I know I'm not repairing yet, but Air conditioning?

[2xclutchin]

My car came with A/C. At some point in time they took the belt off of it and this is how I got the car some 6 years ago. I was wondering, if the pully spins freely (yes, I know not just the clutch but the hub itself.) is it safe to hook a belt to and try it out?

To the best of my knowledge all the peices are there. This heat has just had me really thinking about A/C.

[Charlie1717]

I'm not really sure but at least you will get this bumped back up. I haven't had a car with a/c... ever.... so I don't know much about a/c haha.
I don't think there would be a problem giving it a shot. Is there still pressure in the a/c lines? I don't think anything bad could come of trying.

I'd wait for a second opinion though

[GenevaDirt]

check for pressure. If there is none....then putting a belt on it will do nothing. I am no mechanic (back yard maybe) but if there is pressure...throw a belt on it and see what happens. If none....you can always go the route of getting an ac kit from somewhere and see if it holds pressure or has leaks. Or if you know someone or they have a cheap ac service special going on....have them look at it and see what they say. JMO

[2xclutchin]

I'm not really sure but at least you will get this bumped back up. I haven't had a car with a/c... ever.... so I don't know much about a/c haha.
I don't think there would be a problem giving it a shot. Is there still pressure in the a/c lines? I don't think anything bad could come of trying.

I'd wait for a second opinion though

Honestly I couldn't tell you about presure in the lines. I was on my way to work today, and it hit me that I have an A/C car, and am not using it to it's full potential. (O.K. maybe because I have some extra 'insulation' and this heat is to much, but still.) haha

[GenevaDirt]

Honestly I couldn't tell you about presure in the lines. I was on my way to work today, and it hit me that I have an A/C car, and am not using it to it's full potential. (O.K. maybe because I have some extra 'insulation' and this heat is to much, but still.) haha

know all about the extra padding brother. You can take a screw driver or something ad touch the valve that you would put refrigerant in and see if it has a charge. A little pressure will be present even if there is no charge just because of the heat. But if it has force and oil comes out..stop. You have pressure and it may just need a belt or it might need a recharge to bring it up to pressure.

[2xclutchin]

know all about the extra padding brother. You can take a screw driver or something ad touch the valve that you would put refrigerant in and see if it has a charge. A little pressure will be present even if there is no charge just because of the heat. But if it has force and oil comes out..stop. You have pressure and it may just need a belt or it might need a recharge to bring it up to pressure.

Alrighty, I work til 12 tonight (no shop to work in at night), but tomorrow is my day off and I'll let eveyone know how it goes.

Man I sure will feel "cool" if I get that A/C working. hehehe :p

[georgeb]

I'm no a/c expert, (except removal), but spinning the pulley won't reveal if the comp is locked up. The clutch must be energized to spin the unit, either with the motor or maybe by hand with the stuff turned on.

[htchbck]

Make sure the pulley itself will spin without the out clutch hub spinning. That will tell you that the pulley bearing and/or clutch are both ok. Then see if the outer hub on the very "front" (pass side) of the compressor will spin as well. If it does, then the comp is not locked up. No need to have anything running to perform either of the two tests I just mentioned, in fact, DON'T have anything running. If the compressor is not locked, check to see if the AC has a charge like Genevadirt explained.

You also need to determine if the system has been converted to R134a or if it is still using R12. If the charging ports are threaded connectors, it likely has not been converted. If the ports have adapters on them that look like this:



Then it has been converted to R134a. If it has not been converted, I'd recommend taking it to a shop, where they can evacuate the system, cleaning out all the crud and can also tell you if there is a leak. If there is a leak, either you or they will have to repair it before charging the system. If there is not a leak, they can convert it to R134a or you can buy the kit and convert it yourself, after they have already evacuated it.

[2xclutchin]

No presure in the system. Compressor spins freely. Looks like an AC shop is in my future. Doesn't appear to be converted either.
Thanks for the replies!

[2xclutchin]

I spoke to a shop today, the local chrysler dealership where my family and I have always gone.

First I was told that it could run $250-$600 just for the kit. Then $140-$175 for shop time. Well thank God they actually called the place they get parts from (I think they just didn't want to do the work to be honest, theyr'e the only non crooked shop in town, so they are always busy) and the kit was $25.00. How is that labor estimate?

I really wish we had a specialized A/C repair place in town.

Then the question begs how much will the R-134a run?

Should I maybe just have the shop evacuate it, test it, and fill it myself? I'm not a imbocile when it comes to turning a wrench, but I have never done anything with an A/C system, so I'm scared. :p lol

[Christ]

For that estimate, I'd consider just buying the upgrade kit myself, having them evacuate/flush it, and then grab a $34 charge/leak detector kit from VatoZone. Even if you absolutely screw it up, you're only out maybe $60 total, and you still have the option of having the shop do it.