A/C maintenance; can't find the thread
 

I have a 1998 Maxima that I'm certain has not had A/C maintenance.

Is there a DIY thread?

Thanks!

Other than actually using the system occasionally, which is good for it, there is no maintenance that you can perform on the AC system. Replace the drive belt or idler pulley maybe, but nothing internal is necessary. It is one of those things where you do nothing until something breaks.

Doesn't the freon, well maybe that's outdated, gets replaced?

I do see in the autoshops these A/C kits with a can. That must be to replenish the freon?

So what do A/C service shops do when they take your car and your money?... Do they replace all the freon, new dryer, any parts, etc. etc.???? And is this possible to do yourself?

Refrigerant in a closed system never needs any service. Any kit you see for sale is to replace some or all the refrigerant in a system with a leak, or that has otherwise be opened up.

If you have a functional AC system, count your blessings and just drive on.

If you are not having any problems with your A.C. why would you take it to a service shop?:gotme: The most they will do is check your pressures, and maybe check your temp out of the vents. If they check out fine they shouldn't touch it, and charge you a inspection fee.
Now if you are having problems, they will do more of a through examine of your system. Hey you are paying them to fix the problem, right?:scratch:
Yes you can do all the work yourself, but I would not recommend it unless you have a vacuum pump. If you plan on opening up the system (and there real is not too much repairs you can do without doing that) you will need to vacuum down the system. If you want to change the drier just for the heck of it have fun, and don't call me.
If you want to check your system out yourself you can do some reading, and go out and buy (or borrow) the tools and do it yourself.
A quick thing you can do is go to wal-mart, and buy the can of freon with the gauge already on it! (I have never tried it, but it looks interesting, but I have never taken the time to stop and read the can! I do have the manifold gauge set, and vacuum pump.)
Bottom line this a sealed closed loop system, don't do more harm than good! NO MAINTENANCE!:nono:

Thanks. Its not working at 100% but I definitely can live with that.

If it is not working a 100% get it checked! You may just have a old seal that maybe slowly leaking. You could wind up with having to give it a shot of freon, and it may work perfect for one, two or three years with that slow leak. Just do not open up the system. Most people find it cheaper to just shoot a can of freon in every year or as needed. Really it depends on how bad of a leak you have, but since you say it's working just not a 100%. It may be worth your investment to try one of those cans with the gauges. Good luck

After goin through getting my a/c serviced. Here's my 2cents. All systems need to be serviced just because it's a/c it does get wear and tear in the and there is moisture & acids that will start to form in the sytem. Each time you use the a/c you are creating this and that's why you have a drier on the system. If this gets full of moisture(which is the main culprit) your system will not cool off correctly. Not to mention if you operate your compressor you create wear and tear on it also. Now it may not need a lot of scheduled service but it does after so many miles. So check it out and good luck!

A/C is a very critical system out here in AZ. A lot of people around here get it serviced once a year when they are getting ready to use it again for the hot summer. Personaly, I dont really ever turn it on for a good half a year. Usually, the service consists of evacuating the system, replace dryer, charge w/ nitrojen for a leak test, and then charge with freon and oil for the compressor. I suppose its really up to you. If you dont think its at its best, get it checked out before it gets worse and maybe something breaks

Is it true that if all of the freon leaks from the system the a/c compressor will not turn on? My compressor doesn't even kick on anymore but it seemed fairly spontaneous as I just used one of those Auto-store freon cans with the gauge to check it a few months ago and it seemed to have adequate freon already in the system. I barely ever use the A/C but now I need to and I do NOT want to bring my car to a shop.
The guy at Autozone told me if all the freon leaks out the compressor wont kick on and you have to "hotwire" it to turn it on manually before you can pump anymore in. The gauge wont get a reading as it is.

well if it drops below a set pressure, it will kill the compressor for the compressors safety. if it doesn't, it can get damaged. seem to me that when you checked the freon level, the valve didnt sit back down right in the port causing a leak.

