Aircon regas question

[Jet-Fighter7700]

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

whats now the thing to listen for? squealing/RPM changes?
and how would I know if its failing? warm air suddenly coming out the vents?

going to do as you advise, but just want to know given how little I know about the history of the system as it stands,
want to be prepared to replace the minimum and regas if necessary.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Sounds like a WeBuyCars vehicle

funny enough it actually blew cold air weakly when I got it, was quite strange,
but as I drove it more, noticed smoke coming from the pump, thought the entire engine seized up, or was going to catch on fire like a Ford Kuga.

luckily this car has an old school belt setup that its not all 1 belt, its 3 separate ones,
take the AC one off and keep driving,

and thats what I did, little by little I fixed up the pump, that was wrecked and had its bearing and pulley broken, but still clicked on and off,

but now that its all fixed up, want to stay on top of things, and react quickly before the pump or something else goes.
as AC is always appreciated

 

[soulie]

whats now the thing to listen for? squealing/RPM changes?
and how would I know if its failing? warm air suddenly coming out the vents?

going to do as you advise, but just want to know given how little I know about the history of the system as it stands,
want to be prepared to replace the minimum and regas if necessary.

If it starts failing after a good rebuild it will stop working ,it has high and low pressure sensors for gas ,to accurately determine an aircon fault is beyond the scope of a simple post ,just use it and ignore it ,it may work forever ,if it has a leak he should be able to find that easily, if dye was inserted ,wait until it stops working again which may be never .it's a sealed system ,just like a fridge

 

[soulie]

whats now the thing to listen for? squealing/RPM changes?
and how would I know if its failing? warm air suddenly coming out the vents?

going to do as you advise, but just want to know given how little I know about the history of the system as it stands,
want to be prepared to replace the minimum and regas if necessary.

It sounds like from what you're describing that only the clutch bearing was faulty ,that's common ,it's under the pulley on the outside by the serpentine belt .you said 3 belts ,is it a Fiat

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

If it starts failing after a good rebuild it will stop working ,it has high and low pressure sensors for gas ,to accurately determine an aircon fault is beyond the scope of a simple post ,just use it and ignore it ,it may work forever ,if it has a leak he should be able to find that easily, if dye was inserted ,wait until it stops working again which may be never .it's a sealed system ,just like a fridge

going to do exactly that, gotten an idea where the expansion valve and receiver/drier is on this car,

both look like a lot of work to remove and replace, the expansion valve is on the firewall itself, between the inside evap core and the compressor outside,

the drier, from what I gather is a long tube like thing attached to the condenser on the front right above the radiator and fans

both look like tons of work to remove, not quite dash disassembly, but close to it,
if you going to replace both of those, you might as well change the evap core and condensor, as its almost in line to both of them.

going to think positive thoughts, not panic too much, drive it as it is, and see if a problem pops up, and deal with it then.

am glad to know that even with the pump broken, the system stayed charged with gas, and didn't leak, so im hoping thats a good sign to the systems integrity, and that I got lucky and managed to fix my aircon for the cost of a fixed up pump.
and a regas, and some work with the belts/tensioner assembly.

also another thing I'm slowly learning is aircon repairs are a dark art to most mechanics, they don't know, don't want to know and dont want to deal with it.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

It sounds like from what you're describing that only the clutch bearing was faulty ,that's common ,it's under the pulley on the outside by the serpentine belt .you said 3 belts ,is it a Fiat

its a Getz, not a Fiat, Im not @FiestaST with Fiat he drove down a cliff.

did replace the bearing in the pump, did drop the pump, did isolate the lines and did flush the system, so lets see now.

 

[soulie]

going to do exactly that, gotten an idea where the expansion valve and receiver/drier is on this car,

both look like a lot of work to remove and replace, the expansion valve is on the firewall itself, between the inside evap core and the compressor outside,

the drier, from what I gather is a long tube like thing attached to the condenser on the front right above the radiator and fans

both look like tons of work to remove, not quite dash disassembly, but close to it,
if you going to replace both of those, you might as well change the evap core and condensor, as its almost in line to both of them.

going to think positive thoughts, not panic too much, drive it as it is, and see if a problem pops up, and deal with it then.

am glad to know that even with the pump broken, the system stayed charged with gas, and didn't leak, so im hoping thats a good sign to the systems integrity, and that I got lucky and managed to fix my aircon for the cost of a fixed up pump.
and a regas, and some work with the belts/tensioner assembly.

also another thing I'm slowly learning is aircon repairs are a dark art to most mechanics, they don't know, don't want to know and dont want to deal with it.

Most All aircon techs are dodgy as hell ,it's because you can't see what's happening and they can spin you any story with gauges ,once you get to know the guy it will be better .mechanics can't be bothered with aircons mostly

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Most All aircon techs are dodgy as hell ,it's because you can't see what's happening and they can spin you any story with gauges ,once you get to know the guy it will be better .mechanics can't be bothered with aircons mostly

makes sense with Dodgy mcdogerson I dealt with that quoted me 2 prices, and told me adding dye is extra,
even though other places wanted to charge me a flat fee with the dye added generously for free.

also why I noticed back in JHB so many okes doing this from the side of the road, with a cheapy pair of cylinders
some hand written signs and no guarantees you find them again if you have a problem.

beginning to think its cheap to regas for a reason, the other more expensive shop has a machine that looks like a washing machine that measures gas and pumps the right amount in.

guess I can try them next time if I have problems, hoping it lasts and works perfectly, and its just my paranoia like with most things I dont understand.

 

[soulie]

makes sense with Dodgy mcdogerson I dealt with that quoted me 2 prices, and told me adding dye is extra,
even though other places wanted to charge me a flat fee with the dye added generously for free.

also why I noticed back in JHB so many okes doing this from the side of the road, with a cheapy pair of cylinders
some hand written signs and no guarantees you find them again if you have a problem.

beginning to think its cheap to regas for a reason, the other more expensive shop has a machine that looks like a washing machine that measures gas and pumps the right amount in.

guess I can try them next time if I have problems, hoping it lasts and works perfectly, and its just my paranoia like with most things I dont understand.

Yes that machine evacuates the old gas into a cylinder inside for disposal ,then when new gas is added it's done by weight making it more efficient, aircons are not wizardry when you see how they work ,very basic pieces of gear .some of the gases used already have the dye in it from the factory and also have sealers and rubber rejuvenators for the seals ,just remember don't get the gas on your skin it's nasty stuff ,doesn't come off easily

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Yes that machine evacuates the old gas into a cylinder inside for disposal ,then when new gas is added it's done by weight making it more efficient, aircons are not wizardry when you see how they work ,very basic pieces of gear .

thanks for educating me, as it seems people see a Vallie like me and think here comes Christmas,
but even back in JHB they try these things, now I know why they say dont send a woman to fix the car.

dodgy mcdoderson is one of many I bet.