[NA] Car A/C?

SkyChaser

SkyChaser

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SkyChaser
The air conditioning in my car gave up the ghost about two weeks ago. I was going to just tough it out because repairs cost money...but it is so hot! (I know. Only mid-90s. For you southern desert people, it's probably sweater weather!) However, my ability to stand the heat directly relates to the cost of the repair. LOL

The car is a 98 Ford Escort ZX2, if it matters. The blower/fan works quite well, but the air being blown is not cooled. Any ideas as to how much it would cost to fix it, or what might be wrong with it?
 
Not familiar with that particular vehicle, but typically the system develops a leak at an o-ring somewhere in the system. The cheap temporary fix is to buy freon on amazon and a fill hose. Top it off with a bottle or 2. The better fix is to locate the leak and repair it.
 
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When was the last time to it was serviced with freon? Is the compressor coming on? Is it short cycling? Could just be low on freon.
 
After a whopping 3 years and 20k miles, the condenser on our Forester failed. $1100 part, but Subaru comped it; apparently they'd seen that failure before...
 
If it's out of freon, recharging it is a (potentially environmentally hostile) bandaid. It's not supposed to leak at all.
 
If you need to replace the compressor, try www.car-part.com for a used one.

When I had them at the salvage yard, we sold them for $85 with year warranty or $50 with 30 days.

frequent complaints were the innards committing seppuku or the clutch not engaging
 
Check the simple first. Is the compressor belt still in place and not loose and slipping?
 
Most likely low on Freon. I doubt you can even see the compressor but if you can you could check for voltage at the plug when the A/C is on (engine not running).

Sometimes the coil in the compressor gets weak and it won't engage the clutch. An old trick is to tap the front of the compressor coil with the engine running to see if you can force it to engage. This is NOT something to try if you've never seen it done as it can hurt you seriously if you do it incorrectly.

Again ... it's most likely low on Freon. There is compressor cut out (cycling) switch on the accumulator that shuts down the compressor to protect it. As other have noted you can order a couple of cans and a charging hose. If that's the problem when you add Freon the compressor will come on. If you have a low side pressure gauge you would do well to see a low pressure in the 32-25 range.
 
flyingron said:
If it's out of freon, recharging it is a (potentially environmentally hostile) bandaid. It's not supposed to leak at all.
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If it's a 1998 it shouldn't be using "Freon" (R-12).
 
My Honda had a similar problem. It was a bad relay ($10 from a Amazon).
 
I do not know enough about cars and engines to tap on anything while the engine is running! LOL I also don't know when the a/c or Freon was last serviced - I bought the car last August, so I haven't had it long.

I will try to locate and examine the compressor and belt. I don't have any lights on the dash, but I also don't remember if there even is a light for the ac. If it was the Freon, if there is any, would there be evidence of leakage that I could see?

Does it help to know that the a/c ran warmer for about 50 or 60 miles before it stopped cooling at all?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
Running warmer for a while sounds like a slow refrigerant leak.
 
Go to Walmart (or any auto parts store), pick up a can of A/C Pro with the little hose connection attached. Follow directions on can. Report back any findings.
 
SkyChaser said:
I do not know enough about cars and engines to tap on anything while the engine is running! LOL I also don't know when the a/c or Freon was last serviced - I bought the car last August, so I haven't had it long.

I will try to locate and examine the compressor and belt. I don't have any lights on the dash, but I also don't remember if there even is a light for the ac. If it was the Freon, if there is any, would there be evidence of leakage that I could see?

Does it help to know that the a/c ran warmer for about 50 or 60 miles before it stopped cooling at all?

Sorry for all the questions!
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That does sound like the refrigerant all leaked out of the system. As cars age, sometimes the hoses become porous and won't hold a charge of refrigerant. I'd take it somewhere and have it diagnosed. If it lost all its charge in 50 miles adding refrigerant won't help.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Go to Walmart (or any auto parts store), pick up a can of A/C Pro with the little hose connection attached. Follow directions on can. Report back any findings.
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Don't buy the stuff in a can with stop leak in it. Once you've done that, most shops won't touch it because that stop leak will screw up their equipment. If you are going to try adding some yourself, get the kit to use with a straight can of R-134a.
 
SkyChaser said:
I do not know enough about cars and engines to tap on anything while the engine is running! LOL I also don't know when the a/c or Freon was last serviced -
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In that case ... my brother worked for a Ford Dealership for a number of years doing AC work. He had a man show up one day in April needing his AC fixed. The estimate for his Fairmont (that tells you how long ago it was) came to somewhere near $700.00. The man balked and said something about highway robbery and left. After a few months in the heat he showed up in August to get the AC fixed. Had to get in line and wait.

I guess I'm saying to bite the bullet and go find a competent repair station, get it fixed correctly, and get a warranty with it. How's that old saying go again ... "buy the best and cry once!"
 
Thanks, guys. As far as my uninformed eye can tell, the belt looked fine. I didn't get the voltmeter out yet, but it sounds like the consensus is that wouldn't be the problem anyway! ;) I think most of the hoses and wires are all the original stuff, so it wouldn't surprise me if one of them or a connector is leaking.

I think I'll ask my local shop to take a look, but I am probably just going to leave it. It's not going to get much hotter than right now all summer, and if it's going to be over $700, I'd rather use two week's pay for some hours in the sky...
 
Zeldman said:
No 30/30 warranty.?? :lol:
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Frequently the
Six Digit Warranty where you display a single middle digit of one hand and wave at them with five digits of the other hand.
 
SkyChaser said:
Thanks, guys. As far as my uninformed eye can tell, the belt looked fine. I didn't get the voltmeter out yet, but it sounds like the consensus is that wouldn't be the problem anyway! ;) I think most of the hoses and wires are all the original stuff, so it wouldn't surprise me if one of them or a connector is leaking.

