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New AC Compressor


Scotty

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Mike,

You didn't say (or I didn't read it) if you plugged off the lines that you lack "O: rings for. If not it is a good idea to seal them up to keep humid air out of the system. When you have it evacuated I would leave it hooked up to the vacuum pump for as long as possible to thoroughly remove all moisture from the system. The dessicant bag in the receiver dryer will absorb moisture from the humidity in the atmosphere. The longer that it is hooked to the vacuum, the more moisture will be drawn out of the dessicant. Additionally, it will evaporate any solvent left over from the cleaning.  Hope that your car is cool for many summers to come.

Britt

Britt, Good Pick up! I have not connected the accumulator yet, it still has the caps on it... is that what you mean..? Tomorrow I plan to buy the orifice tube o-rings connect up that junction and THEN connect the accumulator.... The problem with this job is the bad location of the compressor and the lack of room to work, its a slow tedious job.

I will ask them to evacuate it as long as possible, I will be there so I will know how long they do it... What is the minimum time to evacuate this system now? WHen the evacuate it they won't pull out my PAG OIL will they? Thanks

The oil won't be removed when the system is evacuated. Have them vacuum the system down as long as possible. Without a micron gage, it is impossible to tell how long of a vacuum is enough but if they suck it down for 2 hours, that chould be ok.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Mike,

Evacuating the system won't pull the oil out, just the air and moisture. You should leave the caps on the accumulator until you have the parts to seal the system completely. If there are any other open lines, they should be sealed off until you have the "O" rings. Then assemble the system so that it is not open to the atmosphere anywhere.

It sounds like you have done a thorough job. You will not be able to keep it on 60 degrees long! :P

Britt

Britt
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Britt, why should I seal off the open lines? I have the lines that go to the accumulator open currently, I plan on buying the o-rings in the morning, is it bad to leave those lines open over night? I was not going to drive the car so as to not stir up dust and dirt... What do you think?

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Mike,

It is just good practice to cap A/C lines while unhooked. A day shouldn't hurt much, but it is kind of preventative measures. The more moist air that you keep out of the system the better. If you are not going to drive the car, then you should be OK.

Closed lines also keep out the occasional mud dauber wasps, & other critters that are fond of making nests in small holes. If you recall, that is what happened to my surge tank line. I left it open while I changed the engine. A critter of the insect variety decided that the open line would make a fine place to raise a brood. When I put the surge tank back in I failed to notice the nest. I had "instant overheat" because the cooling system couldn't purge it's self.

If something similar happens to the A/C lines & you don't catch it, all that effort could be for naught.

I wouldn't use tape directly on the ends of the lines. The adhesive may not be compatible with the oil & freon. In your case, small plastic baggies and rubber bands would suffice.

Sorry for the delay in replying. I was at my daughters house for Father's Day supper. Got on her computer to see what was happing @ Caddy Info. Got back on just now when I got home.

Let us know when you ride is cool again.

Reminds me of the story about the Texas oil man. Shortly after the oil boom went bust the A/C in his black Caddy went out. He was driving around with all the windows up. When asked why he didn't roll the windows down, he replied, "I don't want anybody to know that I can't afford to fix my A/C!" :blink:

Good Luck,

Britt

Britt
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That is exactly why I did not tape the ends closed, I was concerned about mucking up the ends now that the new o-rings are on them..

I am telling you can you IMAGINE how much this would have cost to have done at the dealer? or any AC shop for that matter? My cousin just had his compressor replaced in a 96 SLS and it cost him $1000.. I am sure they replaced the accumulator and orifice tube also. I could imagine this job easily being $1500 at the dealer..... , this cost me

$260 compressor

$210 condenser

$50 accumulator

$7 orifice tube

$10 O-ring kit

Flush, Flush gun, Pag oil

Charge will be $150

Plus 1.5 days work and I know my car way better than I did. I would have a hard time trusting someone to do this kind of a job, considering that they had to distrurb the oil filter adaptor (and they probably would not replace the o-rings), they might pull out the radiator (I put to tabs in, as I took off the upper hose to push the radiator back to R&R the condenser out, but some mechanics pull the radiator out altogether to have clear access. I have real trust issues letting someone work on my car, and would rather sweat till I have the time to do it than have someone work on my car..... Thanks, Mike

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Mike,

I KNOW what a dealer charges to my displeasure. I was on a road trip & in Seattle. Several hundred miles from home. In the middle of summer to boot. The A/C went out. I took it to the local Caddy dealer, About 2 days and $1600.00 (about 4 years ago) I had my Caddy back. (They changed the oil also.) darn, it was EXPENSIVE! But it was sure worth having A/C when some of the outside air temps went over 105! There were a few times that I had to turn the A/C off on the return trip. When the engine temp hit 225, I would turn it off until we got up what ever hill we were climbing. The wife kept asking WHY? I told her to remember the Camaro in the film, "Gum Ball Rally" & be glad that I didn't turn the heater on! :P

At least it hasn't failed me since.

