Automotive A/C Repair Recommendations?

[baralheia]

I've got a 2004 Chevy Malibu and the A/C just quit working in it, and I want to try and get it going again before temperatures spike. I think the clutch went bad, as the system is still fully charged with refrigerant and the belt doesn't squeal when I try to turn the A/C on. Can anyone recommend a good shop that does auto A/C and doesn't break the bank? I'd prefer somewhere near south OKC/Moore but honestly I'm willing to drive a bit if the work is done right for a good price!

[catch22]

What symptoms are you having?

If the A/C is intermittent, the clutch has gone bad. The clutch is electromagnetic and as it gets worn from normal use the operating clearances increase. When the clutch gets hot, the magnetism weakens, and is unable to overcome the increased distance between the clutch plate and the compressor. A good way to test this if the A/C is selected on, but no A/C is pumping (and you have the intermittent symptoms) is to take a broom stick and "kick" the clutch with it. If the clutch grabs and engages and the A/C begins to operate with cool air, it is a worn clutch. If it is, you can likely reshim the old clutch and save yourself several hundred dollars.

If your A/C does not work at all, it is more than likely the compressor.

[Relentless85]

Are you sure that the system is full of Freon? If the system becomes too low on freon, the compressor will not come on. It is a safety mechanism that keeps the clutch from engaging so other components don't become damaged. A mechanic can run some uv dye through the system to find a leak if there is one.

Can't recommend a mechanic, I try to do most of the car stuff my self.

[SoonerDave]

I used Corwine Automotive in Moore when my 04 Buick needed a whole new compressor. It wasn't cheap, but the compressors insides had finally just given up the ghost, not just the clutch. They did a good job and I'd recommend them.

[baralheia]

What symptoms are you having?

If the A/C is intermittent, the clutch has gone bad. The clutch is electromagnetic and as it gets worn from normal use the operating clearances increase. When the clutch gets hot, the magnetism weakens, and is unable to overcome the increased distance between the clutch plate and the compressor. A good way to test this if the A/C is selected on, but no A/C is pumping (and you have the intermittent symptoms) is to take a broom stick and "kick" the clutch with it. If the clutch grabs and engages and the A/C begins to operate with cool air, it is a worn clutch. If it is, you can likely reshim the old clutch and save yourself several hundred dollars.

If your A/C does not work at all, it is more than likely the compressor.

Between last fall and this spring, the A/C just doesn't work anymore. It's not intermittent. When I press the A/C button to command it on, I hear a click from under the hood (as usual) and the engine sound changes slightly, but the engine does not seem to be loaded down from the compressor, air from the vents never cools down, the high and low pressure lines in the engine compartment do not change temperature, and the pressure on the low-pressure service port does not come down as the compressor runs; the pressure on the low-side service port is off the scale high on the gauge from a can of freon (Autozone let me borrow one - one of these style gauges


I was under the impression that when a compressor fails, it's usually seized and thus the pulley wouldn't turn... Is that not the case?

[SoonerDave]

Between last fall and this spring, the A/C just doesn't work anymore. It's not intermittent. When I press the A/C button to command it on, I hear a click from under the hood (as usual) and the engine sound changes slightly, but the engine does not seem to be loaded down from the compressor, air from the vents never cools down, the high and low pressure lines in the engine compartment do not change temperature, and the pressure on the low-pressure service port does not come down as the compressor runs; the pressure on the low-side service port is off the scale high on the gauge from a can of freon (Autozone let me borrow one - one of these style gauges


I was under the impression that when a compressor fails, it's usually seized and thus the pulley wouldn't turn... Is that not the case?

Man your experience sounds nearly identical to mine - seized compressor.

If I recall the failure mode for my own compressor, it had seized up, but in the process of the motor still being "driven" the torque on the seized motor actually caused it to break up internally. When I contacted the mechanic at Corwine (and this has been three or so years ago, so the memory isn't 100% perfect), he told me something approximately in this vein. Bottom line, when it failed, it failed spectacularly

BTW, be *very* wary of those autozone/oreilly self-charge kits. The gauges on those things seem very flimsy and, at worst, unreliable/inaccurate. If they're wrong, you can easily overcharge your system, and that's bad news. You can typically pick up a decent set of automotive a/c gauges at Harbor Freight on a decent sale, which is what I did and they've worked fabulously.

[SoonerDave]

Between last fall and this spring, the A/C just doesn't work anymore. It's not intermittent. When I press the A/C button to command it on, I hear a click from under the hood (as usual) and the engine sound changes slightly, but the engine does not seem to be loaded down from the compressor, air from the vents never cools down, the high and low pressure lines in the engine compartment do not change temperature, and the pressure on the low-pressure service port does not come down as the compressor runs; the pressure on the low-side service port is off the scale high on the gauge from a can of freon (Autozone let me borrow one - one of these style gauges


I was under the impression that when a compressor fails, it's usually seized and thus the pulley wouldn't turn... Is that not the case?