I think I'll ask my local shop to take a look, but I am probably just going to leave it. It's not going to get much hotter than right now all summer, and if it's going to be over $700, I'd rather use two week's pay for some hours in the sky...
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Look at it this way - with a 22 year old Ford Escort, putting in a can of refrigerant will double the value of the car.

:D
 
Half Fast said:
Look at it this way - with a 22 year old Ford Escort, putting in a can of refrigerant will double the value of the car.

:D
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Exactly why I am just going to leave it! LOL I'm just going to stick with 3-60 a/c (only two windows and a sunroof).

Anyone know if running the a/c without refrigerant is going to hurt it? (I am unsure why knowing that matters if I am not going to fix it, but inquiring minds are curious!) The fan in the car has three options - off, hot and cold. When driving in rain, it gets very stuffy without air circulation!
 
I'm not a car guy, but I don't think the compressor will turn on if there's no refrigerant.
 
GeorgeC said:
I'm not a car guy, but I don't think the compressor will turn on if there's no refrigerant.
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Yes, normally there is a high/low pressure switch that cuts out the compressor to keep it from eating itself.
 
SkyChaser said:
Exactly why I am just going to leave it! LOL I'm just going to stick with 3-60 a/c (only two windows and a sunroof).

Anyone know if running the a/c without refrigerant is going to hurt it? (I am unsure why knowing that matters if I am not going to fix it, but inquiring minds are curious!) The fan in the car has three options - off, hot and cold. When driving in rain, it gets very stuffy without air circulation!
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In my college days I had a 1968 Ford Fairlane. No AC, but the car was designed for that, having window vents and floor vents. As long as you were moving, the air flow was pretty good and the car was comfortable. Stop & go traffic in the summer was miserable, though.
 
Half Fast said:
In my college days I had a 1968 Ford Fairlane. No AC, but the car was designed for that, having window vents and floor vents. As long as you were moving, the air flow was pretty good and the car was comfortable. Stop & go traffic in the summer was miserable, though.
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The mopars my dad had growing up had the floor vents, they were cable controlled by two knobs under the steering column. Pull them to open the vents, it worked pretty well.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Go to Walmart (or any auto parts store), pick up a can of A/C Pro with the little hose connection attached. Follow directions on can. Report back any findings.
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Nah. Take it to O'Reilly's, smile real nice at the counter person and ask if they'll charge the system for you if you buy the can. Worked for me.
 
The worst thing you can do is just throw some R134a in it if you don't know that's the problem. You really need to look at the pressures and find out if it's ACTUALLY low on refrigerant or if there's something else.

I used to do automotive AC For a living when I was at the shop. "I put a can of freon in it" people often were badly overcharged and all we had to do was remove some refrigerant, then the system worked great.

Either live with it or take it to a shop where someone who knows what they're doing can look at it and correctly fix the problem.
 
Bill Jennings said:
The mopars my dad had growing up had the floor vents, they were cable controlled by two knobs under the steering column. Pull them to open the vents, it worked pretty well.
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Yep, same thing on the Ford. Knob under the dash that you pulled to open the vents. Worked well, but if you had a bunch of sand or leaves on the floor mat it got blown into your face.

That was a good car for a college kid. I bought it for $500. My dad taught welding shop at a vocational high school, and he talked the autobody instructor into taking the car as a class project for a few weeks. They fixed a few dents and some rust, painted the car, and dressed the chrome and all it cost me was the paint. Then the upholstery shop put in new carpets and recovered the seats. The car looked like new, the students got some good training, and it only cost me the materials.

Mine had the 302 V8 and was fairly quick.
 
Mine was a 1973 Chrysler Newport Navajo edition 4-door sedan. This is an add for the car, showing a 2-door. Red/orange shag carpet, from the factory lol, gotta love the 70's.

gold_duster03.jpg

e613b717-5248-4020-8b43-c4c2846c21da-jpeg.274425
 
I want!

Bill Jennings said:
Mine was a 1973 Chrysler Newport Navajo edition 4-door sedan. This is an add for the car, showing a 2-door. Red/orange shag carpet, from the factory lol, gotta love the 70's.

gold_duster03.jpg

e613b717-5248-4020-8b43-c4c2846c21da-jpeg.274425
Click to expand...
 
Bill Jennings said:
Mine was a 1973 Chrysler Newport Navajo edition 4-door sedan. This is an add for the car, showing a 2-door. Red/orange shag carpet, from the factory lol, gotta love the 70's.

gold_duster03.jpg

e613b717-5248-4020-8b43-c4c2846c21da-jpeg.274425
Click to expand...


Love it!

Reminds me of the 1970s airplanes we're all flying..... :)
 
SCCutler said:
I want!
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It was a nice car, Dad always believed in ordering the largest/most powerful engine available, so it had the 440-4V with the 727 transmission. It was a nice driving car. Living up north, eventually the salt ate the subframes enough that it was no longer safe. I put it to pasture in 1985. It was a nice car, and that Navajo metallic paint really glistened after a good wax job.
 
Needs more Corinthian leather...
 
Through the years I’ve had hoses leak, orings fail, compressor shaft seals fail, and compressors eat themselves for lunch. One thing I have learned is that more often than not, adding refrigerant when you aren’t sure what is wrong is more often than not going to move things the wrong direction, even if it gives some temporary relief.

My 15 year old truck isn’t cooling like it is supposed to. After I do some other engine work on it, I’m planning to replace the compressor, condenser, orfice tube and drier. Right around $1,000 just in parts, but I expect it to work for several years with no issues once that is done.
 
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