QuestionHello Again Dick,
Thanks so much. I just wanted to be sure.
I uderstand what your saying. I am a former custom car uphoulsterer/fabricator. Been around quite a few 36 chevy's. LOL
I am not real good on the electrical stuff is all.
Thanks again. Ill give it a recharge and see what happens.
Should I get oil and sealer too?
Roger
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Followup To
Question -
Hello again Dick,
I guess that the system could have lost its charge but if that is the case would that keep the 2 wire lead going to the compreesor itself from energizing because that wire on my 93 lumina is energized when the ignition is turned on. My 96 does not.
Roger
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Followup To
Question -
Hello Dick,
I have a 1996 Chevy Lumina LS with 75,000 miles a 3.1 V6 and automatic trans. Last fall I replaced the head and intake gaskets because of an overheating problem. Got the overheating problem repaired great. During this repair I had to unbolt the ac compressor and lay it to the side to get to the engine mount on the side of the head in order to replace the head gasket. I did not take anything else from the ac system loose. I now do not have power getting to the compressor. I tried to jump the low pressure switch and I can get both fans to run but not the compressor. I can ground the compressor relay in the underhood fuse block and get the compress to come on but it does not cool.
Please help. I am at a loss as to were to go from here. I dont see how it could have lost freon. The system worked great before the head and intake gasket change.
Answer -
This car is way to new for me to know much about, but I believe that you have lost your refrigerant, probably due to moving things around while you worked on it. That often happens, just repositioning the components causes a seal to let go enough to vent out the refrigerant.
The low pressure switch you jumped is probably not the one that prevents the compressor from coming on, there must be another one somewhere in the system. However, since you did get the compressor turning, and it still did not cool, you've pretty well proven that it is out of refrigerant. There are other, more expensive reasons why it might not be cooling, but let's try this first!
You can recharge it yourself - if it isn't already converted to R-134, now is the time to do it. Go to your local auto parts place and buy the kit - it costs less than $50, including refrigerant and the new type oil, and you will probably fix your problem. (You'll have to jump the relay again to get the compressor to come on so you can recharge it.)
Dick
Answer -
Yep, that's exactly what it does, at least on other cars with the "yer out of freon" switch that I have worked on. Remember, I'm not really very knowledgeable about new cars like yours. If you were asking about a '36 chevy, I could be a lot more precise.
The switch is to prevent running the compressor when there is no refrigerant, because doing so will burn it up pretty quickly, as the lubricant requires freon in the system to keep the bearings happy.
You can just wire 12 volts directly to the clutch and quickly add refrigerant to get the pressure up high enough that the switch will kick in.
Dick
AnswerYes, the conversion kit to R134 comes with the oil, but some kits have a sealer that will fix a minor leak - I've never tried it but I understand from others that it works very well - it couldn't hurt! I'm assuming that your car came with R12, but I could be wrong - you can tell from the fittings - they are different for R134. If it had R134 already, you don't need to worry about the oil, it should have been updated when it was converted, or maybe it even came new with R134 - I don't know the changeover year. My 85 Chevy had R12, and I didn't buy another new car until 1998 - it was R134 - so your car could be either one, I guess.
I miss the old mohair interior of the 30s chevys and other cars. My oldest car now is a 47 Packard - with broadcloth interior - also a very nice feel. I wish there were a "Hamptom Coach" equivalent for Packards - they are the big Chevy upholstery house, I guess.
Dick
