Aircon regas question

Jet-Fighter7700

Jet-Fighter7700

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So I thought to ask here, if this story checks out,

regassed up my aircon finally, after what seems like months of back and forth with numerous small things to get it all working,

initially when I got the car, aircon compressor was very bad, bearings and clutch pack were bad, had my mechanic remove the pump,
gotten the pump fixed up, new oil added, and eventually reinstalled,

then tensioner pulley was making a horrible squealing noise, had that replaced, now its quiet,

finally I had to replace the Aircon 10A fuse, but that wasnt a big deal,

aircon dude, who seemed super dodgy, told me some long story about the lines in my aircon being super sterile, and in my case they aren't.
he tells me good chance it will pack up within a year,

reason for this is due to all the junk and dirt inside the lines, that is now circulating and making its way into the compressor,
he did hook his pump up and clean as much as he could, but he tells me the only solution is to replace everything, condenser, compressor and even evap core for more than 20K

sounds super suspicious, but wanted to ask here, as when the pump was removed, had gas in the system, didn't leak out,
and when I brought the car, had gas in it as well, and aircon worked although pump was in a bad shape, was smoking from the pulley side.

what do you guys think?
this is a Getz, so not sure if he is right?
 
Why would there be junk and dirt in the lines? They're not open to atmosphere at all.

Take it somewhere reputable, ask them to vacuum, leak test and recharge the circuit.
 
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Potentially there could be dirt in the system but unless the old compressor imploded and spread metal fragments all over it shouldn't be an issue. In any case it's not worth paying R20,000 if it'll still work, just fill it up with gas and see how it goes.
And find a different aircon guy to fill it up because this guy is just trying to squeeze you for unnecessary work. And get it done soon because summer in Somerset West/ Strand without an aircon is hectic.
 
Yes when my aircon compressor packet up once, a reputable place told me they will only give guarantee if they replace mostly everything. I declined and other place said no, those guys know nothing and they only replace the compressor. Well that new compressor R7k lasted 5 months and then replaced in under warrantee. Newly replaced one lasted 3 weeks then I asked for refund. Took it to the original place. Paid 13k and has been going perfect for a few years.
 
Do you guys leave your aircon all the time you drive irrespective of winter or summer? I have always been doing that been told by my dealer its healthier for the system , just adjust the temperature accordingly.

Never had aircon issues ever. Touch wood
 
Nithan15 said:
Do you guys leave your aircon all the time you drive irrespective of winter or summer? I have always been doing that been told by my dealer its healthier for the system , just adjust the temperature accordingly.

Never had aircon issues ever. Touch wood
Click to expand...
You should at least run it occasionally in winter. There is oil in the gas circuit and circulating it is good for the seals.

It also has the benefit of drying out the air in the car so it prevents windows misting up
 
Nithan15 said:
Do you guys leave your aircon all the time you drive irrespective of winter or summer? I have always been doing that been told by my dealer its healthier for the system , just adjust the temperature accordingly.

Never had aircon issues ever. Touch wood
Click to expand...
Well both my cars manuals recommend running it occassionally in Winter. Thats what I do. Never regassed any of my cars, 2006 and 2009 models.

Edit: touch wood
 
Chatted to a guy in Randburg some years, when the aircon pump seizes a whole of gunk goes through the system.

Their method was replace the pump and then clean each pipe individually before re-oiling and re-gassing. This lasted a few years until we eventually traded the car in.
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
Yes when my aircon compressor packet up once, a reputable place told me they will only give guarantee if they replace mostly everything. I declined and other place said no, those guys know nothing and they only replace the compressor. Well that new compressor R7k lasted 5 months and then replaced in under warrantee. Newly replaced one lasted 3 weeks then I asked for refund. Took it to the original place. Paid 13k and has been going perfect for a few years.
Click to expand...
Similar experience with just doing the compressor. Second go replaced everything and had no issues.
From the way I read it the compressor was removed and the pipes have been open so the system will at the very least need to be flushed.
 
Did regas the system up, drove with it all day yesterday to test if it's making weird noises, or belt was squealing.

So far so good,

From what I understood when the pump was bad, the bearing on the pulley was very bad, although remember seeing the compressor turning,

Fuse was also blown interestingly enough, so it must have failed electrically/mechanically.

Is that enough to contaminate it? As yes, I did leave the pump off for an extended period, with the aircon lines exposed, while the pump was off and being repaired.

Is this going to kill it sooner or later? hearing a lot of opinions, but none that I believe, thinking to myself,

These aircons are supposed to work in harsh conditions, with sand and dust that get into everything, it's impossible to keep them surgically clean, and the system must be designed to tolerate a small amount of contamination to continue working in less than ideal conditions.

Did my pump explode, well it was smoking and had a burnt electrical smell, but the pulley and compressor was still turning, last I remember, before I took the belt off.

So not sure now, maybe somebody else will advise me here.

What is the first signs of it failing? Warm air? Noises? Or blown fuse?
 