thats possible. I cant figure any other reason why it'd just stop turning on like that. I also made the mistake of letting my remote-mounted IACV rest against a skinny a/c line towards the rear of the intake manifold and I guess it vibrated against it to the point where it created a decent sized indention in the line. It didn't cause a hole or anything though...so I dont know how to even begin assessing the system. I have a hard time believing that the compressor just died...even though the a/c never did blow cold when it was hot out despite the fact that the gauge read "full"

sounds like the drier that is what i replaced and I am blowing cold now I've been told these are fairly common problem areas for the a/c on maximas

First I agree with coyuma that it sounds like your valve did not reseat it's self. But if you notice on the caps that you removed there is a o-ring on the inside of the caps.:shock: When ever you service any A.C. you need to make sure that you replace these caps tight. It's like a back up protection just in case your valve stem does not seat properly.
Second it is very rare that a compressor just up and dies. So check all your electric connections, and recheck your freon level. like coyuma said, if it is below a certain pressure the compressor will not kick on. Causing lost of A.C. and lower performance from your defroster. (Oh wait I see you live in Houston Texas! You probably never have a need for the defroster like I do up here in Illinois!):nopity:
Third I agree with tdewitt34 that it sounds like you may be replacing your drier. This I would let a professional end up doing the job. Good luck!

alright so...I need to manually power the compressor to put freon inside of it, yeah? Anyone ever done that before?

No, you should be able to add enough freon to the system to cause the compressor to come on. I have never heard of having to "hot wire" the system to get the compresor to come on to be able to add freon. That sounds like a good way to burn up a compressor.

Do me a quick favor and type A.C. Compressor in the search, then click on search titles only. I believe you will find most of your answers there! Before you start doing anything with your A.C. Is your clutch engaging?:gotme: Something that has slipped my mind completely is the expansion valve! :tard: Do as I ask you to do, and I believe you will be able to figure it out.
If you are still having trouble click on pmohr signature and check out the FSM's. I believe there is a trouble shoot section just for A.C.

I've got one thing to say in this thread:

R-134a is NOT Freon.

This thread has certainly deteriorated from its original subject -AC maintenance - to everyone recommending all sorts of tests/procedures. It's funny because there was initially no mention of any problem until much later in the discussion. If people would simply fill out their profile, state their issues and intentions clearly, then maybe we could actually provide the guidance needed to help.

Based on that assumption, this should have ended after post #5.

interested.....please explain your view on refrigerant if possible. just curious. freon=name of a specific refrigerant?

What's to explain?

R-134a ≠ Freon, simple as that.

First, Freon is a trade name.

Ignoring that (as everyone does), Freon in common usage means R-12, not R-134a. The two refrigerants aren't alike.

well true.......but it seems to be universally understood that freon = automotive refrigerant regardless if r12 or 134a. just not being technical...or correct, but understood

Not understood by all, though.

If you're not going to use the correct terminology, might as well not use the terminology at all. It could (and has, in my experience) lead to either the wrong part being purchased, or installed, or the wrong work being performed.

Think of it as clip vs mag; say you want to buy a new magazine for your Garand (or any other weapon with an internal magazine loaded by clips), as the original part is somehow damaged or no longer usable. You order a 'clip' as you figure 'hey, they're interchangeable terms, right?'.

You end up out time and money, and have the wrong part, hoping that you can return/exchange it for the correct part.

However, had you used the correct terminology in the first place, the whole situation would've been avoided.

Just a pet peeve of mine; personally, I try to avoid issues like that whenever possible.

Back to the original question: Everyone is concentrating on the Freon side of things (Just a jab at PMOHR! :) ), but you might take a look at the evaporator. Mine was clogged by 13 years of dirt, dog hair and junk. Managed to get to it enough to clean off most of the grime and it works a lot better now. :D

That was after I paid a shop to tell me there was nothing wrong with the refrigerant or the compressor! :mad:

Just to let anyone know who has a maxima without the in cabin air filter 95 to 97 check the evaporator housing and see if the evap is clogged with debris. I check mine after I vacuumed my system, added freon(this is what Firestone called it also)r134a and a new drier. I cleaned mine with a long handled lint brush and I noticed my car would blow harder and cool off quicker. This is after I did everything before that evap cleaning.

I'm a newb but could you shed some light on where I can find this evap housing to vacuum up any debris? My AC is a bit weak and slow.