RXFILE7

Hey guys,

Today I took my 84 GS down to have the A/C looked at. It worked great a couple years ago, but after one winter, it decided it didn't want to work anymore. It didn't even kick on. Heater works fine and all that.

Anyhow, I take her down today and the guy checks her out. Says I have a leak in the compressor and I need a new one (I am not surprised, I was pretty much expecting this.) He said I would need to flush the system and...heck. Wait. Here's what he wrote down:

"System empty. Leak at A/C compressor. Recommend replace A/C compressor, flush system and expansion valve and "O" rings. Est. $1500."

Um.....$1500?? Okay, now...I know A/C compressors only sell for a few hundred bucks so what the heck? I'm a bit confused why he quoted me so much.

Also, my dad (who happens to be out of state right now) does all the work on my car. He replaced the 12A engine a few years ago and pretty much keeps her running good for me. He said replacing the compressor wouldn't be that difficult and even he was surprised at the quoted price.

Opinions, anyone?

Thanks.

Tammie
RX7Girl (honk if you see me zoomin' around Sac town!)

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I put central air in my house for less than that.

You can sometimes find the drier/reciever and o-ring kits on eBay. I bought both for my 2nd for less than 60 that way. You could probably find a new or rebuilt compresser for a couple of hundred.

If you do the conversion to the newer refridgerants, the only thing you may need to outsource is evacuating the system, once the new parts are installed.

Even with R-12 you should be able to renew the system for under 500.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

for that price, probably a geritol OR probably just a unit change out. For a new install, thats not enough for a coil, condenser, plenums, ducts and vents.

skrewloose78

thats pretty high. how much is the shop labor rate?i can see him wanting to be on the safe side about flushing the system its not nessesary but it is a goood idea.are you staying with r12 or switching to 134?its hard to get r12 here and probably impossible in cali , if its r12 its gonna be around $60-70 per 12 oz can(and you need 4). you always want to replace the orfice,drier,and o-rings when you do major work on an a/c system. shop around for different prices and see what you come up with. as far as doing it yourself you can save some money by changing the compressor yourself and shopping around for the parts,but your not going to be able to flush,evac,and charge the system yourself without special tools. at the very least your going to need a set of gauges and a vacuum pump.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I laid the pad, set the unit, set the a-coil and wired the 220. They hooked up the lines, did the evacuate and charge and wired thethermostat and motor. $1100 total.

Stevan

iTrader: (17)

The compressor itself is probably not bad, only the shaft seal, that can be replaced, it's difficult to get at, and you need special tools. I botched my first attempt with a faint scratch inside the nose of the comp., didn't have the right tools. Then I used parts from the old seal to make the tool needed to remove/insert the the new seal in a nose cone from a spare comp I had.
Before the second attempt I called around and got a quote of $40 to replace the seal.
One of the pros on the ackits forum told me the sanden compressors don't usually go bad, just the shaft seal.
If you replace all the parts yourself you can save a lot (study up if you go this route).
There are pros and cons on the 134a conversion, I like r12.

LongDuck

Would you guys knock it off with the 'central-air-installation' stuff?!


This girl (a rare thing these days) is here looking for some advice on her $1500 A/C recharge quote from a mechanic. That alone should provide enough ammunition for you to discuss amongst yourselves!

RXFILE7 - $1500 is about 15x too much for what you're talking about doing. Also, you've just learned something about this mechanic - he's out for blood. Turn around, drive away, and NEVER go back to this mechanic again. It will cost you, sooner or later, to have this guy working on your car.

The problem with your A/C may be only that it needs to be recharged. My 84SE sat for 2 years without being charged and I took it to PEP Boys expecting them to tell me that I needed a new compressor - they simply recharged the system and it's been blowing cold for 2 summers now (knock on wood). If the car really needs a compressor, you'd hear it when it tries to run (must be charged to do this). Our cars have a 'pressure safety' that shuts down the compressor solenoid if not enough R134a is there to develop pressure - this keeps the compressor from killing itself by running without lubrication.

My recommendation is to take the car to PEP Boys and tell them you want it 'recharged'. If they suggest converting to the newer refrigerant, it's about $60 for the conversion kit, and then you can use the much less-expensive liquid. I did the conversion, and it's been working very well.

Good luck, and don't trust anybody that's willing to charge you that much for a simple task,

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I just mentioned the house ac cost as a comparision on how rediculous the mechanic's (read thief), price was.

I had my 2nd gen recharged 2 years ago. It had already been converted to r134 and the recharge was $66. Unfortunately the system has a leak. I will be replacing the o-rings, dryer and probably the comperssor. Should be able to do it for under $300 in parts.

jays83gsl

Hmmm. $100 dollars for a R 12 charge up, Duck man? Not happening. Especially if she needs to replace the compressor. The 12 alone will cost more than $200 these days, ever since the EPA and whatnot stopped production of it in the U.S.

Since the system has been 'dry' for some time now, it will require a longer vacuum to be pulled on it, which equals more labor time.

Add the compressor to that (which shops usually buy OEM), adding about another $300.

The receiver dryer would have to be replaced for sure, at around another $200 (once again, OEM). The TXV will cost around the same price.

$1500 is high, but I'd expect a full service deal including all new parts, before labour, to be around $900. Yeah, starting to look in about that range now, isn't it?

My advice? Get someone with an ASE certification to buy you a can or FREEZE 12. It doesn't run much of a higher price than R 134 A, and doesn't require a costly conversion kit, either. ( as in, it's a direct drop in for R 12).

