[drgriff]

OK master techs, Does this sound correct to you? I had located a "bubble" on one of the AC hoses a couple of weeks ago. My belt has also been squeaking for a few weeks. I assumed (big mistake) that they were unrelated. I assumed that it was either a bad belt or the tensioner pulley. I took it to the dealership today and the service manager called me back this afternoon and said that the AC compressor was shot and that they needed to replace the compressor, the "bubbled" hose, the accumulator(?)and the orafice(?). He also said that there was "metal in the system" and the system would need to be flushed. OVER $1400!?!!
I guess here is my question, Could my AC still work if this was true? My AC is still cold as it always was. The squeak got worse when I turned on the AC and got better when I turned off the AC but the AC was still blowing really cold air. I know the hose needs to be replaced due to the defect but the compressor also? Can there be "metal in the AC system"? I was told that if it is not repaired that one day the compressor could "stop all together and then I would throw the belt". IS this all BS or does this happen? I have approximately 47,000 miles on the truck.

 

[cb1000]

have you priced a new (and rebuid) compressor cost
from autozone/oriely's etc ?

autozone will even loan you the gauges & vac. pump
so you can do it yourself.

friend of mine & i just did his suburban (we 1st leak
tested it & found it to be the compressor/clutch).

replaced the orfice tubes & compressor for less than 360 bucks !

there could be metal in your compressor...if its failing.

 

[Wiley75]

[ QUOTE ]
OK master techs, Does this sound correct to you? I had located a "bubble" on one of the AC hoses a couple of weeks ago. My belt has also been squeaking for a few weeks. I assumed (big mistake) that they were unrelated. I assumed that it was either a bad belt or the tensioner pulley. I took it to the dealership today and the service manager called me back this afternoon and said that the AC compressor was shot and that they needed to replace the compressor, the "bubbled" hose, the accumulator(?)and the orafice(?). He also said that there was "metal in the system" and the system would need to be flushed. OVER $1400!?!!
I guess here is my question, Could my AC still work if this was true? My AC is still cold as it always was. The squeak got worse when I turned on the AC and got better when I turned off the AC but the AC was still blowing really cold air. I know the hose needs to be replaced due to the defect but the compressor also? Can there be "metal in the AC system"? I was told that if it is not repaired that one day the compressor could "stop all together and then I would throw the belt". IS this all BS or does this happen? I have approximately 47,000 miles on the truck.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything you are being told by the dealer could be true. The compressor could have partially seized, but still made enough pressure to produce cold air (not for long though!). When a compressor fails, it almost always leads to the replacement of other items. The metal shavings get caught in the condensor, evaporator, receiver/dryer bottle, etc. Make sure they do it right the first time, and get ALL of the shavings out. Otherwise you'll be spending $1400 again next year.

 

[vanmantraveler]

Don't feel bad.. a customer of mine just got quoted $2000 for his Ford... He has an E250 with two AC's they have more work to do on his then yours and his is 2 months out of warranty. The parts they are quoting you is proper for what they are doing I would find a place who might do it for a bit cheaper.

 

[cb1000]

man you can buy the parts your self from autozone...
theyll loan you the vac pump and gauges...friend of mine
and i just did his suburban...new a/c compressor, condensor
and orifice tube for less than 350 !

 

[vanmantraveler]

CB you are forgetting about the metal shavings in the system that will plug the Evap and the orafice You must flush the system.

 

[sandfun]

getting hosed......if you cant do the work yourself.....find a mom and pop shop....i would replace the ac clutch,thr defective line,the dryer ....and i bet you'r good to go.....

 

[cb1000]

[ QUOTE ]
CB you are forgetting about the metal shavings in the system that will plug the Evap and the orafice You must flush the system.

[/ QUOTE ]

im not forgetting...the orfice tubes are part of the process (i
mentioned them in the above post) and flushing the system has
already been mentioned.

i make a fair wage and i STILL cant justify 1400 bucks for
a/c repair...'specially if i can "borrow" the tools from
autozone ! hell @ 350-400 bucks for the parts i could afford
to make a mistake...if i had to do the entire job TWICE id
still be saving money <compared to the 1400 buck quote !>

 

[Roy_Boy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
CB you are forgetting about the metal shavings in the system that will plug the Evap and the orafice You must flush the system.

[/ QUOTE ]

im not forgetting...the orfice tubes are part of the process (i
mentioned them in the above post) and flushing the system has
already been mentioned.

i make a fair wage and i STILL cant justify 1400 bucks for
a/c repair...'specially if i can "borrow" the tools from
autozone ! hell @ 350-400 bucks for the parts i could afford
to make a mistake...if i had to do the entire job TWICE id
still be saving money <compared to the 1400 buck quote !>

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but I have seen guys that don't know what they are doing do it wrong twice (or more) then call me up to do it the right way, and spend the money all over again.