Man your experience sounds nearly identical to mine - seized compressor.

If I recall the failure mode for my own compressor, it had seized up, but in the process of the motor still being "driven" the torque on the seized motor actually caused it to break up internally. When I contacted the mechanic at Corwine (and this has been three or so years ago, so the memory isn't 100% perfect), he told me something approximately in this vein. He told me it was worse than they had expected (price for the repair did not change, so I have no reason to think he was trying to sell a line to me or anything like that). Bottom line, when it failed, it failed spectacularly

BTW, be *very* wary of those autozone/oreilly self-charge kits. The gauges on those things seem very flimsy and, at worst, unreliable/inaccurate. If they're wrong, you can easily overcharge your system, and that's bad news. You can typically pick up a decent set of automotive a/c gauges at Harbor Freight on a decent sale, which is what I did and they've worked fabulously.

[baralheia]

Ooof... I sure hope not, compressors for my car start at $350, and especially if the thing shredded itself internally, I probably will be forced to replace more than the compressor. That's starting to sound more and more like a very expensive repair... and honestly, though I do love my Malibu, it's just not worth enough to sink that kind of money into it.

As for the self-charge kits, I know those kits are dangerous when you're actually using them to add refrigerant... When you're not monitoring both low and high side pressures, it's super easy to overcharge the system. The reason I used one is all I needed was the gauge... I wanted to see if the system was pressurized without just venting one of the QD ports to atmosphere, as well as get a rough idea as to how charged the system was. In the end, it showed me that the compressor wasn't running, lol. I do most of the repairs on my own vehicle and if I felt more confident about doing A/C work I probably would pick up a gauge set... but it seems like much more hassle to do myself than I'm really comfortable with, especially since a lot of the fun toys (refrigerant recovery systems, vacuum pumps, solvent flush machines, etc) cost big bucks.

[SSEiYah]

Ooof... I sure hope not, compressors for my car start at $350, and especially if the thing shredded itself internally, I probably will be forced to replace more than the compressor. That's starting to sound more and more like a very expensive repair... and honestly, though I do love my Malibu, it's just not worth enough to sink that kind of money into it.

As for the self-charge kits, I know those kits are dangerous when you're actually using them to add refrigerant... When you're not monitoring both low and high side pressures, it's super easy to overcharge the system. The reason I used one is all I needed was the gauge... I wanted to see if the system was pressurized without just venting one of the QD ports to atmosphere, as well as get a rough idea as to how charged the system was. In the end, it showed me that the compressor wasn't running, lol. I do most of the repairs on my own vehicle and if I felt more confident about doing A/C work I probably would pick up a gauge set... but it seems like much more hassle to do myself than I'm really comfortable with, especially since a lot of the fun toys (refrigerant recovery systems, vacuum pumps, solvent flush machines, etc) cost big bucks.

I used MileX Mr. Transmission at 3900 Williams St to replace my compressor about 6 years ago. They did a good job I think however it was by far the cheapest price, several hundred cheaper than the other shops I called to get quote. This was in the middle of July so other shops may like to gouge however it was middle of July, it had to be done. The AC still ran great until I sold it a year later.

Make sure its not the relay. I had the AC go out on my high mileage Acura last summer, I thought the compressor died however ended up hooking the clutch connector to a mulitmeter and no juice, replaced the relay ($6 or so on ebay) and its worked ever since.

[rtz]

Good place for AC repairs http://www.aandhokc.com/

Used to be a place down by the fair grounds that only did AC work. That place moved or merged and became this place. Have had several vehicles AC worked on and they did it at a fair price.

[BBatesokc]

Just throwing this out there... I own several cars at any one time. My nicer cars (Infiniti, Toyota, Volvo) I like to take to the dealer (yeah, I know "bend over". I just this week paid $800 for a starter at the Infiniti dealer that would have only been $450 at Metric Motors) or very well known local mechanic shops. However, I also own 'less expensive' vehicles like my Ford f150 or Prius. When they need repairs I've several times used YourMechanic.com (I use their iOS app) with really good luck. Their mechanic comes to you and their services have a warranty (no idea how good the warranty really is, as I've never had to use it).

I've had them do oil changes, replace all my belts, a starter, pulleys, fluid exchanges, etc. Each time the price was significantly cheaper than a local shop (and always way cheaper than the dealer). The one time the quoted price wasn't that great, they actually reduced their price to get my business. For most repairs I see the option to 'supply your own parts.' This would be good if you pulled the part yourself from somewhere and wanted to save even more.

The best part for me is that the price has always been the lowest, the mechanics so far have always seemed reliable and they come to you. They can do the work in your driveway, though I always sweep out the garage and let them work in there where it's shaded and they have easy access to electricity.

Just a thought and you can get a no obligation quote.