator on my own. Did you have to pull the dash or could you get to it by just removing the glovebox?

 

get a ac dye florescent lamp and check the evap drain if you can see green its leaking. Also check all lines and connections. for leaks. you might see it and might not see it without a lamp.

 

The shop should have picked up the leaks when they did a pressure check, [ if they did one].
The shop should have picked up the leaks when doing a leak test.

Low high side pressure is an indication of a low charge or a compressor that is on it's way out, what was the high side pressure, what was the low side pressure, system running and not running?

The "hissing" will be the evaporator, [or possibly O rings for the expansion valve connected to the evaporator] it is possible that there were no leaks when they tested it, O rings will dry out over time when system is not used , they should have known that if they knew the system had not been used in a long time and recommended that all O rings be replaced.

You said, "The shop did say that when they hooked it up to the machine, it had to pull oil out of the system", why was that, did you put oil into the system?

How much oil did they remove?
Did they replace any oil?

What actually did they do, what did it cost?

We... http://airwolfeautoair.com/ would have, if the car came to us, recommended a flush, to remove any oil in the system as there is no way to know how much was in there, [replacing a filter/dryer would require oil to be added, not removed] replacing all O rings and then a leak test, [250PSI nitrogen for at least 30 min.] then a recharge with the correct amount of R134A refrigerant and the proper oil charge, [Ester oil] we would have added 2oz of C4 oil to the compressor, because it is an older one that has sat dry for a while.

The above is the proper way to deal with an A/C system that has not been used in a while and has been opened with components replaced. 94

 

Thanks for the advice FCM.

I think the O-rings might have just been dry from age and once the system was filled, they slowly failed. I know they hooked up the machine and they did a 30min vacuum, 30min pressure or leak test, then refilled with refrigerant(1.54 lbs). I think it was a leak test as I remember the system was under vacuum and the system held the vacuum for 30min. The system was under vacuum the entire time so they probably did not pressurize the system. Since the high side pressure was still low, I will probably change out the compressor as well. Do they fail often, is it worth paying for a new compressor or buying a used one from someone who gutted their AC?

There was no oil put into the compressor since it was not opened, but there was a bit of oil put into the receiver drier. The car was hacked together by the previous owner so I have been slowly getting it back into shape. Maybe a failed attempt to revive the AC before resulted in someone overfilling the oil. I was not even sure the compressor was working until I put a belt on it and jumped the switch to see the compressor clutch engage.

As for replacing all the Orings, is there a kit I can buy that has them all or do I need to buy them each from the dealer? Do I also need to replace the evaporator or expansion valve? I want to get the system in good shape before taking it to a shop for flush/vacuum/recharge.

Sorry for all the questions, I am trying to get this done correctly and save money by doing as much work on my own as possible.

 

The shop should have done a pressure check, a vacuum leak test will only tell you that the system will hold a vacuum, not pressure, I would be willing to bet the leaks would have shown up with a pressure test.

There is no O ring kit, buy the O rings at an A/C shop, or find the local Cooling Depot retailer, [car parts shop] in your area.

To save money, [do it yourself] remove the components, evaporator, condenser and compressor, have the condenser and evaporator flushed out and pressure tested, [any rad shop can do that], before draining the oil from compressor stick your fingers into the suction and discharge holes in compressor and turn compressor clutch clockwise, if you feel suction on the suction side and pressure on the discharge side the compressor is probably good, if you want to replace it, get one from the Cooling Depot supplier, [reman]. when reinstalling replace the O rings, put 1/2 the oil charge into the compressor and the other half into the filter dryer, [after draining what was in the dryer]

Use Ester oil, [also from Cooling Depot supplier] once together, have a proper nitrogen pressure test done, 30 min. min. but the longer the better, then have system charged.

Do not let the shop sell you more "leak dye" once in the system it is there for ever, [even after flushing].

If you need a new evaporator or condenser, get them fro Performance Radiator or Cooling Depot. 94

 

Thanks again, i found that there is a performace radiator warehouse near my area (https://www.performanceradiator.com/). It looks like I might be able to buy the o-rings and any other pieces from them as their prices look to be very good. I will make sure to take the condensor, compressor, and evaporator to a radiator shop to get flushed and tested. I just tried to call one shop and they said the evaporator is no problem to flush/test but the condenser is higher pressure and they don't feel comfortable doing it. He recommended just doing a visual inspection to check for oil traces. I will call a few other places and get their opinion as well. How about the lines, do they need to get flushed/cleaned as well?

