workingprogress

Hey guys well i moved to San Antonio TX from CA for work and well my A/C is not working!!! so im stuck with hot weather and no salvation during my drives to work in Downtown SA and the up coming summer.

Does anyone know of a place that can fix my ac or a Z mechanic In San Antonio. Im stuck with the old R12 Coolant Freon so i dont have many options any advise or people you guys know that can fix my AC would be great.

ps im not to savvy with electrical so i cant say i can do it myself without messing things up and any advice to keep the car cool in the Texas Heat

NismoPick

You will likely spend A LOT of $$$ paying a shop to work on an R12 system. R12 is now technically illegal in the US, so the price per pound has gone through the roof, and shops add their cost on top of that.

Before blowing an entire paycheck (or two), do some basic checks yourself...

Has the a/c ever worked while in your possession?
Does the a/c pump kick on when you turn on the a/c?
Can you see any liquid or bubbles in the eyeglass window on the passenger side engine bay?

workingprogress

Hey Nismo, yeah ive had some estimates in some run down shops and well they see the car and think im rolling in money sometimes so they give me these outrageous quotes
as for if it has worked under my possession no, but i was told by PO it worked, the ac does engage when i turn on the switch you can here it blowing and the clutch and fan are working, just air only comes out of the floor vent and defroster and you can feel some air coming out of the main vents but its very minimal to non. as for liquid or bubbles in the eyeglass window i dont see anything or recall seeing anything so idk what else it could be other than maybe its out of R12 or there is a leak that does not let the air blow out the main vents?.... what you guys think

NismoPick

So to be clear, the outside a/c compressor clutch does kick on when you select a/c? The one right in front of the accessory fan belt?

Common problem (I've talked about this one 100 times). Vacuum leak problem.

If it's out of R12, or too low pressure, the a/c compressor clutch will not kick on. If it's slightly low (enough to not blow cold), you can tell by the eyeglass window (see FSM / Haynes for high / low bubbles).

SHADY280

They make a butane based kit that mixes with r12 or r134. You can also buy a small gauge with the kit that hooks to the low side and can recharge your system. Also you can by a leak stop can that will fix any minor seeps in the system. All of which I have and use. It's called dura cool and can be done at home. On the gauge you want 35-38 psi to achieve good cooling. Hope that helps.