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Old Aug 12, 2005 | 03:56 PM
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Default A/C Problems

OK here goes the story... I have a 1998 Camaro SS.... well last fall one night my a/c compressor started making a loud ticking while using the defrosters I was like oh well who cares I'll get it fixed.... over the winter while installing my new FTRA I drilled a hole into my condenser so i ordered a used one off ebay and replaced it.... myself... comes around to summer and I recharge the A/C it works for a day or two before it starts to gimmie a problem and it eventually keeps on ticking louder and louder and blows air thats hotter and hotter so i ordered the new compressor.. I installed the new compressor today and with cans of refridgerent and a pressure tester and it worked for a good 5-10 min before the air became 90 degrees again... now i wonder to myself... WTF! is my system clogged? is the condensor they sold me bad? so i need to flush the system? wtf! i'm so pissed off that the hottest summer i've ever seen i'm going through without A/C someone help me please.
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Old Aug 12, 2005 | 05:12 PM
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if the compressor made any noise other than usual, its probably fucked. My compressor made a noise somewhat similar to yours and it was dead, all i got was hot air although the clutch engaged fine. A shop told me the compressor's oil leaked out and the compressor basically self destructed on the inside. That noise could always be the internals of the compressor in the system. Maybe not, though.
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Old Aug 12, 2005 | 05:41 PM
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Originally Posted by spy2520
if the compressor made any noise other than usual, its probably fucked. My compressor made a noise somewhat similar to yours and it was dead, all i got was hot air although the clutch engaged fine. A shop told me the compressor's oil leaked out and the compressor basically self destructed on the inside. That noise could always be the internals of the compressor in the system. Maybe not, though.
i think it might be best for me to bring it to a shop
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 08:47 AM
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alright i gotta ask... what is an A/C flush? i have called like 15 different shops and only one shop has the system to do it and one knows of it all the rest are clueless... is flushing the system lingo for taking off all the lines and blowing them out? the one shop i talked to said 140 for the evac and refill and then 40 if i wanted it flushed.... does this sound right?
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 10:05 AM
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The flush is when they take the A/C apart and flush solvent through it to get all debris from the compressor and other things that may have gotten into or clogged the system. A shop charged me 105 to get it flushed.
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 02:47 PM
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do you think 180 plus tax sounds right for a flush evac and refill?
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 03:36 PM
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I paid $140 for flush/evac/recharge this summer. I replaced the compressor, orifice tube, and accumulator. I did the huge research project thing before I did mine and it has worked well for me so far. I made some posts about it.

I don't think they have to take everything apart to do the flush, but taking it apart and doing each piece is an option for those with lots of junk in the system.

If your system has been open for any length of time the accumulator should probably be replaced. It will have soaked up a lot of moisture and that leads to degraded system efficiency. I may have more moisture in it than can be removed with 30-45 mins of 29 inches of vacuum (should be 60 min, but not everybody does that much).

The orifice tube is only about $5, and should at least be checked for debris.
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 04:20 PM
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which tube is the orfice tube?
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 04:21 PM
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If the compressor blew up, you can bet the orifice tube is clogged to the max. Ditto about the accumlator needing replacing if the system was open a while.
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 10:25 PM
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The orifice tube on mine is in the lower of the two a/c lines that attach to the evaporator (where it goes in/out of the firewall). Needlenose pliers are required.

It's white and about 3 or 4 inches long, about 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide. It has screens in it.

Mine was simply dirty. Easy to replace. Photo/Link.

My oil was really nasty with little aluminum flakes but I didn't see any chunks. If anything was turning inside the compressor, it sure wasn't pumping anything.
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 11:06 PM
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the whole system wasn't open just the condensor was off...
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Old Aug 14, 2005 | 11:52 AM
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If you had any openings covered tight, you could be okay on the accumulator/moisture thing. Otherwise it doesn't take a long time for the moisture to do it's dirty work.
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Old Aug 14, 2005 | 08:25 PM
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If the condensor was off or had a hole in it for one day (or maybe a week for other folks), I say it's suspect.

But, that's just me...
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Old Aug 15, 2005 | 08:40 AM
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I went to have it charged this morning and the place said i need a new orfice tube... i think i can clean it out... thjey also said i need a new dryer.. which isn't bad but if anyone has any pics of the orfice tube it'd be great... that link u left me didn;t work.
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Old Aug 15, 2005 | 08:46 AM
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Nevermind i got it to work... now i just needa find the dryer a little chaper
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Old Aug 15, 2005 | 08:13 PM
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Advance Auto Parts Accumulator/Dryers
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Old Aug 16, 2005 | 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr Incredible
Advance Auto Parts Accumulator/Dryers
I got both the accumulator and orfice tube from one of our sponsors for 56 shipped thanks I'll let you all know how it goes!
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Old Aug 16, 2005 | 09:33 PM
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OK i'm lost where is the orfice tube located i cant find it for anything
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Old Aug 16, 2005 | 10:07 PM
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orifice tube is only like 4.99, just replace it.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 08:58 AM
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lol i meant where was it located in the car but i found it and damn there was enough metal shavings clogging it up to build a while new compressor i even had to flush the line it was in.... should i be worried about other metal shavings in the lines? or can i say it's safe that they all ended up there lol
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