Recharge your system and tell us how it performs.

Total cost? About $30 if you don't need parts.

Tech_Greek

Someone was selling a compressor on here for $15 shipped...look deep young one

jays83gsl

Of COURSE you can get compressors for dirt cheap.

I'm just telling her how the shop qouted her so high.

If she was around here, I'd charge her no more than $100 for the entire job, if even that!

Since I took out my AC system from my car, I have an entire system just lying around, doing absolutely nothing for me. I can buy the FREEZE 12 for around $15 a can. The only thing I would really charge bad for is the equipment rental fees which I would have to pay (I have no vacuum pump )

jays83gsl

As a matter of fact, RX7File7, I can sell you the entire A/C setup (minus the . . . . ah, ****, what's the part in the dash called? I always get the terms mixed up) for only $50 + shipping.

Whanrow

I have an old 88 Chev pickup that I store in the winter, and when I brought it out, found the air cycled on an off every few seconds. Apparently when a vehicle sits, the front seal on the compressor dries up and beings to leak. The system is R12, and in Canada, to all intents and purpose, you can't get R12 here at all.

Farm supply dealerships sell an "R12A" that works in either R12 or R134 systems for about $16 a can. My local garage confirmed it won't hurt anything and his actually BUTANE. The only thing he warned me was if I put any sealer in the system he wouldn't touch it as it will get into his equipment.

I asked about conversion. Cheap way - drain and refill system - about $150. Proper way - drain and purge system, change dryer, change fittings to R134 type, add oil, fill and check for leaks - $250 The cost of the dryer varies greatly so the price is approximate.

He added some dye to my system and told me to leave the air on high and run it for a week, then they can see if there is a major leak, or just the small normal leakage before bothering to invest much.

$1500 sounds greatly overpriced. Why not get a couple of cans of R12A and at least see what happens. I did that with an old car I had, and could hear a leak in the evaporator. At that point I knew it wasn't worth spending more on, all for the price of a single can of refrigerant.

jays83gsl

In the USA, EPA prohibits use of R12A as it is a flammable substance.

Any shop in USA that tries to sell you R12A. . . . well, there's this number you can call about illegal refridgerant procedures. . . . they reward greatly.

Siraniko

iTrader: (13)

[QUOTE=LongDuck]

My recommendation is to take the car to PEP Boys and tell them you want it 'recharged'.
QUOTE]


Pep-boys?? no way Jose.

Kentetsu

Just roll the windows down and drive fast! Works for me...

skrewloose78

what the hell are you talking about? where did you get this info from? the reason the EPA stoped the production of R12 is that it contains CFC (chloroflorocarbons) which (somehow)has been linked to ozone depletion. this happened in 91,at that time the U.S. had about 16 metric tons of R12 in surplus. dupont had came out with R134A and it is supposed to be ozone friendly. since 91 we've just been using the surplus that was left over when production stopped, as this supply dwindles down the cost goes up(supply and demand). im not sure about other parts of the U.S. but stores like autozone,advanced auto,o'rielly's,ect. does'nt even carry R12 anymore ive been able to find it at smaller stores like carquest(but its about $60/ 12 oz can).
it is illegal to vent R12 into the atmoshpere so if you see a shop not recovering and disposing of it correctly then yes you can report them(not sure if you get a reward or anything).

Stevan

iTrader: (17)

He was talking about Envirosafe R12A, not R12, R12A is a propane/isobutane blend thats supposed to match R12 pressures. I think it is legal in Canada and sold in auto parts stores there.
There are also other brand names of this blend, Redtec, Glacier gold, and more.
In the USA it is illegal in 19 states to use in autos, in the rest rest of the country it is legal to convert cars to it that are 134a oem, or have been retrofitted to 134a.

http://www.autoacforum.com/MACS/HCwarning.pdf

skrewloose78

my bad,i missed the "A" part in that R12A. i had just woke up

rotor vs. piston

If an AC systems ever stops working, blowing cold air, there is a leak that must be fixed. You can simply "recharge" the system and it will work for a while but will stop working again. A properly sealed system just dosen't stop working. I would ask someone with a freon sniffer or die to SHOW YOU where the leak(s) are/is so you know for yourself for sure.

rotor vs. piston

And for the love of everything please avoid Pep Boys or be doomed to tell a "you wont believe what pep boys did..." story.

RXFILE7

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for the advice. I really do appreciate it. As a girl who probably loves her car WAY too much (LOL), I like to turn to this board when seeking advice because you guys definitely know your stuff!!!

I've had my 84 GS for about 9 years. Bought her when she had 64K on her and the engine blew at 101K. Dad put in the new 12A engine and she's been running great since. I've also go an 82' parts car sitting out back in the field, totally rotting away. Makes me sad. We've taken so much off of her though, it's almost funny! The 82 was my first RX7 until the engine went and (at that time) Dad didn't feel like dealing with it, so we just got another 7. Ha! The A/C worked great for years, but like I said earlier, after sitting one winter..the following summer she just didn't come on. I'll probably take your advice and have someone else look at it just to get another opinion. I love her, but I can't put that much money into the A/C! I'll just continue to drive around in the sweltering heat, it's fine. I'll keep you all updated on what I decide to do. My dad wants to do some checking around himself. So, again, thanks very much!


Tammie

jays83gsl

Yeah, good luck on finding that. I'm not TRYING to make it look so expensive, just stating the current trends