The "Help! My a/c quit!" post - Page 2 - Maintenance and Repair Forum

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Re: so can i service my compressor?
Saturday, May 29, 2004 12:10 PM
ok, i had my a/c recharged. it ran out in 3 days they put some dye in it the first time but they found no leak. so they recharged it for free and then they put more dye in and it ran out in one day. they still found no leaks under the hood. they said it had to be my evaporator. which is behind the dash. thats what they said. Can anyone tell me how to get to the Evaporator. i want to change it out but i dont know how to get to it

Re: so can i service my compressor?
Saturday, May 29, 2004 1:40 PM
It is in the middle of the dash and I beileve you have to tear the dash apart. I would try the stop stuff first. Mine was leaking at the evaporator and I put in one kit and it stil leaked so then I bought 2 kit, the intedynamics 2 bottle kits, and I put both in at the same time and no leaks for over a month.

I also did this to another car I had, I put 2 kits in at once and after 2 years still no leaks.

I would try this first to save money and some work.
Re: The
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 8:54 AM
Cavy-Blazer wrote:
1) It is my understanding that only licensed technicians are allowed to possess R12. Anyone else (general public) caught purchasing R12 can be subject to a serious fine, and the seller up to $10,000 in fines, loss of license, and jail time.


But, you can use drop-in freon replacements, like freeze12 and others. The law would not be able to harass you then.

Cavy-Blazer wrote:2) In addition to retrofitting a car to 134a, the accumulator/filter drier must be replaced as well. Any time an A/C system has been 'opened', which will be the case because the service ports are replaced after the system has been evacuated. Driers are cheap, so I liken replacing those to cheap insurance.


If you know your AC was never compromised (like, compressor did not chew up and spew pretty particles all over), you can get away with running vaccum in the system for more than the usual 45 minutes prior to feeling it with freeon/r134/whatever. That would suck the moisture off the drier (which just have a bunch of desicant in it) and make it ready for more action.
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 8:58 AM
GMaster wrote:Could anybody supply a picture as of where to use the A/C tanks?......I have a friend that can supply me with the Gauges, i just gotta make sure i know where to use the tank and sych.

All help and info is greatly appreciated ^_^


Er, one of you also have the vacuum pump, right?

Now, which gauges do you have? If it is the one with 3 ports and two gauges (high and low pressure), after you evacuate the system, just attach the cans to the hose you had connected to the vaccum pump.
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Saturday, July 17, 2004 6:12 AM
I recently bought my wife a cavy. When we got it the air didn't work at all.

Last night I ran up to the store in it. It felt lke it was boggin for a second. I punhed it a bit, and there was a lound bang, from under the hood. No like a backfire or anything, more like I ran over a bowling ball. No clue what that was. Anyways, after driving in the rain for a few minutes, it started making this grinding noise. Quiet at first, then it got kinda loud. I figured the water pump impeller bearing. After messing with it, I found it coming from was the AC compressor.

At the very outside edge, there is a plate on the outside of the pully. I am guessing this is the outer of the clutch. anyways, it was just sitting there real still, and the pully was spinning, but the plate itself will turn, if you put you hand on it and spin it. I took and sprayed some lithium grease on it, and the noise quieted.

I messed with the controls, to see if the clutch would engage, or that disc would tighten up or something, and it wouldn't but to my suprise, the air was blowing cold now.

It is hard to se then end of the plate, but it feels like there is a grease zerk in the middle of it. Anyone know? Shouldnt this plate be locking up?

Why did it ust happen. <br>

Ryan Van Leuven
Type-XDesigns.com
ryan@type-xdesigns.com
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Sunday, July 25, 2004 6:57 PM
Here's a question... how would I find out if my car has the R-12 or the 134a? I have a 95 GT, and NO OWNERS manual or anything. I had an O-ring go and stuff just sprayed out under my hood across my windshield and just evaporated. But I need to figure out what I need to do to fix my AC before the bash. I got the o-ring on good and tight, now I just need to know what stuff I need or if there's anything else that should be done for me to fix it. <br>



Re: so can i service my compressor?
Sunday, July 25, 2004 8:03 PM
Angel...

there should be a sticker under the hood, stating the type of, and amount of Freon that is needed to fully charge the system.

