A/c ? My Cheeks Are Sticking To The Seat

[lexlugar]

I have had my sc400 in the shop for an oil change and general checkup. I knew the A/C wasn't blowing cold, but I thought it was just freon. I was going to have it recharged at this time , but the mechanic told me that it was a bad compressor and it would be 1200.00 big ones. My question is this , where can I get a cheaper compressor and is it worth switchng over to the 134 refrigerant instead of the r12. thanks for the help and I hope my but stops sticking to the seats

[91CRXsiR]

you can go check out junkyards or check forums for people parting out thier cars.

[AWJ]

There was a compressor on Ebay. Also www.taprecycling.com has parts.

[Throbblethorpe400]

I tend to distrust most auto mechanics. I dont think a mechanic has ever said "Yup, all it needs is a little freon."

If he claims your compressor is leaking, ask for proof. There is a dye they can put in your ac system, and it will show where any leaks may be occuring.

Ive had the ac go out on 2 of my previous vehicles. At the shop, both times they reccomended that the compressor be replaced. I felt like they were feeding me a line, so I told them to just fill it up with freon. The result? Ice cold air coming out my vents. And it diddnt leak out.

Just a thought..

[lexlugar]

Hey thanks for the possible solutions. I have two kids in college and one still in high school, so I need a creative alternative to save $$$$$$. My mechanic is from an import and classic dealership locally. They are generally reputable in their advice. However , I have wondered why the ecu unit has not given me an error message. They explained this as the compressor is staying on all of the time. , didn't make alot of sense to me. The system uses r12, so I woud have to spend quite a bit just to add freon. I am still open for alternatives if anyone has any available. Thanks, and even though it is hot in my sc I still love it. --------Lex

[SKperformance]

if the compressor stays on it means the clutch would not disengauge

meaning it should have no problem but bad response and gas milage

the comprossor has a lock indicator when it will not work or move properly it makes the ac button light flash and turns off the a/c

press the auto button and the recirc button at the same timeand hold then turn the key to the on position

it will display a code is something is wrong

[HoodLexusSC]

i get code 23 whats that mean?

[SKperformance]

open in pressure sensor cuircit

abnormal refridgerant

for code 23

sounds like a freon leak

[HoodLexusSC]

can i buy freon and put it in myself? if so wheres the freon "box" located

[SKperformance]

no idon't think you could just stick freon in

most a/c places have an inspection and usually a 1/2 lb free top up

[HoodLexusSC]

i mean like......the where would i insert the freon if i was to put any in....i was looking at the engine coolant place is it located near there or where.........? help plz

[jzz30]

if your a/c system still uses r12 refrigerant its not likely that you can fill it up your self r12 is very pricey and is not manufactured in the US any more due to invironmental issues if you really wish to purchase it you first need a licence to buy it but it is fairly easy to pass the test but then you need about $6-800 to buy the smallest amount, which i think is about 30 lbs which is enough to fill up several cars. if you go that far you still need to fix your a/c leak if there is one for that you need to get a special dye that you can see in uv light , this is added with some gas and the engine is run with the a.c on if there is a leak the dye will appear most commonly under the a/c compressor clutch area where then all the seals in the system need to be replaced because of depressurization so you end up doing the whole thing so in the end you should just take the car to the a/c repair shop to get the thing fixed

[SKperformance]

freon is not part of you cooling system

it takes a machine to purge the system and refill just like a home air conditioner

it is not owner servicable in any regard besides the filter

and even if you find the schrader valve for the a/c

what would you do with it?

besides look at it

they don't break :D

[AWJ]

A/C charging is something that is not advisable for the shadetree mechanic - due to legal issues (EPA) and what not. It is not expensive to get a recharge - I'd just take it to a reputable shop.

[jzz30]

a/c recharge isnt all that hard but like anything its expensive when you start cus you need to buy all the gasses but if you deal with 134a its not so expensive and its supposed to be ok for the environment but my brother and I have done successfuly many times. but one thing that you have to be careful with lexuses it that you absolutly can not use r12 substitutes like 414b. this gas will eat up a membrane in side the system that will cause the a/c to fail. I only wright this from personal experience. so its either a 134a conversion or staying with r12

[Rave]

What is "414b". I recently bought a case of MacFreeze-supposedly a Freon replacement fluid. Is this the same kind of stuff as 414b? Advertisement says this stuff works better than R134a-more like R12-colder air less load on the compressor-less horsepower loss. Supposedly this stuff is compatible with either R12 or R134a Systems-no compressor oil change neccessary. No mention of "membrane" problems. What is the membrane anyway? There are other competitive products out there like Feeze 12 which is a different formulation. Is this one a problem also?

