Ok, my a/c only blows cold when im driving at like 60mph plus and i took it to a mechanic and he said the compressor is done. my questions are:

-where can i get the best deal on a FACTORY compressor? i dont want the rebuilt ****

-what brand does GM use, delphi? or is it AC Delco?

-as far as i know i need, a compressor, oil for it, accumulator/drier, and some sort of replacement tube (cant remember the name). is that it? anything else?

-how hard is this to do myself? any special tools i might need?

-do i really need to flush the system?

my mechanic was gonna charge me 1500 so instead of the **** rape he plans on giving me, i figured id just swap it out myself.

 

Tell that mechanic he's a douschbag, first of all. $1,500, what a joke.

If the air gets cold when you drive then you may have a problem with the condensor only. Or, it may just be low on refridgerant and it can't keep up in stop and go traffic when your condensor gets hottest. Once you get moving the ram air from the front lower air dam starts cooling the condensor so it works better. Either compressors work, or they don't work. If its getting cold, it works.

And if the compressor is bad, that is the ONLY thing you need to replace. NOTHING esle. Unless the compressor comes apart and send **** all through the system. Don't listen to the bullshit that you need anything else. You do not even need to vacuum the system after its replaced before its recharged.

My compressor went out 4 1/2 years ago. I went to the dealership and they did one thing....they replaced the compressor with a brand new A/C Delco. They didn't replace any other part. $700 and a lifetime warranty on that compressor.

They just recharged it and it has been ice cold since last week...when I broke a friggin a/c line by accident. I'm replacing that line tomorrow and getting a recharge. $25.00 for the line and $24.00 for two cans of 134.

Do this. Go get one can of 134 refridgerant. By one of those cheap hoses with the brass valve and put that can in yourself. It'll cost you $18.00 to see if thats the problem. You may fix it right there.

Also, if its just the compressor, I'd say do it yourself. I'm taking mine off tomorrow and I've never done it before. I have to remove it to get the metal line off the back that I broke. After I put the new line on I'm putting 2 1/2 cans in myself and thats it.

 

Thanks, i appreciate the detailed info. He did put some sort of A/C tool on it and said that it would NOT take any more freon. The first mechanic i saw quoted me 1500 hes the douchebag - the other guy, the one that said it was def the compressor was a friend and like i said he hooked up some gauges and said because the air is coming in cool but not being charged it was the compressor. the thing is i told him id be doing it myself so i know he wasnt trying to screw me.

 

Your condenser might only be dirty. Clean the fins.

Doesn't sound like you need a compressor, but if you change it, you should also change the drier since it will be damaged just by leaving the system open to humidity.

Also, change the orifice tube if you have the system opened. It is cheap and it's an important part of the system.

 

I'm just saying, if it gets cold while your driving then the compressor is working.

Like I said in my other post, it sounds like your condensor might be the culprit. And I just mean it needs to be cleaned. Its a bitch of a job, but its exactly what causes a perfectly system to NOT cool in city driving, but it WILL cool on the highway.

If you want to tackle it, I can give you a few pictures of the job. Its not hard at all, just takes a few hours. Air lid housing comes off, fan assembly comes off, radiator comes all the way out. Then you simply bang the **** out of the condensor till all the crap falls out of the cooling fins.

Getting a new compressor will do nothing. Your friend see's a fully charged system because it probably is. If the condensor is dirty, it will not cool during city type driving, only cruising on the highway.

 

I agree sounds like the compressor is working fine.

A/C is one of those things that everyone has their own way. I NEVER open a system without putting a new dryer on it. Ive been a certified a/c tech for four years and thats just something I was trained to do. Same as always evacuating the charge rather than releasing it into the atmosphere, always flushing a system when a compressor goes out, always putting it under a vaccum, and never charging a system unless you know how many lbs of freon you are putting in the system.

Everyone has their own way but I will say in the four years ive been working on a/c systems I have never had to return for a failed system.

 

^ That's the way to do it. . . . There are a few short cuts, but you have to understand exactly what you are doing and what it will cause.

I worked on enough AC ****(and I am 609 certified, blah, blah) and I never replace the drier. It will work fine, just not as well.

