A/C saga continues PLEASE HELP
 

OK, I am getting a little frustrated and I need some help. So far I have installed a brand new Subaru compressor and a brand new Subaru filter/dryer. I still have crap for cold air coming out of the vents. I vac'ed the system down to -30 and it held the pressure. I have low side pressure right now set at about 65. When the compressor comes on, it only pulls the pressure down to about 45-50. I am getting about 70 degrees at the vents right now at best. The Subie shop originally told me the compressor was bad. The refrigeration tech at work told me the compressor was bad. I do not think the brand new, shipped straight from Japan compressor is bad...

I think I've done all I'm comfortable doing from a do-it-yourself point of view, and the car is going in the shop ASAP. I hope someone here can suggest some other possibilities so I know what to expect when I take it in to the shop. Expansion valve maybe?

Thanks!

Mike "$500 in the hole and still sweatin' it out to Lafayette"

Mike - not that I can offer any real help, but are you running R12 or R134?

Ron.

It's 134. I now have a '94 compressor and filter/dryer that were designed for 134. I also have an appointment at Heritage first thing tomorrow morning. If I am really lucky, I may still get some cold AC in time for the drive.

I had my car changed over to 134 when I bought it. The ac has been cold since then. It has cut out a few times but I think that was when the coolant system was not vented properly.

The other thing I have wondered about is the oil for the compressor. Does the new compressor come with oil or does it have to be filled? If there is no oil in it, does it work?

The new compressor appeared to be "primed" with oil when I removed the plug seals. Certainly not enough to make much difference in the overall system, though. I used a coolant/oil charge mix when I charged the system, before the compressor was even turned on. I am sure there was plenty of oil in there before the compressor was switched on.

The numbers vary according to ambient temp, but mine with a rebuilt compressor & new drier showed about 28 on the low side, 215 on the high at 2000rpm - I think it was about 80F outside.

Given you got at least 2 oz of oil (and the right kind) in the system before turning over the compressor, I would guess it's the expansion valve - of course my guesses almost always are wrong. It's a real PITA to get to the expansion valve and the whole system has to be pulled down, etc. You don't mention high side pressure - that's a good thing to know. Is there a considerable temp difference between the low pressure side hose near the compressor and the hose outlet from the evaporator - should be able to tell by touch? Have you tried spraying a fine mist on the condensor (you only want enough water to cause evaporative cooling)? There's other cheap tests before going to the dealer, lbut all the other tests I can think of at the moment need a high pressure side reading.

Mike - Did Heritage $olve the problem?

Ron.

Ron-

It is in the $ho,pri,ght,now

:eek:

Should be in business
 

Well, it is looking like I am going to drive to Indiana with air condtioning after all. It was the condensor pipe (part #73052PA000). Apparently this was leaking and the pressure switch built into the line was not working. Things looked grim when the local dealership (Heritage) could not find the part anywhere in the area.

Thanks a lot to C. Scott Williams at

1stSubaruParts.com

for helping me track the part down at a dealership in Augusta, Georgia. Thanks to UPS for getting the part delivered to Heritage at about 6:30 this morning. The guys at Heritage were great about working my car into the schedule at the last minute as well (they know all about the meet).

Of course, I haven't seen the a/c in action yet, but I've got a pretty good feeling about this :)

If you're in this area, Heritage Subaru has a great service department. They are not cheap, though.