sebvegas

Hi everyone !
So I own a 2002 ws6 and all of a sudden my A/C stopped working, the compressor wasn't engaging at all. I brought the car to get a check up and the guy told me I had only 2 oz of freon in the system. He told me I probably have a leak somewhere.
So he recharged it and added some dye in it and asked me to run the A/C so next time I stop by his shop, he will be able to locate the leak.
Now, I was wondering, since I don't drive the car much and don't run the A/C quite often, would it be possible I lost the freon because of the non use of it ? Also, do you have to recharge time to time the A/C system ? Or the freon should stay in there for the lifetime of the car ?

Thanks everyone for your help.

SoFla01SSLookinstok

I don't think I'd blame the leak on just the non-use of the system alone. But obviously the seal is broken somewhere. The A/C system should not have to be charged from time to time. This would only indicate a leak in the system. The system should be sealed. Dye is the best. Use the A/C system a bit to help spread the dye in the system & with that the leak should be found next time you bring the car to him.

As with my car I don't use the A/C very often either. Every once in a while I'll turn it on & see if she's still blowing cold. Had the car for almost 8 years & she still does good.

sebvegas

Thanks for your reply

RockinWs6

Just to correct a few things your cars AC doesn't use Freon<trade name of a Dupont refrigerant r12 r22 etc. Your car uses Refrigerant R134a and all AC systems in cars loose refrigerant over time. A car as old as yours all the seals age and shrink over time with the constant heating cooling cycles the engine and systems go through the refrigerant finds a way out. You can easily have a conditioner added that will help recondition the seals.

sebvegas

Yes correct that's what I meant, not Freon.
You were talking about a conditioner, what is it and where can you find that ?

RockinWs6

I bought it at Walmart was around 20 dollars but I can't remember the brand. Worked excellent too, I had old Camaro v6 compressor was noisy and I was adding refrigerant every month. The sealer contained sealer-conditioner for the orings-seals, special oil to quiet the compressor and refrigerant. Worked excellent, never had to add refrigerant again and the compressor was quiet. Next time I get to Walmart I'll see if I can find the name.

sebvegas

Yes lmk i might try that

TA_Freak

LOL ... I knew someone would chime in on that .....

TA_Freak

OP:

As was already pointed out, due to the age of the system it's going to be leaky to some degree. I'd been recharging my 19 year old TA for the past 3 years where it needs a can of refrigerant to kick off the summer. I never actually even had to crack the system open until it hit 328,000 miles when the compressor gave up the ghost last Spring.

sebvegas

Oh wow!!! So far it still blows cold since the recharge...

NewEnglandFormula

you can lose pressure whether or not you use the system. I pump up my firebird and my jeep once a year with a can of parts store r134. just like topping off engine oil for me.

sebvegas

Hey guys, now that the weather is getting hotter back here, the A/C went out again.
So I brought it back to the garage and the guy told me he used to work for GM and according to him the A/C compressor went back (very common on those cars, still according to him) They couldn't find the leak with the DYE but for him, he's positive the compressor is the culprit.
He quoted me $1000 for parts and labor. The compressor would be a 4seasons which I saw very bad reviews online.
Now my question is : which brand would you guys suggest ? something that will last for a very long time.
Also, is it hard to install by myself or is it better to bring the part to the garage and have them install it properly ?

thanks a lot