Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L
Measuring the static refrigerant pressure is the next step. You'll want to use the blue hose, since it goes to the low pressure gauge. With the car stone-cold, connect it to the low-side fitting and read the pressure, and translate that to refrigerant temperature (this may be marked on your dial). It should read ambient. It will read lower if you are essentially out of refrigerant (no liquid left in the system) but could charge it. If it reads 0, you should replace the dryer as a minimum (after fixing the leak).
|
With the leaky evaporators known to be an issue on these cars (especially on the earlier models) checking refrigerant pressure is where I would start. A leaking evaporator will slowly exhaust the entire system of refrigerant and the low pressure shutoff switch will stop the compressor from self destructing. Did you notice a slowly creeping bad performance in the system before the compressor would no longer engage?
Evaporator replacement on these cars is a bit on the expensive side as it requires the complete removal of the dash which is labor intensive. I have read about some owners using "leak stop" additives to prolong the replacement with varying degrees of success and failure.