So this is the truck I bought back in August or something, it had sat for 7 years. 04 Heritage, 4.2. All is working well except the A/C. It was at the bottom of my priorities, but now it is time to look into it. The compressor does not kick on when you hit the A/C switch. I can jumper it and it does so it is not locked up. Makes no unusual noise either. It will not take a charge though. I presume there is a leak someplace and with no vacuum in the system it just doesn't go in. Is there anything else I can check before paying someone to find and fix? I do not have a vacuum pump or gauges that I can connect to the system other than the gauge that came on the DIY R134 kit I bought. And it shows 0. I am really hesitant to pay a shop for this as this seems to be one of the biggest rip offs in repair. At least that is how my co-workers seem to think when I asked about who to use. I really don't know what I am doing on this. I guess I could buy the tools and parts and give it a shot for way less than a shop, but I also might dork it up and have to pay someone anyway.

 

You don’t have the tools. Enlist a shop for this.

It only comes across as a rip if you (your friends) don’t know what goes into this. The EPA keeps a close eye on refrigerant disposal and whatnot and as we all know, gubmint makes things more expensive.

 

If you don't know what you're doing, then don't do it. The A/C can get botched really easy. With zero tools at your disposal, that makes it even worse.

 

A/C is one of the few things I pay a pro to do (and I worked as a mechanics assistant doing helping with A/C repairs 20 years ago).
Yes, it is expensive, but it can be more expensive if you screw it up.
The tools and equipment needed for correct A/C repair work are expensive, and as mentioned, the govt' regulation of it adds to the cost as well.

There is a huge difference between a system being a little low and adding a can of R134 every year or two (I just added 2 cans to mine for the first time in 4 years) and having a non-working system and trying to add R134 to it.
Can you go to Harbor Freight/Northern tool and buy a set of gauges and a vacuum pump, go by Walmart and grab a few cans of R134 and dye and take care of it yourself for < $200?
Possibly.
But unless you know what the problem is, you are taking a guess that it is just low on R134.
It could still be the compressor, or the dryer, or condenser, or evaporator, debris in system, bad switch, clogged orifice, expansion valve, leaky o-rings or schrader valve, or a combination of these.

At minimum you should get a vacuum on it and see if it holds. If it does, you can try adding the R134 (with oil and leak detector) yourself. You may get lucky and that is all that is wrong with it.
I know Harbor freight sells a cheapie A/C vacuum that you use with an air compressor to pull a vacuum that seems to have good reviews, and is only like $10 (LINK), but you still need a gauge set to see if it holds vacuum.

 

Air conditioning is a rip off. haha
Sorry, just having fun for a second.

You are chasing a problem and not sure how, but you don't want to get ripped off but you want your air conditioning to work.

I challenge you to volunteer to drive your friends around the next time you go out and when they say your A/C sucks, just let them know you have considered their advice and the repairs are a ripoff. The point -your Co-Workers are not helping you any more than the opinions of the internet are.

 

Solid advice folks. I hate to spend a fortune on it, but I also want it to be right. Heck I barely have 2 grand in the whole truck including everything I have done to it and the purchase price.

 

Well you can do it yourself it's not that hard.
Don't be scared of it.

If your compressor runs that's great, that doesn't mean it's good . After sitting for 7 years it would not be unheard of to have the compressor shaft seal leak. With lack of oil, it dries out and shrinks. As do o-rings in the system.

If all the freon leaked out, air and moisture probably leaked in too, and that makes acid which corrodes the thin aluminum parts in the evaporator core and condenser. So you can spend the long time looking for leaks.... And then have more occur after you start using it.

So, here's the safest thing to do. Replace everything.
Then all you have to do is make sure you have the right amount of oil in your new compressor. Then you can just take it somewhere and they'll vacuum it down for you... And charge it. Fairly cheaply. Sears used to do this very cheap.

A bunch of work, but it's not that hard and it's not that expensive. And it's cheaper than paying somebody else to do all the labor replacing parts, it's that labor that's the killer..... Particularly on an evaporator core.


Now if you want to try repairing only found leaks first and try using your existing compressor...... You can do that too. Just know that after you do all that work you may find that you've got to do it over again....... And that's the thing about AC work it's never worth the money to take shortcuts and risk repeating the work.

So you can use compressed air and pressurize the system and then leak check with soapy water. And look for leaks. You will be able to soap everything that's not behind the firewall in the evaporator core box. By default if you don't find any leaks in the engine bay it is the evaporator core.

Evaporator cores are no fun to change out. I've got one on my sons 2008 Nissan Altima right now I have to do that I am not looking forward to....... They built that car without ever intending it to be replaced. In fact the factory manual does not even tell you how to. I replace a couple other vehicles evaporators and from what I can see this one is much worse than those with regard to what you have to take out to get the dash out. The compressor alone was fairly difficult. The hardest part of it was probably convincing myself it was even possible.... Had to find a YouTube video that corroborated that it was possible cuz it sure didn't look possible..... If my hands have been any larger it would not have been.

As bad as the compressor was on that altima ,the alternator is even worse... Because to take the alternator out....... you have to take the compressor out first. Talk about Fd up. I will never own another Nissan you can write that on the ***** house wall




.

 

This is actually not a bad idea.