As for R134 Wal-Mart sells it with a fill tube and pressure gauge for about $25. It is easy to put it in yourself. Comes with instructions, hard to screw-up. Low pressure side schrader fill valve is on the passenger side of the engine near the shock tower. Hose won't connect to the high pressure side-different fitting. See other posts on this forum. Mine was overfilled. Wal-Mart also sells R-134a with stop leak, leak detection die and system cleaner. No license needed. Remember R-12 and R134a cannot be mixed.

Rave

[jzz30]

414b is an r12 alternative. its like the replacement you bought, it doesnt need an oil replacement. it might be similar as the mac-freeze, or freeze12, but its likely that it is not because 414b still affects the ozone layer, just less than r12. so the normal person can not buy it make. i know that you know that you cant mix r12 and 134a so check if the stuff you bought is comapible for r12 systems or did you already use it? does it work? and this membrane im talking about is like a valve i dont know what kind of material they use but when i changed the system over with 414 it died very quickly. those other products like the leak detector, i think can only be used when the system still works but is not blowing really cold air, unless you fill it with enough gas to get the compressor clutch to engauge. if your a do it your selfer like i am but dont want to ga as far as getting a licence just change all the seals in the a/c system including the compressor shaft seal and take it to an a/c shop and just get the system filled because the system needs to be vacumed first to get all the moisture out/ water in an r12 system can make hydro chloric acid and it will eat the aluminum pipes slowy but surley and not to mention it can cause to your compressor.

[Rave]

Shipment should arrive this weekend sometime. I will try it first in one of my older cars with r-12 systems. I passed along your concern to the guy who sold me this stuff. I will post his reply.

Rave ;)

[lexlugar]

wow, I just got back from a trip to South Carolina taking my daughter to visit a college there. Needless to say I am chaffing from the sweat buildup within my two pillows, ----those aren't two pillows. circa 1986 Planes Trains and Automobiles. So, back to the sticky situation I tried the info. on holding the ac power button and the recirculation button and it came up code 23 and code 21. So, should I take a chance and fill it with r12 refrigerant possibly losing this freon. And what does the code 21 mean. Help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lex lugar. by the way the college we visited in South Carolina was a small college by the name of Erskine--nice place. !!!!!

[JPI]

code 21 is the solar sensor. If you are in the area, there is no sun this code will come up.

[jzz30]

no you shouldnt go and get a recharge. what you should do is change all the seals around the a/c system and get a rebuild kit and a a/c compressor shaft seal all that will probably run you about $200 a/c compressors can be found for much less that$1200 if you want to get a new one but i doubt you need one many cars use the same compressor as the one in your car its a nippon denso compressor although there are many kinds they are found in toyotas of course and also suprisingly in some domestic cars. ok the reason you should change all the seals first is that your a/c system is completely or almost completely out of freon. and the depressurisation can cause additonal leaks. and after you have changed all of that then you should just get some dye put in, get a good overnight vacum, and a fresh fill of r12 because its just colder in the old systems and you wont have any more sticky situations

[json79]

HI everyeone... I tried to recharge my friends 92 Sc400 and i converted the R-12 to the R-134a (retrofit) and i had no luck. First of all.. IS the Low Service port right at the compressor for this car? or is it the one towards the front. It seem to be the one right on the compressor which is the one i tried to Recharge the R-134a to. I had the car running and A/c at full blast. I dont know why it wasnt suckin the recharge bottle. Did i do something wrong? ONe thing that stop me from continueing is that after a while. the A/c light started to blink then all of a sudden the engine shut off. If anyone has experience rechargin 134a or anything related please reply..

thanks all

[jzz30]

ok tell me first what you have done to your car to retrofit to 134a. you didnt just drain the gas on a perfectly good system and try to sitck in 134a did you?

[json79]

kragen sells a kit so that u can convert it to the 134a. All i had to do is put the fittings on.. and then i didnt let any gas out.. which i was told last nite mixing r12 and 134 isnt good.. So do i need to drain out the r12 first then do it? also do you know which one is LOW service port and the High? I have an idea whichone it is by tracing the piping. but i just want to make sure.

thanks for the reply

[jzz30]

you may have done a lot of damage. how much gas did you put in? how big was the can? do you have preasure gauges?