know anything about ac compressors in cars.

[D-train-13k]

hey guys. im pretty good with working on cars and how everything works. but one thing i never got into was the air conditioning units. my moms 2007 ford freestyle will only blow cold air when shes driving. so i figured recharging the compressor would do the trick but some guy told me that there are other issues that ive gotta look at before i just went and started chargin it. So i wasnt gonna work on something i had no idea of how to work.

anyways. mom took it to ford and they said its gonna cost 1500 dollars.

ive got the work order and it is as follows.

replace compressor and orifice tube- 910.00

replace dryer bottle-572.50

replace air filter element-49.75

just need some extra opinions on this.

i know that dealerships will try to replace everything they can to make money. and some are too lazy to actually look at the part before they want to replace it.

i just find it unlikely that the entire system needs to be replaced.

[EclipseChris]

Heres the thing about a/c systems. You need a special machine to take all the gasses out before you can work on them. If you don't have the machine, do not work on an a/c system. And don't say, well its not working its empty, because thats not the case. Just take it to a local shop and have them work on it. It will be less than 1500 and typically they will only replace the stuff you need if they are a good shop because they don't want your car in their shop and away from you.

I say all this because i work at a ma and pa type automotive repair shop. We do work on ac but you have to be a good customer and understand that if someone replaces an item in the a/c system, and another thing goes bad, do not blame whomever worked on the car. This stuff happens all we can do as a tech is say sorry.

Hope this helps at all.

[dyeagain15]

Well if the compressor goes, there's usually a build up in it that messes up the piston in the compressor. (Correct me if I'm wrong, we're going over this in my heating and air conditioning class now ) it's actually easy to replace and could probably do it in your garage if you have a recovery machine, and can get to it. The orfice tube (I'm looking at my book now) has a fine mesh screen in it that protects the inlet and outlet from foreign matter in the lines, and if it gets blocked, the air conditioning won't work right. As for the dryer bottle im gonna assume the section accumulator which stores excess reserver liquid in the lines, with might also have foreign matter in it too. My best guess would be to have a shop do it, for this part over just the compressor. Probably get quotes from independent shops before you take it to a dealership

[D-train-13k]

yeah i know over charging and undercharging can cause it to not work properly. yeah. i just find 1500 to be ridiculous on a 3 year old car.

[D-train-13k]

Well if the compressor goes, there's usually a build up in it that messes up the piston in the compressor. (Correct me if I'm wrong, we're going over this in my heating and air conditioning class now ) it's actually easy to replace and could probably do it in your garage if you have a recovery machine, and can get to it. The orfice tube (I'm looking at my book now) has a fine mesh screen in it that protects the inlet and outlet from foreign matter in the lines, and if it gets blocked, the air conditioning won't work right. As for the dryer bottle im gonna assume the section accumulator which stores excess reserver liquid in the lines, with might also have foreign matter in it too. My best guess would be to have a shop do it, for this part over just the compressor. Probably get quotes from independent shops before you take it to a dealership

yeah i knew a shop would definitely have to be considered. i just dont want my mom to be taken advantage of cause she doesnt know anything about it.

[dyeagain15]

yeah i knew a shop would definitely have to be considered. i just dont want my mom to be taken advantage of cause she doesnt know anything about it.

oh for sure man, hope it helped if at all. If it were me, i'd have someone recover the refrigerant, change the compressor myself, then take it to someone to do the rest if possible.

[cracker]

damn an 07 needing that many parts replaced? that sounds kinda weird IMO cuz if every one of them needed replacing i wouldnt think it would work at all andwithout any grinding nois or any other noise at that? id get a second shop to check it out for sure before spendin another min at that shop

[D-train-13k]

oh for sure man, hope it helped if at all. If it were me, i'd have someone recover the refrigerant, change the compressor myself, then take it to someone to do the rest if possible.

i might do that.

im gonna get some quotes from some other places first. then figure out my options

thanks guys

[D-train-13k]

damn an 07 needing that many parts replaced? that sounds kinda weird IMO cuz if every one of them needed replacing i wouldnt think it would work at all andwithout any grinding nois or any other noise at that? id get a second shop to check it out for sure before spendin another min at that shop

exactly! my mom took it there and i think they're just taking advantage of her. stuff like that doesnt just go bad that quick. and my mom drives her car like a grandma. so its not like they broke from misuse.

[toytrkdrvr]

Just to clarify, A/C works good when shes is cruising at 50+mph but does not blow cold when stopped at a red light for a while?

I would check and make sure the radiator fan is coming on when you select the a/c to be on when at idle sitting in park. IF its not, it should to keep a/c system pressures low in their operating range. Otherwise pressures will be too high and the pressure transducers will turn off a/c operation until pressures drop. When traveling above 40mph the fan does not need to operate to keep a/c system pressures down as much as airflow through the grille should be enough for that.