Auto AC ( air conditioning ) fix for $19.44.

[J. Peterman]

Last fall on hot days my AC did not completly cool the car. When I visited the mechanic he told me some bull that it would cost $600 to repair the AC on my car.
I waited till this spring and things did not change much. This tells me that the r-134a FREON was low but did not go any lower in the last 6 months. So I decieded to do my own repairs.
I went down to Plattsburg and picked up a can of r-134a FREON at WALMART for $19.44. All you have to do is connect the snap on hose to the AC system and check the gauge to see if your FREON is low. If it is you add some with the can of FREON refrigerant supplied. It has now been about a week, an my AC seems to be fine.
If you are interested in going down to pick up a can of FREON at Plattsburg. It is about an hour from the Champlain bridge. Just take Highway 15 south to the border. The road on the American side is 87 south. Go along the highway and do not go into Plattsburg till you see a Sears. That will be the shopping area for all the other major stores in the area. Walmart is just across the road from the Sears store. I went early in the day and there was a 6 to 10 car wait at the border, when I was coming back at about 2:00 there were no cars waiting to get through. I suggest you go for a mid-day trip, if you cross to the US at about 10:30 a.m. and expect to cross back at the border at about 2:30 p.m. you should not have to wait to cross.
One thing that you should all know is that you can get AC refill kits here in Montreal at auto parts store, but it is not the original r-134a refrigerant, it is actualy butane. I prefer not to use this as it may be very dangerous to have a compressed explosive gas in your car. Remember that part of the air conditioning system is inside the passenger compartment under your dash. Should it have a leak and a spark hits the gas, the outcome would not be good.
I hope this information helps anyone with an AC problem.

P.S. I am not cheap, I just prefer to spend my money on other things
I also have suspicions that the rat bastard mechanic let some of my freon out of my AC system when he was servicing my car for other things. So, gents. save your money for the MPs and SPs, and for all the rat bastard mechanics, a greasy garage broom handle up their theiving arses!

 

[Turbodick]

save your money for the MPs and SPs, an for all the rat bastard mechanics, a greasy garage broom handle up their theiving arses!

Amen to that.

This is great info. Last April I spent $100 to have a leak test and recharge. A week later about $700 for new part and another recharge. Guess what! A year later no cool air. I think I'll stick to my motorcycle where the air conditioning always works.

 

[J. Peterman]

Further information on DO IT YOURSELF - AC repair.

I forgot to mention that if you have a leak in your AC. Walmart also has r-134a refrigerant with leak sealers that will plug up your leaks and refill the system with new r-134a refrigerant. If your system is low then get the refill kits with the AC system oil lubricant. Both contain the green dye as a leak detector so that you can see where the leak is.
The garages that service AC systems will tell you you need to vacume out the any air in the system, this may be true but if your system is partialy filled with freon r-134a, I can not see how any air would get in. It is only when the system has been pierced and all the freon has left the system and the outside air and humidity has gotten in that you will need a system vacuming. ( after the leak has been repaired )

 

[AllOverHer]

My son is a mechanic and he sees lots of people that damage their ac-units because they use that kind of stuff.

You want to be carefull that you don't mix refrigerants. Some formulas contain different oils which can damage your a/c unit and the system will not offer the maximum performance of your system.

Make sure you always completely vacuum your unit before adding anything.

 

[J. Peterman]

Check out this web site for DO IT YOUSELF auto air conditioning repair.

www.id-usa.com ( interdynamics auto air conditioning repair kits )

- It is a myth that you always have to vacum your auto air conditioning system out when you fill it with refrigerant. If a system is partialy filled then the positive preasure will keep out any air and humidity. many fly by night air conditioning repair places do not bother to vacum out the air in the AC system because the can not be bothered and the humidity will bring the client back for repairs sooner or they do not even have a vacume pump to do the job properly.

- Do not use the AC repair kits available in Quebec, the contents of the can is not the original r-134a, it is actualy butane.

 

[J. Peterman]

Update.

AC still working, will report back over the summer months on this quicky AC repair.

 

[J. Peterman]

AC repair kits at CDN Tire. ( not real FREON )

I spotted a kit at CDN tire to repair your own AC. It contained CFCs and not the original FREON that is in your AC system. The packaging sais that it will degrade in 3 or 4 years so as not to harm the enviorment. I suspect it will also degrade in your AC system. The Kit cor $80. The kit with real FREON I bought in Plattsburg with real FREON cost me $19.44 US ( at Walmart )
By the way. My AC system in my car is still doing good after the FREON infusion.

 

[metoo4]

Psst!! The old stuff contained freon. The new stuff doesn't contain any trace of it! Freon is the ozone killer.

 

[fb1807]

How to keep A/C running for years

I worked in A/C and on cars in the 70's and A/C needs to be run at least once a month even in the winter to lubricate the seals in the compressor. In Canada where few people turn it on for months the seals can dry out, shrink and crack, giving the leaks and the constant refills or expensive replacements.

