R12 A/C Recharge in Bay Area - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

hcubed · #1 07-11-2010, 01:00 PM

Just wanted to throw out a good experience I had getting my A/C fixed outside San Francisco.

Since I've had the car (84 300TD Turbo), the A/C has never worked. I figured something serious was wrong with it and an R12 recharge was too expensive to try to see what would happen. Anyway, I happened to be in the Bay Area recently and searched the craigslist. I found a guy who will do the evacuation and recharge for $25 and then charges $25 per pound of R12.

All said and done, it cost me $80 and my A/C now works! He also added the appropriate oil during the recharge. It would have been $200-300 at a shop (I called around before searching craigslist).

Anyway, Dave (MVAC 609 certified) can be contacted at buicknutt@aol.com or 916 517 8244. He lives in Carmichael, CA just outside Sacramento. You can tell him Tripp sent you.

leathermang · #2 07-11-2010, 01:07 PM

Since he did not flush the system ... how did he determine how much oil to put in ?

Did you replace the Receiver - Dryer ?

hcubed · #3 07-11-2010, 01:12 PM

Nope. I just wanted to see if will hold the freon before putting any more money into it. Maybe he did flush it, I don't know much about A/C systems. I'll ask.

hcubed · #4 07-11-2010, 01:16 PM

Hmm. Upon further research it looks like it would have been a good idea to replace the receiver/drier. It's a cheap part and I didn't know any better. I'll give it a week or two of use and see if the system stays cold. In the mean time I'll order the receiver/drier.

leathermang · #5 07-11-2010, 01:55 PM

The problem is that if the old dryer had used up its ability to absorb moisture.. then moisture will be allowed to mix with the refrigerant and oil and produce acid.. which eats at the insides of the metal part and causes flakes to come off.. which can clog small holes like the TxValve...or get into the compressor... a very close tolerance place that needs to be clean. The general rule , since it is cheap... and SO potentially helpful, that it gets replaced whenever the system is opened up...
As to the oil amount... too little is bad and too much is very bad also..
If you have the R4 Delco compressor then you do not have the safety factor of an oil sump inside it.. where axial compressors typically do... so the oil miscibility with regards to the refrigerant is more important to you than to ' normal ' people... IE, all the lubrication your R4 gets comes from the closed loop circulation of the oil dissolved in your refrigerant...

#6 07-11-2010, 06:30 PM

I'm glad you found a reasonable souirce of good a/c service in the bay area.

tangofox007 · #7 07-11-2010, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcubed

Just wanted to throw out a good experience I had getting my A/C fixed outside San Francisco.

Did you have to go to Carmichael? Or does Dave come to the Bay Area?

hcubed · #8 07-20-2010, 03:29 AM

I had to go out there...

thayer · #9 07-20-2010, 07:46 AM

My system is currently open. My new reman blew a large Oring. So, since it is open to atmosphere and all the refrigerant gone, it won't produce acid right?

vstech · #10 07-20-2010, 08:38 AM

it won't matter, we are evacuating and charging with FRESH R12, and you are getting a new dryer that will absorb any moisture left in the system oil.
also, it's the refrigerant that turns acid, the oil just suspends it. so, no R, no A, and you're good to go!