If I was where I could have done the work my self, it would never have seen the inside of a dealer's shop.

Having a major malfunction away from home is NO FUN!

Britt

Britt
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Let me show you how thick headed I am... I am not sure I want to do this.. you are going to think I am a wacko... but here goes

About 3 years ago we went apple picking up state. On the way to the hotel 25 miles south we stopped for dinner. It was about 8:00 PM and I was on the interstate and just as I pulled through the toll booth all of the lights on my dashboard lit up on my 91 Seville. The AC stopped working, my power steering went out and I got a NO Charge condition... I drove about 1/2 of a mile till the temp went to 265 degrees and called a tow truck who flat bedded us about 20 miles to the hotel.. We were 2.5 hours from home and I had no tools with me.

The next day I go a hold of the hotel handiman borrowed all his tools took a taxi to Auto Zone bought everything I needed and replaced the water pump, belt, etc...in the hotel parking lot! Even away I would not trust anyone.... I am a wacko... My wife has pictures of me from the hotel window while under the hood...By the way it was a Sunday..

My daugher just TODAY said "remember when we broke down".....

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It is important to cap-off the lines because R-134a lubricants will absorb moisture that no amount of evacuating will remove. Also, running an ill-maintained or worn-out vacuum pump will not accomplish much.

I recall on one R-134a car, it took over 4 hours to get under 700 microns. A tight, dry, original R-12 system took only 12 minutes! A calibrated vacuum gauge is a must. It will also expose any leaks prior to adding refrigerant.

___________________________________________________

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It is important to cap-off the lines because R-134a lubricants will absorb moisture that no amount of evacuating will remove. Also, running an ill-maintained or worn-out vacuum pump will not accomplish much.

I recall on one R-134a car, it took over 4 hours to get under 700 microns. A tight, dry, original R-12 system took only 12 minutes! A calibrated vacuum gauge is a must. It will also expose any leaks prior to adding refrigerant.

I am going out NOW to cap them, now there is a reason to cap them... :lol::lol::lol:

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I would have tackled the A/C my self, but I could see that it was going to be one baitch of a job. So I bit the bullet that time.

In 1983 I was on I-10 just outside of Beaumont. I lost a wheel bearing. Got her to a local autoparts store, jacked the suburban up in the parking lot, Replaced the rotor, bearings and seal. I had all the tools but a hammer and punch so I bought them also.

It was Saturday afternoon, so I really didn't have a choice. But even if it had been on a week day, I still would have done it my-self. The A/C job away from home was a little different. No gage set or vacuum pump. Not a job to do in the Hampton Inn parking lot.

As you can attest, it was not a fun job!

Britt

Britt
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Hampton Inn.... No excuse! :lol:

Here is one, I had a 74 Eldorado that I drove to West Palm Beach Florida from NY. On the way down my hub bearing burned out and was glowing red when I got there. I replaced it in August in my friends garage with his tools and tools I brought with me.... I drank at least a case of beer that day and did not get a buzz...it just came out through my pores it was so hot.... I don't know if you ever did one, but a hub bearing on a 74 eldo was a huge undertaking... It had to be pressed together in a machine shop..... Then I turned around and drove it 22 straight hours till I collapsed in a Philadephia motel... Everything on that car was HUGE....

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OK... I took the car and had it evacuated and charged... NO PROBLEM she held a full vacuum for 40 minutes... Yeah!

However, I immediately got a DTC B1315 Code (Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor Short Circuit) One of the faults is a bad sensor that fails and shorts out.

To isolate that it WAS the sensor, I disconnected the connector from the sensor, disconnected the battery and turned the key on.... BAM, new code, DTC B1314 Code (Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor Open Circuit)

To me this test that I did ELIMINATED the wiring as the cause of the short circuit and focuses the problem on the SENSOR....

Any thoughts? Is my logic making sense? I am going to buy the sensor... $22.00 at dealer, spoke to my AC guy he will recapture and refill in the AM for no charge.... Nice...

Why pretell would a sensor go bad.... Be advised that my system has been depressurized since October, would that contribute to a sensor going bad? moisture?... ALMOST CHILLIN! (I think).... :blink:

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OK... I took the car and had it evacuated and charged... NO PROBLEM she held a full vacuum for 40 minutes... Yeah!

However, I immediately got a DTC B1315 Code (Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor Short Circuit) One of the faults is a bad sensor that fails and shorts out.

To isolate that it WAS the sensor, I disconnected the connector from the sensor, disconnected the battery and turned the key on.... BAM, new code, DTC B1314 Code (Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor Open Circuit)

To me this test that I did ELIMINATED the wiring as the cause of the short circuit and focuses the problem on the SENSOR....