If the system was originally charged with R-12, you will have to get a R134a retrofit kit, as R-12 is basically impossible to find anymore.

<br>

<br>
Sig removed because some people cry too much.<br>
</a>Scott Heflin, President Team Forward Motion <a href="http://www.teamforwardmotion.com" target="_blank">TFM </a>
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Sunday, July 25, 2004 9:37 PM
I have no sticker under my hood... it was a second hood on the car... a replacement. This hood was on my first sunfire, which was wrecked before I got it... so I have no sticker to go by... plus this hood, since i welded the eyelids I kept... was off of my SE... not my GT... is there any other way to find out? <br>



Re: so can i service my compressor?
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:00 AM
anyone? <br>



Re: so can i service my compressor?
Monday, August 02, 2004 12:51 PM
It's about a 95% chance that a '95 is R134a; any third gen I've ever seen, and even most '94 second gens are all R134. <br>

<img src="http://portfolio.iu.edu/dcletten/Sig.jpg">
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Tuesday, August 03, 2004 8:43 PM
you wanna know what's really funny??

Everyone was tellin me under the HOOD... so that's where i was looking...

BLONDE MOMENT!!!!

It was on the radiator cover... right in front of my freakin eyes. 134a...

Boy was I embarassed. Sometimes... I hate being a blonde LMAO <br>




Re: so can i service my compressor?
Tuesday, August 31, 2004 9:37 PM
Okay so i'm 99% sure that my AC compressor clutch or parts of it are going out, any time i turn on the AC i get this metallic grinding noise almost a whine but more gutteral if that makes sense. Now my car is slowly turning into a race car as i have the cash i've done a stage 1 weight reduction and various parts of stage 2. My question is can i simply go buy a belt from autozone for a 97 sunfire that didnt have AC to bypass the pully and essentially reduce the drag created by the AC compressor? Also am i legally allowed to pull my own AC unit out and if so how hard is this (does the engine need to be lifted to unbolt the compressor?) any tips would be greaty apreciated.

I dont mind losing AC as its about 40 pounds of dead weight as my AC is going out anyway and i'm not really willing to spend a grand to fix something i rarely use. <br>



Re: so can i service my compressor?
Friday, September 03, 2004 7:17 PM
what exactly controls how much air flow to come out?
i test drove a new cav and the a/c was blowing like crazy. mine is no where near it.
can it be the blower motor? or does the resistor also control this function?
i've searched for an answer but can't find one. somebody asked the same question but it was never answered.
thanks in advance
<br>



Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Wednesday, September 29, 2004 8:10 PM
My A/C and heat both weren't working on my 4dr 2.2L '98 sunfire it would work for a few seconds then it would slowly start to die until no air was being pushed out and then it would make weird clicking noise. We got it checked out it was just the fan $110CDN for the fan and about $40 for the labour hope that helps some poeple.


1/4 Mile ET 15.2579 at 89.97mph
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Saturday, October 09, 2004 7:42 PM
Greetings:

Just some more info on A/C. The company I used to work, a Delphi Joint Venture, assembled the A/C for the 95-00 Cavaliers and 01 Sunfires assembled at Venezuela, the 4 door 2.2 lt and the 2 door 2.4 lt. engine, with most parts from US, so they are very similar to US cars.

Both engines use a Delphi V-5 variable displacement compressor, (different compressor model for each engine) which controls the evaporator temperature by changing its displacement, it does not use a Pressure Cut out switch (usually this switch it is screwed on the Accumulator), so it does not cycle. It is a reliable compressor, my car has 195.000 kms (121.00 mi) with original compressor. I only changed a seal shaft.