Paul Kemp said:
Similar experience with just doing the compressor. Second go replaced everything and had no issues.
From the way I read it the compressor was removed and the pipes have been open so the system will at the very least need to be flushed.
Click to expand...
System got flushed, dodgy mcdogerson aircon guy, hooked up his pump, ran if for a good few minutes, told me he made a mistake and hooked the pump backwards, corrected it, and added his dye, and let it run again,

Told me it's holding pressure, then added his gas, R134a, that is not the newer one, R1234 or something like that,

Wrote me a receipt, and sent me on my way, thinking did I just set off a ticking time bomb here?

Guess I'll find out.
 
Jet-Fighter7700 said:
Did regas the system up, drove with it all day yesterday to test if it's making weird noises, or belt was squealing.

So far so good,

From what I understood when the pump was bad, the bearing on the pulley was very bad, although remember seeing the compressor turning,

Fuse was also blown interestingly enough, so it must have failed electrically/mechanically.

Is that enough to contaminate it? As yes, I did leave the pump off for an extended period, with the aircon lines exposed, while the pump was off and being repaired.

Is this going to kill it sooner or later? hearing a lot of opinions, but none that I believe, thinking to myself,

These aircons are supposed to work in harsh conditions, with sand and dust that get into everything, it's impossible to keep them surgically clean, and the system must be designed to tolerate a small amount of contamination to continue working in less than ideal conditions.

Did my pump explode, well it was smoking and had a burnt electrical smell, but the pulley and compressor was still turning, last I remember, before I took the belt off.

So not sure now, maybe somebody else will advise me here.

What is the first signs of it failing? Warm air? Noises? Or blown fuse?
Click to expand...
Did you leave the pipes open and without anything taped around the end to protect them from dirt getting in?
That would have not been wise if you did, beach sand is quartzite and hard as fk, the compressor pistons will not take kindly that in the system.
The aircon exterior can handle lots of harsh conditions but the insides are a gas tight closed system and unless something inside wears out and starts dropping metal particles the inside will remain near as clean as the day it left the factory.
 
airborne said:
Did you leave the pipes open and without anything taped around the end to protect them from dirt getting in?
That would have not been wise if you did, beach sand is quartzite and hard as fk, the compressor pistons will not take kindly that in the system.
The aircon exterior can handle lots of harsh conditions but the insides are a gas tight closed system and unless something inside wears out and starts dropping metal particles the inside will remain near as clean as the day it left the factory.
Click to expand...
when the Pump was dropped the Mechanic did tape something on the pipes, and I noticed the ends where it connects to the pump have a sort of one way valve on them, Im hoping that would have protected it, as well at the flush he did before he pumped the Gas in.

will see I guess,
 
Nithan15 said:
Do you guys leave your aircon all the time you drive irrespective of winter or summer? I have always been doing that been told by my dealer its healthier for the system , just adjust the temperature accordingly.

Never had aircon issues ever. Touch wood
Click to expand...
I pretty much drive with my AC on permanently.
 
Jet-Fighter7700 said:
when the Pump was dropped the Mechanic did tape something on the pipes, and I noticed the ends where it connects to the pump have a sort of one way valve on them, Im hoping that would have protected it, as well at the flush he did before he pumped the Gas in.

will see I guess,
Click to expand...
Expansion valve will be the first to fail if anything fails ,that should have been replaced along with the drier as a minimum ,both easy to change for a techie .
 
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soulie said:
Expansion valve will be the first to fail if anything fails ,that should have been replaced along with the drier as a minimum ,both easy to change for a techie .
Click to expand...
do both of those need the aircon to be flushed and regassed AGAIN?

as ive done a regas now, do I have to do it once again after Ive replaced both those components,

as from what I'm understanding less is more when it comes to aircon,

every interaction with the lines of the aircon can introduce contamination into the lines and mess the thing up permanently.

as again, before I got the car, when the pump was broken, could it have sent shards into the lines and messed the whole thing up,
I do not know, Im hoping the flush before gas was introduced cleaned it out,

but im hoping and praying I dont need to do anything and enjoy a working AC this Spring/Summer or whatever the hell people in the western cape call this time.

as the prices for a New Evap core/condenser and the labour associated with replacing both of these components is more than what I paid for the car arguably.
 
Jet-Fighter7700 said:
do both of those need the aircon to be flushed and regassed AGAIN?

as ive done a regas now, do I have to do it once again after Ive replaced both those components,

as from what I'm understanding less is more when it comes to aircon,

every interaction with the lines of the aircon can introduce contamination into the lines and mess the thing up permanently.

as again, before I got the car, when the pump was broken, could it have sent shards into the lines and messed the whole thing up,
I do not know, Im hoping the flush before gas was introduced cleaned it out,

but im hoping and praying I dont need to do anything and enjoy a working AC this Spring/Summer or whatever the hell people in the western cape call this time.

as the prices for a New Evap core/condenser and the labour associated with replacing both of these components is more than what I paid for the car arguably.
Click to expand...
To replace the expansion valve and drier means the system must be emptied ,if it's working ,leave it ,at most the valve gets clogged ,if mechanic worked clean and flushed properly leave it alone ,it may last forever ,on a pump service we change drier and valve as they not expensive ,ignore it until it stops working ,you can't damage anything if it gets dirty it just loses efficiency
 
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