Doing this, I have succesfully kept mine running without any refills for 4 years in a Pontiac 2000, 10 years in a Pontiac 6000 (my wife took it), 5 years in a Volvo 760 and my last Volvo 850 developed a compressor leak after 7 years.

Regards
Francis

 

[breadman]

fyi...the old stuff they used in cars and fridges (freon) had a pretty long life span. As long as you don't have a leak, your AC ran fine. If it leaked, then no AC and less ozone for the rest of us. This new stuff...R134a...is better for the environment, but it doesn't last as long or get as cold. Five years is around the max you can get out of it. Adding doesnt do anything...cause the compressor can't take any more than a certain amount and wont work as efficiently. Reason these places charge so much is they have to suck out the old stuff and safely dispose of it...and then refill your system. Or you can just hold down the valve yourself and hope you don't breath in any of the shit.

 

[metoo4]

Never had problems with dried ring or seals! As you said, I used to run it once in a while in winter! Problem is the dams condenser rusting tru!!

 

[fb1807]

Yes the coils get very wet and can rust.

On a side note, with Metal prices hitting the roof, and global metal stocks the lowest ever; Copper pennies are now worth 3 cents, and Nickels worth 20 cents. The Mint has now started to make all coins out of steel, try new pennies and nickels with a magnet

Throw your old pennies and nickel in a box, since in 20 years they can be worth 100 times what they are now.

My dad did this with Silver quarters and Nickels in the 70's and made quite a bit. I still find silver dimes sometimes, they are now worth $1 in Silver, quarters are worth $5 in Silver.

It is illegal to melt any coins, but quite legal to collect them

http://www.gold-eagle.com/gold_digest_05/wright062907.html

Have fun

 

[J. Peterman]

RE: Auto AC system

There are several types of refills they sell at Walmart in Plattsburg NY. You can get plain R-134a freon you can also get your FREON r-134a with a leak sealer if your AC system is leaking or with a lubricant if your car is in the 4 to 5 year old range and needs a little lube.
I have also been told that the FREON R-134a wears out after 4 or 5 years. My logic is that if you release most of the old FREON 134a ( but not all ) the small quantity in the system will still maintain a positive pressure and not let any air or moisture into the AC system. You can then fill it up with new FREON R-134a. without vacuming the system. ( the gauge on the can will tell you when you have put enough in. ( The cost of a can of FREON R-134a at Walmart in Plattsburg. $19.44 US. or abour $21.75 CND )

 

[fb1807]

Peterman (Seinfeld?) is that your style?

My GF likes that kind of man, greying hair, etc...

Actually it is kind of my style too.

 

[metoo4]

My GF likes that kind of man, greying hair, etc...

Actually it is kind of my style too.

Hu??? What is this post doing in this thread?

 

[mtwallet]

R-134 being better for the enviornment is a hoax. As breadman stated, it does not have the life span of the old R-12. That's because it is so damn corrosive, it will actually eat away at certain components of the AC system. Don't believe me? Check with your local Chrysler dealer about how much warranty work had to be done on Intrepids between 93 and at least 99. How can it possibly be enviornmentaly friendly to send tons of corroded metal to the scrapyard, even if it does turn into a Toyota later on? As for AC shops performing "proper disposal", fat chance! Breadman hit the nail on the head with his "hit the button and hold your breath" method.

 

[metoo4]

mtwallet, you think what you want! But look at your reference: Chrysler!! They were certainly using parts from old systems to build these cars in the first place! Almost anything can be corrosive when not handled in the proper way with the proper materials.

As far as disposal, do you seriously think they were more careful with the old stuff? Same thing.

As for life span in the system, my wife drives a '99 and the AC is still working as in day one. My sister drove a '96 till last year (10 years!) and the AC was still in perfect health when she sold the car. I currently drive a '97 and the AC stopped working because of corrosion coming from THE OUTSIDE of the system: the evaporator rad rusted tru. Same happened with my previous '90, same model of car, around same mileage, and it was using R-12.

Not as cold? I'm not certain about this! Could it be the systems are smaller in newer cars? Could this myth be the result of those cheap cars, built around the time the new regulation was enforced, who were still using the same system as before but pumping R-134 in them, and only adjusting the pressure?

 

[J. Peterman]

My GF likes that kind of man, greying hair, etc...

Actually it is kind of my style too.

I think fb1807 is trying to see if I am interested in.......I think it is pronounced MENAGE A TROIS! Or........he might be looking to eat some sloppy seconds pudding! Double !

 

[fb1807]

I am not interested

I strictly like women, but I have had menage a trois (both ways), and did a few couple swappings, but that was not why I asked.

Over the years you have written good reviews, some of which I benefited from, so I was just curious about what type of man you are, since we seem to like similar things in women.