Okay, I see whatâs going on now. When you pushed the lever with no can of refrigerant connected, did anything come out of hose where the can would ordinarily go?
Seemed like only warm air with an occasional slight cooling, but would go back to warm almost immediately. I know this was bad to do. But I did it.
The static pressure is low on both vehicles; at least based on my experience with many makes and models. With engine and compressor off, both high and low sides should be in the roughly 120 PSI range give or take a tiny bit either way based on temps and so on.
Dropping to 10 is way too low and that points to a very low state of charge.
I wonder if that could just be because of my cheap gauge. When the Ridgeline is blowing cold air it is in the âgreenâ zone on the gauge. Hopefully that implies the charge is ok. The AC in the truck is very cold, even on hot days. I am leaving to drop the van off at the shop here in a little bit. So lets see what they find.
Donât be surprised if they say expansion valve is bad.
Tester
AC pressure is relative to ambient temperature under all conditions. At 90* the static pressure that I have seen was always about 90psi and increased as temperature went up while decreasing as temperature dropped. When operating at 90* temperature most systems would have a low side pressure between 30 and 40 psi and the high side between 275 and 325psi. There are many systems though using many various methods of controlling pressures and temperatures. The cycling clutch system was simple and relatively reliable. Electronically controlled variable displacements are the most difficult and expensive to deal with.
Now this could be the cause now that I am reading about the expansion valve. What a PIA to get to though. A lot cheaper than a compressor but you need to cut part of the dash out to get to it on the van. At the shop now, so waiting to hear back from them.
Problem turned out to be the compressor clutch. This is the second time that the clutch has separated from the compressor which is why it was repaired last time. Shop is putting a new, not rebuilt compressor in and a new dryer. Should have it back later today.
I am not sure that a compressor clutch explains all the symptoms that you have described.
Well after a good bashing from 90% of the replysâŠIâm gonna say good for you trying to troubleshoot your own stuff, Iâve rebuilt 7 of my own vehicle ac systems, the oldest one still blowing 44deg air on a 92 day, I much like you started with a âproblemâ tried to seek help from boards and local shops just to be told to walk away you can hurt yourself etc etcâŠits AC and to 99% of the populace its magicâŠITS NOT and itâs really SIMPLEâŠbuy yourself a set of amazon high/low guages and a vac pump, harbor frieght sells and inexpensive parts cleaner that will blow cleaning solution through the system, big box stores sell oring kits and UV dye, couple that with a few hours of studying temp charts and how simple gas systems work and youâll be well equipped to save some $$, to the haters, if every shop would quit charging a $100 flat fee to simply pull a vacuum for a customer or $800 for a compressor that cost $250 and evac/refill then people like us would come to you insteadâŠI fully understand you have regulation fees gas fees license fees equipment costs and shop overheads, I get it, itâs also a commodity most people want so cost vs demandâŠbut please hear me, if you stop gouging EVERY customer youâll have more work than you know what to do with, the secret is out, AC IS SIMPLE and the tools as well as knowledge easily affordable by most peopleâŠwant something hard, try troubleshooting an intermittent Can bus fault or hidden broken wires in a firewall from sensors to ecmâŠac systems are as simple as silly putty compared to thoseâŠspread your cost and profits over many customers instead of the 3 this weekâŠand the repairs I made above are on MY cars, the other 173 and climbing are friends family and people that cant afford your gouging
I wouldnât call it âgougingâ, Iâd simply call it charging for oneâs knowledge, skill, and time.
You have got to be kidding here. I am a journeyman HVAC technician (residential and commercial, NOT automotive), and the tools and knowledge do not come cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
I routinely find and solve problems which other technicians at other companies could not or would not find or solve. That isnât luck, itâs the result of having formal trainingâwhich I paid forâplus over 15 years of field experience. I have worked with plenty of inexperienced technicians, some who claim to have multiple years of experience, and they constantly misdiagnose complicated problemsâusually at the customerâs expense.
Also, I own several thousand dollars worth of tools and equipment, which I had to pay for, and are necessary to do my job. I have to spend money on an ongoing basis to replace worn-out or obsolete tools. While cheap, generic tools such as those from Harbor Freight Tools might be sufficient for a homeowner, professional quality tools cost professional money.