Find a reputable shop that specializes in A/C repair and have it done right, save yourself the frustration...

 

[ditch_dawg]

To the OP it is not B/S. Even though your A/C still will provide cold air you might have a low charge in the system, but not low enough to trip the low pressure switch. Or quite possibly it will trip the low pressure switch a lot and you not even know. Both situations impact compressor life, trust me I work on this every day. Under a low charge the oil will not magically return from the accumulator if there is no refrigerant to 'carry' it back to the compressor.

If this was my truck I would replace the compressor, orifice tube, accumulator and all of the lines and flush the condenser and evap.

I would avoid taking this to the stealership as well. Find an A/C shop that does this work all the time. I have seen too many systems repaired at dealerships by techs that lack the knowledge to do this properly only because it is not something that they do every day.

 

[cb1000]

[ QUOTE ]


Yeah, but I have seen guys that don't know what they are doing do it wrong twice (or more) then call me up to do it the right way, and spend the money all over again.

Find a reputable shop that specializes in A/C repair and have it done right, save yourself the frustration...

[/ QUOTE ]

and i have seen shops screw stuff up MORE than ONCE (and they
blame it on something else, to get you to pay...again).

diy...learn something !

 

[ditch_dawg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Yeah, but I have seen guys that don't know what they are doing do it wrong twice (or more) then call me up to do it the right way, and spend the money all over again.

Find a reputable shop that specializes in A/C repair and have it done right, save yourself the frustration...

[/ QUOTE ]

and i have seen shops screw stuff up MORE than ONCE (and they
blame it on something else, to get you to pay...again).

diy...learn something !

[/ QUOTE ]

Does Autozone have a portable flushing unit as well?? Not knocking DIY but if you can't flush the system you will be replacing the compressor again.

 

[cb1000]

you mean like THIS A/C FLUSH KIT and THIS !?!

or any of THESE

dont know...call and ask...its how i found out the
loaned the other stuff...

the alternative is to take it some place and have
'em flush the AC for you...then finish the job
on your own

 

[arisley]

Whenever I have had A/C problems in the past, I do the mechanical and than take it to a shop to have it serviced. Never had a problem.

 

[ditch_dawg]

[ QUOTE ]
you mean like THIS A/C FLUSH KIT and THIS !?!

or any of THESE

dont know...call and ask...its how i found out the
loaned the other stuff...

the alternative is to take it some place and have
'em flush the AC for you...then finish the job
on your own

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure if any do....my local does not. I tried to help a friend out on the weekend, as I couldn't get to any of my tools.

I just wanted to make sure the OP at the bare minimum flushes the system to get any debris out.

 

[drgriff]

UPDATE and a little ranting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sleepy.gif I called back to the stealership (not a REALLY GOOD AC shop in town) on Tuesday afternoon to see when the truck would be finished. I was told that it was almost ready but that "when they started to take off the belt, the BELT TENSIONER PULLEY was FROZEN. We had to pull the alternator to get the belt off and we had to order a new pulley but don't worry, THAT IS UNDER WARRANTY" I got the old compressor, oraface tube, accumulator and hoses from the dealership. The SM grabbed the compressor out of the box and started to spin the clutch and the tech quickly stated that " it turns real easy in your hand but when it was under tension from the belt is when it started to seaze" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif I had a friend who used to do the AC work at that dealership (master tech)look and he told me to "keep that compressor, you can put it back on your excursion or F150, THERE AIN'T NOTHING WRONG WITH IT". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/depressed.gif Couldn't the tensioner cause the whole problem???? Wouldn't you replace the belt if it had been freezing up and squealing for 3-4 weeks (not constantly but only occasionally and for seconds not minutes)? Stealership did not!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

 

[cb1000]

when the CLUTCH isnt engaged it probably will spill freely...
my guess is they mis diagnosed it...

is it a slow week @ the shop !?! and people wonder why i
DIY !?!

 

[drgriff]

Also, my friend the mechanic told me that the metal that was trapped in the oraface tube was "normal wear and tear. You will find that much metal on any new car or truck oraface tube on the lot. That is why the tube is there." I never had any symptoms of AC problems. It never knocked and was blowing out cold air. The only problem was the AC hose with the "bubble" on the side. It may have been leaking but would that cause the compressor to start to sieze?

 

[cb1000]

IF there was a leak you'd have deminished cooling, to start w/.
then as the leak <let the fluid out> the compressor SHOULD
have stopped...its not fool proof but low pressure in the
A/C system SHOULD prevent the compressor from running and
tearing itself apart (but again it does happen that the compressor
continues to run...but eventually if that happens the compressor
WOULD seize)

 

[ditch_dawg]

Actually the tube is there to change the refrigerant from a liquid to a gas. The gas then passes through the evap (fancy word for a heat exchanger) and cools the cab air.

There should not be any metal in a brand new A/C system.