Any thoughts? Is my logic making sense? I am going to buy the sensor... $22.00 at dealer, spoke to my AC guy he will recapture and refill in the AM for no charge.... Nice...

Why pretell would a sensor go bad.... Be advised that my system has been depressurized since October, would that contribute to a sensor going bad? moisture?... ALMOST CHILLIN! (I think).... :blink:

Probably just a coincidence....I don't recall if there are schrader valved under the sensors so that they can be changed without losing the charge. Your troubleshooting technique makes sense to me.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Thanks Kevin, will advise.... There was a schrader valve under the Low Pressure switch. I asked the parts guy and he spoke to someone in the shop and they said the system has to be depressurized, so I won't take any chances... Especially since the AC guy is being easy about recapturing the 134a and recharging.... Thanks

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I bought the Evaporator Inlet Temp Sensor from Caddy and will install it in the morning, it has an o-ring on it and goes deep into the line with a probe. Can't wait, I think I am getting close...Thanks

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Mike,

According to my 1994 Seville Deville Concours Eldorado manual both the low and high pressure switches have shrader valves. For removal of those switches, it states that there is no need to depressurize the system. :P

HOWEVER, for the low and high side TEMPERATURE sensors, recovery of the refrigerant IS required. <_<

So, it looks like you will indeed have to evacuate the system. :(

It makes me wonder why you didn't get this code earlier.

At this stage, would it make sense to replace BOTH the high and low side temp sensors?

I have never had the occasion to look at these sensors, so I don't know what the sensing element looks like.

Britt

Britt
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I thought the same thing but it was depressurized as soon as the it was evacuated and recharged this code came up... I suppose I could change them both... but this is getting expensive... If this code goes, I don't think its expensive to reclaim the existing 134A and then recharge, the big expense is a complete charge..

Instead I ordered the 4 hoses near the tank 1) connects to the bottom of the tank, 2 and 3) are heater hoses and 4) the thermostat by-pass hose.

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Mike,

What does the sensing element look like? Is it an open resistance element or is it encapsulated? If it was an open element, then there is a possibility that a small particle of conductive material got across the sensing element and shorted it out. You possibly could clean it to remove the short. Just a suggestion. Once the switch is out you could clean it and hook it back up before recharging the system to check it out.

Kevin, what do you think?

Britt

Britt
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Mike,

What does the sensing element look like? Is it an open resistance element or is it encapsulated? If it was an open element, then there is a possibility that a small particle of conductive material got across the sensing element and shorted it out. You possibly could clean it to remove the short. Just a suggestion. Once the switch is out you could clean it and hook it back up before recharging the system to check it out.

Kevin, what do you think?

Britt

I think they're encapsulated but....I've never had to replace one.

I have replaced the pressure switches though - They have a schrader valve and virtually no refrigerant loss during the R&R - just a very, very slight puff when I removed the sensor - that was on a buddy's '95 GMC Sierra truck.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Why pretell would a sensor go bad.... Be advised that my system has been depressurized since October, would that contribute to a sensor going bad? moisture?... ALMOST CHILLIN! (I think).... :blink:

Think about how the thermistor is mounted/designed so that it can sense the temperature of liquid refrigerant, and how flexible the metal "legs" are on most resistors, then calculate the force of your "flushing". :) My bet is the poor thing is wrapped around itself, generated the short circuit condition!

___________________________________________________

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Mike,

What does the sensing element look like? Is it an open resistance element or is it encapsulated? If it was an open element, then there is a possibility that a small particle of conductive material got across the sensing element and shorted it out. You possibly could clean it to remove the short.  Just a suggestion. Once the switch is out you could clean it and hook it back up before recharging the system to check it out.

Kevin, what do you think?

Britt

I dropped my digital camera on concrete and its incapable of taking a close-up anymore. This photo is really bad as a result. Hoping to buy the Nikon D70s soon...

The sensor has a probe that is about 3/8" inch long that appears to look like a thermometer. It is located between the orifice tube and the evaporator so no debris should have affected it. Hopefully when I replace this I don't get another code, this sensor immediately disables the compressor...

I am still whipped from doing this job this weekend, I need to hit the sack and its only 8 PM. On the positive side, my engine sounds really quiet with the new tensioner, idler wheel and Goodyear Gatorback belt... which is suppose to be 15 db quieter..

http://www.goodyearbeltsandhose.com/cars/gatopoly.html

Look at the "Functional Part Number Gives You The Size Of The Belt" section of this link, its good for future reference...

post-3-1119312704_thumb.jpg

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Mike,

Take it easy & turn in early. You deserve the rest after this weekend.

Up date us tomorrow.

Remember, Hillary is looking out for you, so you can rest easy! :P

Britt

Britt
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