 

I understand what "Mrelectric03" is saying about replacing other parts and vacuuming the system....but the dealership that I go to does not vacuum systems down if they've been open, they also NEVER replace anything else when they do compressor changes on our cars, unless there's damage.
Then, there's an A/C shop near my house that does recommend vacuuming, but they also said they will not replace anything else but a compressor when they fail, unless there's obvious damage.

So, everyone is different. Like I said, I'm approaching 5 years with ice cold air and no issues. All the dealership did 4 1/2 years ago was the compressor and no vacuuming. If I didn't break this line while working on my car, it would still be perfectly fine.


Here ya go if you want to clean the condensor. I do this every 3 years and there's a big difference in how fast my temps rise and where they stabilize at with the A/C on in hot weather, in city driving.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ight=condensor

 

Thank you again LS6, im going to try this over the weekend. i do have a few questions as im kind of new to do it yourself auto repair.

1) if i disconnect the condenser from the A/C lines i will have to recharge the system right?

2) will i need to empty and replace radiator fluid?

3) so you just bang the **** out of the top of the condenser and all the crap comes out?

again, thanks if this works youll be saving me like 500 bucks.

 

Taking out the condensor to "bang the **** out of it". . . . . . No, WTF?

It's right in front of the damn car. Just get in there with a high pressure water hose or air compressor. . . . .

This is way too RedNeck for even a Camaro owner. . . . .


I would really not suggest this to anyone who likes working air conditioning.

 

I've done it for 11 years that way. My condensor is perfectly fine.

Water hoses never moved any dirt, and a pressure washer was also a waste of time.
PLUS...if you can't blow the debris out through the front, you'll never move any of it. It must be blown out frontward, so getting a hose behind the condensor is impossible with the radiator in the way.

And you never take the condensor out. It sits right where it is in its normal place.
You don't bang the cooling fins, you bang the top of the frame of the condensor against the wood. It does nothing to the condensor, except knock all the debris out of it.

You could take a plastic zip tie and one-by-one stick it through each cooling fin from behind, but that might take 10 hours to do.


.

 

You do not take any A/C lines off. Just don't go crazy moving the condensor around alot, the metal lines can break/split.

If you want to take both the top and lower A/C lines off and open the system, then you can take the condensor all the way out and clean it alot easier.

I personally, never took mine out. I left all lines attached and banged it good.

That bottom line is the one you do not want to break, its a bitch to replace. Its the one I broke by accident last week and I'm hoping I don't need to replace. The top line is easy to disconnect or replace. Be careful of that bottom one. If you want to make sure you don't hurt either line, take them off and open the system, then just do a recharge with two cans of 134a when you're done putting it all back together.

Yes, you'll lose alot of coolant by taking the radiator out. You'll need to buy one jug of anti-freeze.

Mostly bang the drivers side, but do the top also. As hard as you can without moving it too much as to not bend those two lines.

Just don't break a line. If you want to just disconnect the two lines, they only have one bolt each. Then just buy two cans of 134a to recharge. This way you can take the condensor all the way out and not risk breaking either line.
If you do, then disconnect them both before doing anything else. One right below the radiator cap in the front. The other is at the bottom of the condensor on that same side, but the bottom back side of the radiator near the corner. You can lay down under the car and look right at it and take that bolt out.

Its so easy to recharge these things yourself, next time I clean my condensor I'm disconnecting the lines and taking the condensor all the way out.

 

Sounds like a great idea still. . . . . . . (not really).

The only time I would do this, is if I am removing othe components for a different reason.


To do this, by it self just seems retarded. . . . . . . But, to each is own.


There is just way too much that can be broken throughout doing this.

 

The only things that can be damaged are the two a/c lines...NOTHING else. Unless a moron is doing the job and just breaks alot of **** when he does work on his car.

Like I said, I've done it 4 times in 11 years and so haver tons of others and nobody has had a problem.

And whats so bad....that is the exact process any mechanic MUST take to remove or replace a condensor.......we just do not remove or replace it. We clean the thing, then out everything back together.


And if someone is uncomfortable banging it. They can just remove it and clean it that way. Then spend a measily $24.00 to recharge it.

I;'m not twisting anyones arm, just showing them another way to do something. Thats what this site is all about.

 

just a thought is both fans working? because a fan being out or not kicking on can make it not work properly. as you reach higher speeds the air will cool the condensor making it work.