The company (my employer) has costs of running a business above and beyond merely paying the technicianâs wages and the cost of inventory. Customers expect that the company is insured, that we stand behind our work, that we are available when service is needed, etc. This all costs money, and a successful company has to pass these costs on to the customer. And of course, a reasonable customer has to understand what they are paying for, and it isnât to receive a product in a box. The fact that a particular part costs X amount of dollars online is really irrelevant; whatâs important is that the technician has the knowledge and expertise to correctly diagnose the problem, and to correctly perform the repair. That is what you are paying for.
I am, of course, NOT suggesting that companies should sell unnecessary products and services, nor am I suggesting that companies should gouge the customer on their prices. However, the prices you mentioned are perfectly legitimate, and if you donât think the shop prices are fair, feel free to acquire all of the necessary knowledge, tools, and equipment so you can do the work yourself. Since you apparently believe that A/C repair is so easy that anyone can do it, and that the tools and equipment are so cheap that anyone can afford them, this should be no big deal for you.
Not gouging? A âtypicalâ ac repair with compressor replacment clean evac fill is in east Tn an $800-$1400 jobâŠso letâs shoot low end and say $800 with a new compressor thatâs around your common variety ford chevy dodge for $250âŠ800-250 leaves 550, figure r134a is $2.99 a can here at rural king and even a big suv will only take about 3-4 cans then add cleaning solution tags and such so letâs say 200 in misc, that leaves 350âŠto do a compressor replacment blow cleaner through the system vaccum inject dye look for leaks and recharge should take around 2hrs, have yet to do one that took that long out of 173 of them, so lets say 2hrs for your âknowledge time work and expierenceâ thatâs still over $100 per hr for âlaborâ or knowledge as you call itâŠme, Iâve been doing electronics and telecom since I was 6 and Iâm now 51, I have one of the âbetterâ jobs in my area and my âknowledge skill experienceâ makes me an unbelievable $53hr for a grand total of over a 100kyr, and your making $100+ per hour on a system that hasnt changed in its basic functionality since the late 1800s and is very very simpleâŠYES THATS CALLED GOUGINGâŠand itâs also why Iâm on here attempting to help people instead of ridiculing them, my head and soul is clear at night, and Iâll spend the rest of my life giving out all the knowledge Iâve learned to help others FOR FREE just to see one housewife or young guy that dad didnt teach get gouged for your âknowledgeâ think about it, by being âfairâ I took 173 of your customers, they all helped me repair their own systems and realized yes, itâs that easy with a little knowledge and a $150 set of tools from amazon
I do a lot of my own work on cars and around the house. I leave AC to the pros. I am willing to pay for quality work on a complex system that I do not have the tools for (actually I do have HF gages for automotive AC, after using them a few times I went back to the pros) . $100 for an AC tech to do an hour or less work is reasonable and well within industry standards. Try to get a laptop repaired for $100.
Iâve come to the conclusion that you cannot have a reasonable discussion with someone whose mind is already made up. Thatâs you. If you want to give away your âknowledgeâ at bargain rates, it doesnât take anything out of my pocket.
Thatâs a silly business model. Keep lowering your rates until you have so much work youâll never get it all done. After years of managing and owning a repair shop, I learned to charge what the market will bear, and then charge a little more in order to manage your workload.
Somebody doesnât seem to understand that there is overhead to be paid. Lots of fixed costs. When pricing out the corporate research center when we went to a âpay for servicesâ model, we basically set the fee to triple the individualâs pay.
Running a professional a/c shop is a lot more than charging wholesale for the parts and adding on the out of pocket cost for the mechanic.
And bottom line - the shop charges what the market will bear, like @asemaster says - theyâre not in business to give me a bargain.
Me thinks mrwqualls is not going to make many friends here . I certainly would not want to have coffee with him.
To announce that you dislike a person is a poor contribution to the discussion. Express why you disagree with their posts. Is it because they are capable of repairing a vehicle and have no fear of raising a hood?