# Plz help with my AC **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [August 29, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764 "2019-08-29T20:53:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Maxstamey191919_156841)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/1 "2019-08-29T20:53:16Z")
Hey guys, any insight would be appreciated. My ac has been blowing hot in my Nissan Sentra 2014 for a while now. I went to get it checked out and they say it’s 50/50 either my expansion valve or compressor. They want 215 for the valve or 729 for the compressor. Anybody help with some advice? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/2 "2019-08-29T21:05:17Z")
Take it to another shop. They should have been able to tell whether it’s the expansion valve or the compressor causing the problem by connecting a set of manifold gauges to the system and monitoring the low/high side pressures. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Maxstamey191919_156841)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/3 "2019-08-29T21:15:46Z")
Thanks so much for replying. How much do you think is a reasonable rate for someone to look at it? Just paid 70 today. And I read about that today and seen you could do that. No clue why they didn’t ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/4 "2019-08-29T21:18:20Z")
Where you live determines the cost for automotive diagnostics. So I can’t say. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Maxstamey191919_156841)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/5 "2019-08-29T21:19:12Z")
Ok, well thanks though. Not sure why they didn’t do as you said ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/6 "2019-08-29T21:43:28Z")
Yes, get a second opinion from another shop that specializes in auto air conditioning. ---
**Author:** ![Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Maxstamey191919_156841)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/7 "2019-08-29T21:49:32Z")
Don’t believe there is anyone near me that specializes in it, I have called around and it seems everybody has a different answer as to if it’s the valve or compressor. ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/8 "2019-08-29T22:04:39Z")
You can’t " call around" this needs to be diagnosed “hands on”. Just Google " automotive air conditioning repair near me". ---
**Author:** ![Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@Maxstamey191919\_156841](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Maxstamey191919_156841)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/9 "2019-08-29T22:48:16Z")
I’m aware, but unless you wanna pay the $100 charge every time someone looks then right on ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/10 "2019-08-30T02:53:56Z")
Ask around, your friends, co-workers, fellow church-goers who they use for auto AC problems. Then choose one of the shops, tell them the problem, and pay them to fix it. I think the problem you may be having is you are asking them to tell you how much it is going to cost, and they’re saying they don’t know until they do more testing. And you’re reluctant to let them do the testing b/c you aren’t sure if they are a reliable shop. But if your coworker has already told you they did a good job for them, then you have evidence the shop knows what they are doing & is likely to produce a result, so you’ll tell them to go ahead. That’s what needs to happen. Here’s a good four part tutorial on how automobile AC systems work, fyi [http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2\_articleid/256](http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/256) ---
**Author:** ![gcttutor\_156480](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@gcttutor\_156480](https://community.cartalk.com/u/gcttutor_156480)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/plz-help-with-my-ac/147764/11 "2019-08-30T02:58:18Z")
Why don’t you take a look for yourself online and see if you can diagnose the problem? For instance, is the clutch activating when the ac is turned on (take a flash light and shine it on the clutch and see if it activates when the ac is turned on).