anyone know about car A/C?

My 2004 Kia Sedona air conditioning went out. It blows hot air.

The mechanic tells me the compressor is out (it's "resisting") and I was low 2.8lbs or oz (I forget). OK, fine.

He also says if I replace that I should also replace the "accumulator/drier" and the "expansion valve".

Those last two are almost half the total cost... Does that sound right that I'd need all three pieces and not just the compressor?

He said to get warranty (3 year) I had to do all 3... I don't know... seems excessive to me.

Thoughts on that?

 

Have you checked the frion lately? Might actually just need to be recharged.

Seems like a lot of "extra" money to be made on his part.

 

They said the freon was low... I do know freon lasts forever, so if it's low there's a leak... They said 2.8 oz or lbs, I don't remember now :-/

 

The compressor has a clutch that kicks in when the AC is turned on. Can you confirm that it's not engaging? Adding to what Metal mentioned, if the unit is totally out or extremely low on Freon (R-134), the clutch will not engage and of course you won't have any cool air. Units often develop a leak and at times, it's as simple as adding Freon.

To the other items, a clear no.

 

If it's Freon, just add more. Hoses often eventually leak. If you want to replace something, Junkyard parts FTW. Especially on a Kia. =)

 

I would just go to walmart or advance and get the DIY freon stuff. For $20 its worth a try. Could save you a lot of money.

 

Take it for a second opinion or find a friend with a set of A/C manifold gauges to recharge the system if possible. Most A/C systems, if blowing cold yesterday and then today it's not, means you probably have a refrigerant leak. If it were a bad compressor / clutch, usually there would be excessive noise related (but not always) and the air temp coming out would vary intermittently (again not always) but I would start with charging the system first to get the compressor cycling. If you get it to cycle and start blowing cold, you have a leak and hopefully a slow leak (can get you through the next few months no prob). Make sure whoever charges the system uses R134a with the correct PAG oil (not freon).

It's difficult to diagnose anything without seeing the vehicle but I would start there.

 

I would take it somewhere else and get a second opinion. Sounds like he just wants to replace everything rather than actually find out whats wrong. My truck has had a leak for 2 years now. I have to re-charge it every summer, then it last about 3 months. So it gets me threw the summer.

Oh ya mine is a 1999 expedition, original A/C. So your 2004 shouldn't be in that bad of shape.

 

That is the route I would go to as well.

I was actually licensed through ESCO to do AC work, granted in home use, but an AC system is not really much different from car to home.

Make sure that you get the r134a with the leak stopper. And don't put too much in.

As mentioned before, if there is too little refrigerant, the clutch won't engage. I have a feeling simply adding more r134a with a little leak stopper additive would fix the issue.

Yes, when you replace 1 item on an AC system, you really should replace other items. But I have done many 1 part fixes (lines, compressors, etc) and they work just fine afterward. I've been "fixing' my 93 jeep's AC every year for the last 3 by simply adding 1 can every summer. It works fine that way, and to pay the big bucks to replace all the parts (in my case) would be more than the truck is worth.

If you were closer, I would check it out myself. I always have a few cans of r134a on hand.

 

im a mercedes benz tech,

i wouldnt know if your compressor needs to be replaced unless i looked at it but usually when a compressor seizes you will know when you turn on the a/c and the clutch engages because your belt will squeak or your belt tensioner will jump all over (tensioner is where the slack for the belt is taken out you can usually tell which one this is because it bounces around alittle)

also if you do need a compressor, Yes a receiver dryer does need to be replaced, there is a section inside that dryer which contains desiccant that absorbs moisture out of the system and once exposed to the atmosphere for a period of time (time it takes to replace your compressor) the bag of desiccant is no longer any good.

i also agree on the expansion valve replacement, because if that compressor IS siezing the smallest area for debris of the seizing compressor to get stuck is the expansion valve, so replacement of it is recommended.

hope this helps.