Ok so my Civic's A/C is having major problems (aka it won't hold a charge). It seems like the compressor is leaking but is there a good way to tell exactly were it is leaking? And if the compressor is leaking what kinda difficulty am I looking at and what tools do I need?
It could be leaking anywhere. Charge it up with the UV dye refrigerant if you're not too worried about saving the planet. Once that leaks out, you'll have an idea where to look.
Alternatively, an AC shop could find it pretty quick with a detector.
Yeah, load it up with dye and get a black light from wally world. It is pretty common for compressors to leak at the seal at the front. Hard to spot, even with dye.
I have used these guys:
www.techchoiceparts.com
and they are very reasonably priced. I think the Sanden for my Esprit was around a bill and a half. Well under half of even Summit and Jegs.
If the system is empty, what am I going to need to do as far as filling with dye? Don't I need to pull a vacuum or something?
You don't need to pull a vacuum just to get some freon in there. A can of R134a with the dye should be all you need. Some of the cans come with hoses, even.
I think, though, that you may be in over your head on this. Maybe you can find a shop to diagnose where your leak is, you could swap the part out, they could then pull a vacuum and charge it for you.
I hate working on AC.
Dr. Hess wrote: Maybe you can find a shop to diagnose where your leak is, you could swap the part out, they could then pull a vacuum and charge it for you.
Yeah I have talked to someone about it. I think it is the compressor cause there was fluid under it (and it wasn't condensation). They told me it would be around $800-$1000. And it just doesn't seem to make sense to pay that much on a $3000 car.
What is worse I screw it up? It doesn't work anyway. I mean how hard can it be?
93EXCivic wrote:Dr. Hess wrote: Maybe you can find a shop to diagnose where your leak is, you could swap the part out, they could then pull a vacuum and charge it for you.Yeah I have talked to someone about it. I think it is the compressor cause there was fluid under it (and it wasn't condensation). They told me it would be around $800-$1000. And it just doesn't seem to make sense to pay that much on a $3000 car. What is worse I screw it up? It doesn't work anyway. I mean how hard can it be?
If the compressor is wet then chances are it is leaking. There are plenty of el cheapo compressors out there for "common" cars
Well, here is what I did in a similar situation: 1) Bought a set of ebay a/c guages for about $50 2) Bought a rebuilt vaccume pump, again from ebay, for $57 3) Bought a new compressor, dryer/ filter/ accumulator (I've heard all 3 terms used for the same part) and expansion valve. The expansion valve and dryer run about $30 each, the compressor was $500 but that is not typical. My system was clean, I was changing the compressor because of a magnetic clutch failure, therefore I did not flush it. Flush tools are also available on Amazon and ebay for about $50. Many companies want evidence that the above listed parts were changed and the system was flushed to honor the compressor warranty. There are several videos on youtube that show how to evacuate and service your system. Avoid a costly mistake and make sure the compressor is serviced with the correct amount of the correct oil before you install it. Also be sure you have the correct seals for the system. It blows cold now and doesn't leak but it was an ordeal.
I had a noted BMW shop tell me that my compressor needed replacing and the cost was going to be $2026. I told them they were nuts as the E39 wasn't worth spending that on. However, it was 105 here in Birmingham. So I got a reman compressor at Napa for $260 and found another shopt to install and charge the system for $245. Works fine now.
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