It uses an Orifice Valve which is located at the Outlet Connector of the Condenser on the left side of the Condenser, looking towards the rear of the car).

I think there is only one Pressure Switch in the High Side line from the Condenser, this switch switches the Cooling Fan on if the A/C is on and the High Side Pressure goes above 275 PSI (aprox). If there is enough cooling air flow over the Condenser and Radiator (for e. above 45-55 mph) the pressure will go under the switch setting and the fan will turn off. With the A/C off, I believe it opens if the Pressure is below 40-50 PSI, which could happen if there is a big leak from the A/C system. Some compressors also have switches installed in the rear, also for low pressure protection. On some systems the compressor will not engage if the ambient temperature is close to freezing.

There is a a Suction Fitting on the Low Pressure side of the System, I think it is close to the Accumulator, and there is a a Discharge Fitting on the High Pressure, close to the Condenser, both are to the left side of the vehicle, looking towards the rear. these fittings are where you connect the Pressure Gages used for diagnostic.

The bigger diameter tubing/hose coming out of the Accumulator, that goes to the compressor is the Low Pressure side. The Hose/Tubing coming out of the Compressor towards the Condenser is the High Side Pressure (A picture would be word a 1000 words, sorry about that). From the Condenser towards the Evaporator (You can see the connections below the Accumulator, coming from the firewall). Next to The Evaporator Connectors from the firewall you can see the Heater connectors.(towards the center of the firewall, they are hard to see).

The Air Conditioning Module where the Evaporator, Heater, Blower Motor and Recirculating Ducts are is in the middle of the dash. To remove the Evaporator or the Heater you need to disassemble the dash. You can remove the Blower Motor easily though, it is over the Front Passenger feet, you need to take our three self-threading screws, a rubber cover, and three more screws. Careful when you mount again the screws so as not to damage the Plastic Cases.

Another serviceable item is the "Credit Card" type Resistor, I believe it is close to the Blower Motor, inside the dash, above the passengers feet, you should be able to change it easily. This would be required it there is only one or two blower speeds (there should be 4)

Of course, apart from changing the Blower Motor or the Resistor, everything else should be done at a well equipped A/C repair shop, it is not something for the do it yourself..

A simple diagnostic for Refrigerant level is to touch the Accumulator when the A/C is on, at idle. It should feel cold at touch. if it feels warm, there is most probably a refrigerant leak. Any noise from the compressor with the A/C on spells trouble, the A/C should be shut off immediately. A seized compressor will cause the serpentine belt to burn/jump leaving you with a non operational engine (you may overheat it due to the loss of Water Pump function) 90% of compressor noises are non-repairable, the only items that can be usually serviced of the compressor are the Pulley bearing, the Shaft Seal, and an occasional O-Ring leak. A noisy compressor also requires the A/C system to be cleaned, to remove debris, etc. plus it is recommended to install a new orifice valve and an Accumulator.

In general this is a very good system, with good hot weather performance. The Evaporator is very close to the Passengers, so you get cold air very quickly. Same with Water Heater.

Hope to have helped with this info.
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Tuesday, October 12, 2004 5:47 PM
OK, I guess my main problem is my HVAC panel, cause I only get A/C when its on the highest (fourth) setting. The other three lower settings, nothing happens at all, no air, nada, zilch. Is this problem in the panel, or some other deep mysterious void which I dare not enter? Thanks. <br>

=============================
2.2 '00 Cav
Mods so far:
1. Vibrant intake

Got a long ways to go!
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 9:02 AM
How can i determine if my 93 4 cyl cavalier rs has factory or dealer installed ac?
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Saturday, June 11, 2005 4:34 PM
Freon later changed to SUVA is Dupont's brand name for refrigerants. It's just a little pet peeve of mine probably since I work in this field but the proper term is refrigerant.. In an automotive system leaks are a little more common because of the open compressor basically the O ring can get brittle and leak that is why it is a good idea to run the ac compressor occasionally throughout the year. Keep in mind however that it is not normal to have to top up refrigerant every so often, if it needs topping up YOU HAVE A LEAK.



