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Questions about AC

Elroy303030

Elroy303030

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This spring when it wasnt very hot I pulled all the ac stuff from the engine bay area. Condenser, compressor, lines. I guess my question is that I would like ac, but dont know if the compressor is working..as the AC never worked before. How do you test to see if its ok? and would it be easier to buy a new one?
 
You'll never know if its really good until its installed , about all you can do is power the clutch ( off engine with a battery or cables etc to just see if it clutches , sorry to confuse , thought we all assumed just to see if it clutched ) and see if that works , spin the pulley makes sure its quiet , and hope for the best . Depending on where you buy one , you could even get a bad one in a reman box from a parts store .

Personally if the clutch works , I would reassemble it all with new orifice tube and accumalator , find someone who does a/c work to get the system sucked , and try it out .
 
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dont power up the clutch with no oil in it bad things will happen
see if u can turn the clutch by hand or with a pair of channel locks, if it turns smoothly its probably good. if u put your finger over the discharge and turn it and it builds pressure u know its good, the only thing your chancing is the bearings, also replace the orifice tube and accumalator, and if u are converting it to 134 pull the compressor off drain it(if there is anything in it) fill it with 4~6 oz of pag oil then put install it back on and turn it about 10~20 times by hand(with the hoses hooked up, then evacuate for a couple hours, suck in 2~4 more ounces of pag oil and charge it up, also whatever u take apart replace the seals.
 
chevyuser74 said:
dont power up the clutch with no oil in it bad things will happen
see if u can turn the clutch by hand or with a pair of channel locks, if it turns smoothly its probably good. if u put your finger over the discharge and turn it and it builds pressure u know its good, the only thing your chancing is the bearings, also replace the orifice tube and accumalator, and if u are converting it to 134 pull the compressor off drain it(if there is anything in it) fill it with 4~6 oz of pag oil then put install it back on and turn it about 10~20 times by hand(with the hoses hooked up, then evacuate for a couple hours, suck in 2~4 more ounces of pag oil and charge it up, also whatever u take apart replace the seals.
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Wow!! I wish I hadnt pulled it off. I dont even know what a orifice and a accumalator are? I might just have to save up and pay someone. I had no idea I was screwing up so much stuff.:doah:
 
odin said:
How do you figure??:confused:
Remember its not even installed on the engine, much less running.
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i was just responding to the post above mine, i thought they meant to power it with it installed and the engine running, so yea with it off it doesnt really matter, sorry for the confusion
 
heres a linkhttp://www.lmctruck.com/ICATALOG/CC/full.aspx?Page=129 to help understand what we are talking about, none of is complicated, but unless u have the equipment, which it doesnt sound like u do, u will have to pay someone to evacuate ur system and charge it. orifice tube is number 15, and the accumalator is number 12,13, or 14,

so anyways just see if your compressor turns if so put your system back togther with a new accumalator and orifice tube and replace any seal at the connections u took apart, (putting oil in the compressor like said previously wont hurt but not necessary) then if your going to convert it to r134a instead of r12 go buy the conversion fittings and install those then take it to a shop and have them evacuate it, put new oil in (tell them if its never been 134 before and if u put oil in the compressor) and then they can charge it
 
chevyuser74 said:
heres a linkhttp://www.lmctruck.com/ICATALOG/CC/full.aspx?Page=129 to help understand what we are talking about, none of is complicated, but unless u have the equipment, which it doesnt sound like u do, u will have to pay someone to evacuate ur system and charge it. orifice tube is number 15, and the accumalator is number 12,13, or 14,

so anyways just see if your compressor turns if so put your system back togther with a new accumalator and orifice tube and replace any seal at the connections u took apart, (putting oil in the compressor like said previously wont hurt but not necessary) then if your going to convert it to r134a instead of r12 go buy the conversion fittings and install those then take it to a shop and have them evacuate it, put new oil in (tell them if its never been 134 before and if u put oil in the compressor) and then they can charge it
Click to expand...

:bow:Thank you for all the help.
 
chevyuser74 said:
unless u have the equipment, which it doesnt sound like u do, u will have to pay someone to evacuate ur system and charge it. orifice tube is number 15, and the accumalator is number 12,13, or 14,

so anyways just see if your compressor turns if so put your system back togther with a new accumalator and orifice tube and replace any seal at the connections u took apart, (putting oil in the compressor like said previously wont hurt but not necessary) then if your going to convert it to r134a instead of r12 go buy the conversion fittings and install those then take it to a shop and have them evacuate it, put new oil in (tell them if its never been 134 before and if u put oil in the compressor) and then they can charge it
Click to expand...

I assume that you mean to evacuate the air, not the refrigerant since the system is sitting in pieces :D. The only special tools needed are gauges and a vacuum pump. I have the cheap ($12?) venturi pump from Harbor Freight and it does work, but doesn't pull as deep as I would like. It is still an option. I have also used a local shop a couple of times just to hook up their pump and paid $10-$15.

I advise cleaning everything, repacing the orifice tube, service ports and accumulator, put in new oil and install a new O-ring set at home. Then you can use a shop to vacuum it out and charge with R-134. They are required by law to check for leaks before charging. As for the compressor, test it with a low speed drill to make sure it builds pressure against your thumb and the bearings feel good. If you are paranoid, replace it.
 
The orifice tube is a restriction in the fluid flow. It meters the flow of liquid refrigerant into the evaporator ("cold coil"). You should look for a web site describing how A/C works. A little understanding goes a long way.
 
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