my car was sitting for some time before i bought it, and the air conditioning didn't work at the time of purchase. i'm determined to have cold air blowing by june 20 when i move accross the country in my 123. i bought a remanufactured compressor, new expansion valve, and new drier. i guess there's a leak in the system somewhere. a relative suggested putting some kind of gunk around the fittings to rule out the possibility of leakage occuring from those places. is there anything else i should do/replace before i have a vaccum pulled on the system and have it charged? if this helps, i'm planning on staying with R-12. almost forgot: i plan on having the system thoroughly flushed before i put the new parts on and charge the system

thanks in advance

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1985 300D Turbo "Eunis"

Some rebuilt compressors have poor reputations for longivity... What brand is yours ?
You can usually use soapy water if you pressurize your system a little.. but much has been discussed about this whole topic.... and sometimes you can have a leak under vacuum but not under pressure... the items being pushed opposite directions and all....
I guess you have read lots of the AC threads ?
I hate to see you have a mechanic do it on the EAST coast and you immediatly drive it to the WEST coast.... if you need follow up service due to mistakes you are out of luck....
Maybe you could drive at night and sleep days.... then have it done near your new abode.... Someone had a situation like this with only a change in towns IN California... distance is a bummer on adjustments.
Rather than check for leaks at joints... I suggest you just put in new orings at all the joints... of course use Nylog at that time.....You would need to break all the fittings to flush correctly anyway...New hoses can be made up at a local hydraulic hose place....

i'm not sure what brand my reman. compressor is, but i'm guessing that it's a cheap one; i only paid 108.00 plus 10.00 core charge. it just says "factory air ac compressor and clutch". autozone part #57228.

my sister's ex boyfriend is going to help me with the install, as well as the purge/charge, plus anything else that needs doing in order to get it to work. he works at an auto shop and has a lot of experience under his belt. the best part is, he's doing all this for free.

i have read some of the a/c threads, but didn't really find what i was looking for.

what name do the various o-rings go by? i'm asking so i will know what to ask for at the parts store and/or online stores.

are you saying i need to replace every hose involved with the a/c? that sounds expensive i've never heard of breaking the fittings in order to flush correctly. i really don't have much money at all to work with...would it be wise to not break the fittings, still flush the system as thoroughly as possible, put in a little refrigerant and dye, cross my fingers, and a) check for cold air, b) use uv light to check for leaks? i know that probably isn't the preferred method, but like i said...not much $.

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1985 300D Turbo "Eunis"

If you are going replace the o ring's and add the proper a/c oil you will have to open the line's.
I would put new Schrader valves in.
Then pull vacuume and see if it hold for and hour.
Other wise you could waste a lot of coolant.
Charlie

Time to start doing your reading on the archives..... wonderful info on all this stuff...
For direct answers by phone.... ask for Trey at Carlisle Auto Air in San Antonio... that is my AC Guru.... they have been specifically doing Auto Air Conditioning for 20 years...
The o-ring asst for my car is part number 100 and is only a few dollars... all this is in the archives already...
Also read on Aircondition.com ( Carlisle Auto Air is one of the sponsors there ).