Car help

[KillerVee]

If I post here asking questions about my car, will you guys help me ? I don't know shit about fuck.

 

[fordman84]

We can try

 

[KillerVee]

Super.

 

[KillerVee]

I have a beater ass car a client sold me six months ago for $500. A 97 VW golf (k2 edition). It's been good to me and I've already driven it to Oregon and back twice so I think I've gotten my monies worth.

But the AC barely works. It takes forever to get going and on full blast it's just a kind of cool breeze . Normally not an issue at all but I'm moving to Austin next month. I'm already terrified of melting to death and I don't want my little doggie who I take everywhere with me to suffer either.

Do ACs just kind of die out? How do I make it better?

 

[mrwallace2ku]

1) worn seals in AC system?

2) recharge system with coolant?

3) worn out compressor/belt?

YouTube is great help for troubleshooting yourself otherwise an analysis at a auto shop could be worth the money IF ya want to keep car with AC.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Yeah, go to an Advanced Auto Parts store and tell them to help you buy a can to recharge your AC. If they're cool and not too busy, they might just walk out and hook the can up to charge it...or show you how to do it in a few minutes.

You may or may not want to show a little nipple - might help.

 

[outofyourmind]

No, stop, don't.
Did it ever blow really cold since you have had it.???
Or has it been the same 'kindofcold' since day one??
In any case.......


Take it to an authorized A/C garage.
Have them evacuate the system.
While they get the old shit out they will be able to tell if it has a major leak.
They will recharge it with the proper lubricating oil and refrigerant.
Only time will tell if you have a small leak. If you do, maybe it's really really slow and will last a while.
Good luck in Austin in the Hot Ass Summer Time without A/C.

 

[KillerVee]

He told me when I bought it that the AC didn't really work. I've only used it a couple of times.

 

[Camfantasy]

Take it to someone who has some gauges to see if your refrigerant is low....or buy a can of refrigerant with gauges attached. If the pressure is low....add however much you need. If it is low, it has leaked at some point and most likely will leak again. It could be a slow leak that could take years to require another can, or it could be major and gone in minutes. If it is major it would depend on where the leak is at as to whether or not it would be worth fixing and would probably require someone with more experience with automotive refrigerant systems to diagnose and fix.

If your pressure is good and still no cold air, you should just take it to a shop because whatever it is will probably not be diagnosable or fixable by a novice without the tools necessary.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

Good advice Cam...


-check current refrigerant pressure

-evac old coolant (refrigerant)

-check to see if AC system can hold constant pressure with air

-if system can hold air pressure, evac air from system and add new coolant. If AC system cannot hold air pressure...replace system seals and then add new coolant (refrigerant)

GL2U

 

[fordman84]

You guys telling her to go to a shop are advising her to go spend $200 on a $500 car.

Just go to an auto parts store or even walmart and buy a can of R134 with the gauge already on top, like this

Arctic Freeze Ready-To-Use Arctic Freeze Kit: Automotive : Walmart.com

Hook it up to the only port it will fit (can't accidentally connect to the high side, no worries) and charge it. The gauge will tell you when it is full. It's better to spend the $40 on a can of oil and have it last maybe the summer than $200+ to pull a vacuum and a full charge that will likely require a lot more parts. A 97 that hasn't worked well in a while probably has bad seals anyways. I bet that can will recharge your system, then have left overs for a month from now when it may need it again.

It's a beater car, bandaids are fine.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

I hear ya Ford...anything is worth a try I spose on an old car.

 

[fordman84]

I hear ya Ford...anything is worth a try I spose on an old car.

it would be worht the money to try the cheap fix first

Not sure how it works in Cali, but you might wait until you get to Texas to have the A/C work done if you do go that route. people here likely do MUCH more A/C work than in Northern California, and I don't know what regulations the state might have that are more strenuous than here.

 

[FSUmanager]

An AC service at most shops is round 80 bucks. You can ask the people at AutoZone or Advanced Auto Parts to how you, but just to let you know most people that work at those stores have NO IDEA how to work on cars. It is up to you.

If it is a 97 and you paid 500 bucks how many miles does it have? Do you expect to keep it for a while? If you expect to keep it for awhile then do not try the bandaids and fix it right the first time.


I had a similar problem with my old truck. Could not find a leak, the pressure was great, the ac compressor was fine, the belt was fine(by the way the AC belt on a 97 should be a serpentine which means it controls everything), and after checking the temp coming out of the vents which was 45 degrees I was stumped. Took it to a friend who is a fulltime mechanic and he told me you dipshit it is 100 degrees and you have dark ass gray interior and it is a Megacab. Too much space to keep it nice and cool like a fridge. I gave myself a big

 

[fordman84]

An AC service at most shops is round 80 bucks. You can ask the people at AutoZone or Advanced Auto Parts to how you, but just to let you know most people that work at those stores have NO IDEA how to work on cars. It is up to you.

If it is a 97 and you paid 500 bucks how many miles does it have? Do you expect to keep it for a while? If you expect to keep it for awhile then do not try the bandaids and fix it right the first time.


I had a similar problem with my old truck. Could not find a leak, the pressure was great, the ac compressor was fine, the belt was fine(by the way the AC belt on a 97 should be a serpentine which means it controls everything), and after checking the temp coming out of the vents which was 45 degrees I was stumped. Took it to a friend who is a fulltime mechanic and he told me you dipshit it is 100 degrees and you have dark ass gray interior and it is a Megacab. Too much space to keep it nice and cool like a fridge. I gave myself a big

The $80 fee is for them to leak test and a set amount of refrigerant. I guarantee that thing has a leak somewhere, which means parts and labor. If you take it to a reputable shop that does a leak check and finds a leak, they are not going to recharge the system without fixing that leak and risk their license. They may let you walk without a charge, but usually will hit you with some sort of diagnostic fee. $40 and doing it yourself is the safer first step, unless like you said there is a hope of keeping the car for a while. If you want something that can get you through another couple of years, have a mechanic fix it right.

 

[KillerVee]

So is the consensus to not go to a mechanic but to buy a charger whatsthehoosier and do it myself?

 

[Camfantasy]

So is the consensus to not go to a mechanic but to buy a charger whatsthehoosier and do it myself?

Depends on your comfort level in doing it yourself. It's not hard, but only you know if you are comfortable enough to do it yourself. If not, a mechanic would probably charge you around an hour worth of labor to diagnose what the problem was. Then you'll know whether it's worth fixing to you or not. I would try to charge it myself first, then if the leak is too bad, take it to someone if it is at least worth (to you) the price of a mechanic to diagnose your problem.