I think I have a leak in my 99 SS. I want my camaro to have COLD air just like a new car what are some things I can do to replace or make this thing cool like a new car? Not sure where to put this because I didnt see a AC thread. Any help will be appreciated.
thanks

 

This is the correct section.......

First...since you have a leak somewhere, take your condensor out and have it professionally cleaned....the OUTSIDE of it mainly.

Second....fix the leak and put the condensor back in.

Third......recharge it. Thats all you can do.

.....you MUST clean the outside of your condensor, its the most commonly missed maintenance item.

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You might get lucky and see some traces of A/C dye. (They started using dye from the factory dunno when tho). Find a UV light and go hunting see if you have any leaks.

Either way getting the system recovered, vacuumed, and recharged will tell you alot. Namely if you had any refrigerant in there and if the system holds vacuum.

Remember ANY time the A/C system is opened up the accumulator should be replaced. I don't recommend removing the condenser from the car, its just another likely place to leak if the seals get pinched. I'd get in there and blow/hose it of though for sure.

 

http://www.autoacsystems.com/

i would say a common leak point is the valves on the high and low side ports where you hook up to. With the plastic cover caps on tight, if you undo them and hear a psst then that's a dead giveaway. In order to replace those, you need to open up the system in which case it will need to be evacuated prior to recharging.

The first thing to do is put a set of gauges and see what pressures you have with the AC running then go from there. If the system has never been touched you may just need refrigerant added, that is the cheapest route to try to get new car cold air. If it doesn't work then you're out the cost of a can of r134a which is minimal. you'll need to open up the system and check & replace parts. Being 12 years old, you need replace the accumulator. And replace all o-rings and the high/low port schraeder valves. The proper way to do it would be to evacuate the system and reclaim/recycle the r134a, then pull the orifice tube and inspect, if it's clean then that's a sign the system was in good shape. If not then consider a flush, and pull the compressor and drain the oil and see how bad that looks and go from there. like the website i linked explains, it's a system which needs to be clean and free from all contamination. And if the initial pressure tests showed bad and point to a bad compressor, then to get new car cold air you'll want to replace the compressor. And if there are signs of contamination then have the system flushed or replace everything to remove as much oil and contamination as possible. Then the system needs to be evacuated, ideally purged with nitrogen to check for pressure leaks and to help push out oxygen and moisture, then fully evacuated and have all moisture removed by pulling a deep vacuum, then recharged with refrigerant by weight, along the correct amount of oil.

 

A condensor MUST be removed to clean it properly. A water hose or an air hose will do absolutely nothing.

Here's how bad they get. And this is just after 5 years. Imagine the **** in the condensors of 10-13 year old F-Body's.

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

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about how much would this run do you know??

 

You can take it out yourself in 20 minutes or so. I would guess a shop would professionally clean it for maybe $20-$30. Maybe even just get a new one.

But its very easy to clean yourself too. Just get some good degreaser like Formula 88......spray the **** out of it...or if you can cap off the ports and submerge it in the degreaser over night. Then use a brush to clean it off. Then rinse it with water. A shop would be able to clean the inside out though.

Be careful NOT to get any water or degreaser inside the condensor. And don't bend any of the surface fins by touching them with anything hard that will bend them.

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i was thinking this was like a 3 or 4 hr job

 

I can take my condensor out in about 20 minutes.

Fans lift off and drop down onto the ground.

Disconnect the two condensor lines in 2 minutes.

Lid comes off in 2 minutes.

Radiator and condensor now move back and forth.

Then the condensor lifts out.

I think thats it.........

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I've never removed a condenser to clean it out, regulated shop air has always done it for me. It doesn't need to look brand new to function properly.