Air conditioning newby... DIY your pay someone else?

I am about done with other restoration projects on my car and will soon want to get the AC working. My system is still set up to run R12, but it seems like the logical thing to do at this point in time is to consider switching to R134a.

I was considering taking my DeLorean to a local shop that has done work on a friend's AC with good results. But I know that many of you do your own AC work, so I want to see if I could/should acquire the necessary tools to be able to work on the AC myself. I imagine that the shop would charge me a few hundred dollars to diagnose and repair my AC. I received a Harbor Freight catalog that shows the following prices on the tools that I think I would need:

-A/C Manifold Gauge Set: $60
-2.5 CFM Vacuum Pump: $104
-Electronic Freon and Halogen Leak Detector: $70
Link to tools: http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...CategoryExpand

I have had good results with many HF tools, but don't know if these are any good. A recharge and recovery machine is $1600 from HF, so I would still need a shop to assist with recovering any remaining R12 in the system. It looks like I could get the tools listed above for around $250, which is what I imagine would be at least what I would spend at a shop, if not more. I have not included the price of refrigerant in my price list. Am I missing any other vital tools to be able to do my own AC work? I am very much the type of person that does as much work on my own cars as I possibly can, but I have never touched any car's AC system. What approach do you recommend?

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Originally Posted by Stainless

I am about done with other restoration projects on my car and will soon want to get the AC working. My system is still set up to run R12, but it seems like the logical thing to do at this point in time is to consider switching to R134a.

I was considering taking my DeLorean to a local shop that has done work on a friend's AC with good results. But I know that many of you do your own AC work, so I want to see if I could/should acquire the necessary tools to be able to work on the AC myself. I imagine that the shop would charge me a few hundred dollars to diagnose and repair my AC. I received a Harbor Freight catalog that shows the following prices on the tools that I think I would need:

-A/C Manifold Gauge Set: $60
-2.5 CFM Vacuum Pump: $104
-Electronic Freon and Halogen Leak Detector: $70
Link to tools: http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...CategoryExpand

I have had good results with many HF tools, but don't know if these are any good. A recharge and recovery machine is $1600 from HF, so I would still need a shop to assist with recovering any remaining R12 in the system. It looks like I could get the tools listed above for around $250, which is what I imagine would be at least what I would spend at a shop, if not more. I have not included the price of refrigerant in my price list. Am I missing any other vital tools to be able to do my own AC work? I am very much the type of person that does as much work on my own cars as I possibly can, but I have never touched any car's AC system. What approach do you recommend?

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One way is to do all of the "heavy lifting" meaning you change all of the parts (hoses and accumulator) and let the shop do the leak-testing, evacuation and charging. Talk to your local shop and see how cooperative they will be. They could pull out the R-12 before you start. I would recommend you stay with R-12. It is not *that* expensive and you don't need all that much. You can get it on E-Bay. Unless you expect to use the tools more than once it really doesn't pay. You should include an electronic vacuum gauge and a tank of Nitrogen with a regulator in your tools list. You don't need a leak-tester, soapy water (leak-test solution) is better and a LOT cheaper. You should also change the oil in the compressor.
David Teitelbaum

If you have the time, do it yourself. I replaced the compressor, all hoses, accumulator, switches, etc., and added a high pressure switch since my car is too early to have one from the factory. I had some help replacing the evaporator, but you could also replace the evaporator and condenser yourself if you wanted to. Follow the instructions in the workshop manual and you'll be fine. I also suggest taking pictures of everything so you can have a visual reference for how everything goes back together. I wouldn't trust a shop to do it, let alone consider that it would probably be $2k or more for a shop to have done all of that for me. It can be done, just be patient and remember to post your questions on DMCTalk if you get stuck. :) Good luck!

Edit: Don't buy the cheap plastic manifold gauges from Harbor Freight. Get a brass set from Amazon. They'll last a lot longer. Also, get the two-stage 3 CFM pump from HF instead of the $104 you listed. It's $154, and they have a 20% off $100+ coupon running right now if you subscribe to their e-mails.

If you have a good air compressor, you can get the vacuum with a $30 tool from HF or elsewhere. They work great but when you do the 1 hour draw to get the moisture out, I do it in steps, draw down, close valve, wait until little loss of vacuum and keep repeating until is has no vacuum loss.

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Originally Posted by Bitsyncmaster

If you have a good air compressor, you can get the vacuum with a $30 tool from HF or elsewhere. They work great but when you do the 1 hour draw to get the moisture out, I do it in steps, draw down, close valve, wait until little loss of vacuum and keep repeating until is has no vacuum loss.

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I have an excellent 26 gallon Craftsman upright air compressor. Do you have a link or something to help me find this $30 tool you speak of?

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Originally Posted by Stainless

I have an excellent 26 gallon Craftsman upright air compressor. Do you have a link or something to help me find this $30 tool you speak of?

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http://www.harborfreight.com/air-vac...ors-96677.html

Great topic. You are in the EXACT same position I was in back in March. At the time, I knew two things: 1) you turn the AC on to make it get cold, and 2) AC systems take refrigerant. The thing with working on your own AC is that you have a little bit of everything involved. You have electrical, temperatures, physics dealing with pressures, mechanical operations, a lot of theory, etc. It's not hard but it's a lot of information. There can be a lot of troubleshooting involved. Given all that, if you research the topic a lot, pick up the Haynes Heating and AC Book, and take a look at several awesome videos on Youtube dealing with AC, I'd say do the work yourself.

I'm working on an entry on my blog right now on my AC work and it's so involved but I'm close to finishing. I'll try to make a lot of progress in the next few days but I think you might benefit a lot from it since I'm putting a lot of info in it dealing with what all of the components of an AC system do and how they work. It's easier to diagnose something when you have an understand of all the players involved.

As far as converting goes, I think the only real reason would be for cost. Like Dave T said, R12 isn't that expensive and you don't need much. If you have a tight system, it should work for several years before you have a problem. If you have access and can afford R12, I'd stick with that. If you're looking for a recovery machine, you can usually find one on Craigslist such as the Snap On ACT 3000. If you really want one, usually you can find it for about $200-300. Craigslist and eBay are perfect for finding R12 and tools. And that's another 'downside' to doing your own AC work: most of the tools you use are only indigenous to AC work. But I'd recommend getting a solid AC gauge set and I think the Yellowjackets are the best.

Bottom line, AC work isn't all that difficult but it does take a lot of time to learn what's going on and it takes time to do the work. Right now, I'm getting 38-39 degrees at my vents and on a good day I'll get 36 degrees. And that's coming from a hack who had no idea where to start. As soon as I finish up my write-up, I'll let you know and I think it'll have some good info gathered up from multiple sources that'll help you.

Stay with R12 if you can.

I have one car with r12 and one with 134a. The converted car is giving me issues. The r12 blows really cold, too.

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Originally Posted by kings1527

As soon as I finish up my write-up, I'll let you know and I think it'll have some good info gathered up from multiple sources that'll help you.

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I am also very interested on that write-up, as I have to do an AC overhaul in the near future.

-- Joe

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Originally Posted by jangell

I am also very interested on that write-up, as I have to do an AC overhaul in the near future.

-- Joe

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I am interested in this thread because I just learned that 4915 needs a new evaporator. Last month I had to have
a new evaporator in the Jag ... cost $2700.00. Wonder what it'll cost for the D? It's about the same job I think ... Rip out
the dash to get to it.8)