hey all. there is a 97 legacy that will soon be given to me.

 

the air conditioner is broken on it...

i need to fix it.. never seen the car..

 

any possible idea of what could be wrong and how to approach fixing it would be appreciated. thanks!

 

 

edited for year of car.

If the system is in one peice, odds are it has a leak and needs refridgerant.

 

 

Some things are best left to the pros (pay once do it once). There are other things it can be, but subaru AC systems are fairly resiliant. Loss of coolant is usually the cause for them not runing. Any idea how long its been not working?

 

nipper

the easy checks - are to pull the two caps and see if the valves look really wet and obviously leaky. those schrader valves have seals at the base that can leak, and they cost about 50 cents (at the high end places!). oh the poor folks that had $1,000 a/c repairs that were 50 cent schrader valves. but that's not terribly common.

 

we need to know some things - is there any charge? does the clutch try to engage? is it complete empty? any previous accidents or work done?

 

like nipper said there is an awful lot to a/c systems and it's not as simplistic as other things on a car. it's more dynamic.

 

you can't simply "repair by replacing" a broken part unless you understand how they work. depending which part and how it failed...it could have damaged other parts or caused massive debris in the system that will damage new ones immediately...or over time.

 

if you're a real DIY kind of person, read up about a/c stuff in general on the web. that's what i did and i do all my own (and friends) a/c stuff now. it's not that bad, but definitely requires some learning that isn't best done as you go....like most repairs i do!!!

 

the best option for a beginner that's rather easy is to replace everything - the a/c compressor and condensor and receiver. condensor and compressor can be used parts and the receiver/drier should be new (though you *can* use used ones as well). buy them all and replace the orings at every juncture and replace the two schrader valves mentioned earlier.

 

to acually replace one item you'll have to give us more information and probably learn a bit about A/C systems yourself. good chance you just need to find a leak and properly repair it.

 

then there's the entire charging bit....properly done it needs to have a vacuumed pulled and charged with gauges. there are ways to do that at home or avoid doing those without that equipment, done it and seen it done many a times. but..there's too many unknowns to cover it all here.

thanks for all the info.

 

well the scenario is.. i have just been given the car. it is currently in california. i am in new york. i will be flying to california to spend a week. i will then be driving it to new york.

 

the ac is broken so i was hoping in the week that i will be there.. i could get that looked at/ diagnosed/ fixed.

 

i just wanted to get a jump on what i should do as soon as i get there... that way i have an idea already.

 

i think the ac has been broken for a while now.. how likely is it that it just needs a recharge?

 

i was just hoping to get general ideas of any possible reason it coudl be broken.

 

thanks a lot!

a failed compressor, compressor clutch, or a leak are two likely failure areas. a friends jeep lost air and i recharged it and it's held up for a month now.

 

i've replaced a number of compressors. it's actually really easy. unbolt one one - install new (or used) one and charge with two cans of refrigerant. did a friends honda accord many moons ago this way (used compressor and some refrigerant) a few years ago and it's still blowing cold.

 

i have never had this happen yet, but if the old compressor lost pieces in the system then that's bad.

a failed compressor, compressor clutch, or a leak are two likely failure areas. a friends jeep lost air and i recharged it and it's held up for a month now.

 

i've replaced a number of compressors. it's actually really easy. unbolt one one - install new (or used) one and charge with two cans of refrigerant. did a friends honda accord many moons ago this way (used compressor and some refrigerant) a few years ago and it's still blowing cold.

 

i have never had this happen yet, but if the old compressor lost pieces in the system then that's bad.

So i am now able to view and play with the car.

 

one thing i noticed was that when i keep the car at idle then turn on the A/C,

 

the idle does not change. im assuming the Compressor is done?

 

i have not yet had the chance to look under the hood to make sure all the belts are in tact...

 

 

what do you all think and what should i do? im going to get started on doing the check list of things mentioned in the morning..

Start off simple. Are the compressors electical connetors connected and are any fuse(s) for the AC there and good? Does the AC fan (@radiator) come on when the AC is on with the interior fan on?

alright

 

how can i tell if the compressor clutch is faulty?

what are some visual details to look for. i looked at it while the car was idling and i didnt notice anything. although i dont really know what to be looking for..

 

how can i tell if there is charge? do i have to get a gauge to hook up to the low pressure side? or the high pressure?

 

at the least i want to be able to diagnose the problem with your help.

 

Thanks a lot.

also, how do i find a leak?

 

just spray some soapy water on the hoses? are there any hoses that are out of view that the leak would possibly be on.

 

ive read that the freon is bad for the environment so im assuming charging the system before finding a leak would be bad considering it just goes into the environment...

if the option to determine there was a leak by charging then waiting for it to discharge was taken... how long would it take for the freon to leak out? on the fast side? on the slow side? depending on the size of the leak...

 

thanks.

Start off simple. Are the compressors electical connetors connected and are any fuse(s) for the AC there and good? Does the AC fan (@radiator) come on when the AC is on with the interior fan on?

 

 

i turned the car on and turned on the fan and AC switch,

 

i didnt notice any fan by the radiator turn on.

The next step is to take it to a professional, because you need to throw a set of gauges on it to see what the pressures are. Sure you can just throw money at it and start adding refridgerant, but it wont solve the issue of where the refridgerant went to begin with.

 

I dont remeber if the cooling fans will come on if the system is low on pressure.

 

 

nipper