AmazingJay
Re: The "Help! My a/c quit!" post
Monday, June 13, 2005 11:39 AM
ok i've read through this entire thread but I'm still not sure what is wrong with my a/c. It works fine at 40 mph and above or so, but if i stop at a red light or something it starts blowing hot air. Somehow related to this problem is the fact that everytime i turn on my a/c the cooling fan fuse blows. Any ideas?


<img src="http://img53.exs.cx/img53/3803/sig21ps.jpg" width="388" height="197" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 8:04 AM
I had the same symptoms like many people on this thread. If you live in Canada you can charge your own system and take a chance to see if it is low of R134a. The hose will run you around $30 and the 6oz can of R134a is $11 you can also buy a can of stop leak solution for $16 and presto. Note that the leak has to be very small for the solution to work, anything bigger you will have to service and loose out on whatever you have charged. But it's better than doing it in a shop for $150, when you can do it yourself for under $60 and it is just as affective. Note you may need more cans of R134a, it depends on how much pressure is still in the system, I only needed one. The a/c may take a coupleof minutes to a couple of hours to start to work properly, and when it does get ready to put on something warm. I don't know much about a/c systems, but this worked for me and it may work for you.
Re: so can i service my compressor?
Saturday, June 25, 2005 10:29 PM
Where do you find the seal kit for the compressor shaft? I can't find one anywhere.

Re: ac quit
Sunday, July 17, 2005 8:49 PM
My ac just stoped one day, was cold then compressor stopped!
Mchanic replace the low presure switch, worked fine for 2 days!
Turned out the clutch coil was going bad, made the presure switch go bad, replace the clutch assembly and another pres. swich and works great

PS / you can buy ( freeze 12 ) at NAPA this will mix with the old R-12 so you don't have to convert.
Re: ac quit
Sunday, August 14, 2005 5:36 PM
Ok so I have a 98 5 spd coupe and my A/C has stopped working clutch was not engageing so to start off cheap I thought maybe the HVAC unit was not sending a signal to the compresser so I replaced the Hvac unit, Still nothing so I replaced the compresser again cheaply got it from a bone yard still nothing compreser still not working so I broke out the test light and started checking wires and as I checked the plug that goes into the compreser nothing happend aint this supposed to light up?

I know summer is almost over but its my girls car now and I gotta make her happy




Yes it is a cavalier deal with it
Re: ac quit
Wednesday, October 05, 2005 5:36 PM
Alrighty, just read through this, and didn't see anything related to what might be happening with mine.

Just after I got the car (03 Sunfire) I turned on the air conditioning and the light went on and everything is going well. Now though, the light won't go off if I have the control on circulating or defrost, even if I'm using hot air on the cold mornings. Pushing the button for the air conditioning doesn't seem to do anything, doesn't turn the light off anyway. Plus last week I went for a 4 hour drive, and than was stopped for a few hours, and than drove the 4 hours again. But towards the end of it, my rpm's weren't dropping when I pressed the clutch pedal down, and it felt "off." Couldn't figure out what might be happening, so turned the heater off to take a listen and it all seemed to clear right up. Since noticing that though I've noticed that when I start the car up, and than turn the heater on the lights dim a little and the rpm drops a touch.

Any ideas?

I'm not a big fan of a/c anyway would it be too big a deal just to have it removed?
Re: ac quit
Monday, January 02, 2006 11:39 AM
well first off, your ac system is designed to run when it it set to recirc and defrost. you cant turn it off when it is set to these two settings. it is optional only when set to vent and not on defrost... as far as you rpms and the lights dimming, that could be any number of things.. would need more info to be able to consider that problem..
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