Any tips on the best way to get the evaporator box out from under the dash? I will get started on getting the system pulled out this weekend.

 

Although not as critical, it is always best to flush eveyting you can, [not the compressor, just drain it.

What is the MM&Y of the car? 94

 

It is a 1995 Acura Integra GSR.

As for flushing the lines, does that have to be done at the shop as well or can I just blow compressed air through them to clean them up?

 

If you have comp. air you can flush all of it, pick up a bottle of flush and do it yourself, with the components out it is easy, pour in some flush, slosh it around a bit, pour and blow out with air untill empty, your done. 94

PS. Remember, no flush in the compressor, just drainm it, and watch the air pressure, [PSI] used to blow out the flush.

 

I was able to remove the evaporator core today and noticed there was a bit of the dye residue in the suction port of the evaporator. Any ideas on what would cause a buildup of the dye in the suction port?

I will bring it in to a shop to get flushed and pressure tested this week. Hopefully I have time to pull the condenser tomorrow after I get out of work. Also, I was looking through the Helms manual and it mentions that oil must be added to the condenser and evaporator during replacement. Does it matter which port I add the oil in for the evaporator and condenser?

 

Because you are "redoing" the whole A/C system, flushing and draining everything, you should be replacing the filter/dryer, [can't be flushed] add 1/2 the oil charge to the compressor, [suction port] and the other 1/2 to the filter dryer, 2oz of C4 oil into the compressor will help the old compressor also.

When adding oil to the compressor, turn the clutch clockwise a little, [1/4-1/2 turn at a time] as you add the oil, if oil comes out discharge port stop adding oil, put the rest in the filter/dryer, once system is connected, [closed up] turn compressor clutch 360 degrees 10-15 times, then charge system. 94

 

The Helms manual s states that the total volume of oil for the system is 140mL . Out of the total, 25mL for condenser, and 40mL for evaporator. So you are saying it is fine to add half to the receiver drier and the other half in the compressor and the oil will distribute itself to where it needs to get and I do not need to add oil directly to those components?

Yes, I am going to replace the receiver drier as well as the expansion valve. I am hoping the condenser and evaporator cores are good so they won't need to be replaced. I guess I will find out about them after they get flushed/pressure tested. I am picking up the Orings and expansion valve from performance radiator tomorrow.

 

Yes you can add it to the comp. and filter dryer, it makes no diff. where you put the oil, the refrigerant will suspend it and constantly move it throughout the system, we use the comp. and filter/dryer because they are convenient, we will add the C4 oil to comp., [moving parts] a new comp. would come with at least "packing oil", [like C4 oil] and the rest of the oil is injected during, [just before] refrigerant is injected into the system when an automatic charging unit is used.

Again, it make no diff. where you put the oil as long as you do put it in, the only reason we split it between the comp. and filter/dryer is you normally can not get the full amount into the comp. before it starts coming out the discharge port. 94

 

Thanks. I called a couple radiator shops and got very different quotes to flush and pressure test the evaporator and condenser. One shop said $20 each piece and they just use shop air for the pressure testing around 100-150 psi. The other shop I called I was quoted $150 total for both. I did not speak directly to the person doing the work, just a secretary so I do not know the details if they use nitrogen to test at 250psi.

I just want to know which is a fair price for to flush and pressure test the evaporator and condenser. Worst case scenario is just buying a new evaporator for $95 and condenser for $125. Are evaporator or condenser leaks common areas of failure in AC systems or is it more of a contamination problem from debris/moisture?

 

So I am getting everything back together. It turned out my evap core was good, but my condensor core was bad. I replaced it and all the O-rings. I removed the compressor and stuck my finger in the ports while I turned the clutch and there was suction in the inlet and pressure on the outlet. It did make a hollow gurgling sound as I turned the clutch, is this normal?

I am going to add new PAG46 oil to the system. The capacity is 140mL so I will add 70mL to the compressor and the other 70mL to the filter/dryer. Once it is all in, do I need to manually turn the clutch to get the oil cycled to where it needs to get? I am planning to take it in to a shop tomorrow to get it vacuumed and refilled with refrigerant.

Please let me know if there is anything else that needs to be done.

 

very good find

 

so there wasnt anything wrong with your compressor?