a/c

:smile: hi to all.. I am having problems with my 88 buick lesabre 3.8 eng 231 . this is the 2 time i charge the a/c gas and it leaks out after 1-2 weeks. first i had a line that was cracked next to the starter(aluinum line). i replaced the line and today it leaked out again. the eng is running a bit hot also. the header pipe i believe has a reddish look to it. also smells rich. the exhaust fumes smell like gasoline. .. if any has had problems like these I would greately appreciate for any feedback.
juan...

I'm at a total loss on that, I'm not well educated in A/C systems, so I can't really help, hopefully Flatrater will come around soon, He is much more knowledgable than I

Best thing I can tell you is to take it to the shop where they have the right test equipment to do the job. If you aren't sure what to do it will cost you more guessing than taking it to the shop. If I had the answer to your question I would gladly give it to you.


Your rich condition could be caused by:

Air filter clogged
Bad O2 sensors
Fuel pump
fuel injectors
Fuel Pressure regulator
MAF
Throttle position sensor
IAC motor
ECM
loose or dirty grounds

A rich condition is caused by not getting enough air or too much gas. It is just too many things to try and guess just one.

As for your AC problem if you are filling it up and after one week it is empty you will have another leak. If you look over your lines and so on see if you can see an oil stain on any AC parts. If you see a oil stain that would be your leak.

BTW have you done a retro fit on your car to R134A or are you still using R-12? Most Lesabres I dealwith usually have a leaking evapator core which is next to your blower motor closer to the passenger side. To check it for leaks look at your firewall you will see a connector on the top near the blower motor unplug the connector remove the 3 screws holding down the blower motor resistor look inside at your evap core see if a black oily residue is stuck to the fins. If you have the stuff sticking then your core is leaking. It is about a 600 dollar job to replace the core. Usually it is 6.5 hours of labor.

hi flatrater.

I cleaned out where the core is it was just a lot of build up on the fins. I was wondering if the car is running hot will this cause the canister at the bottom near the compressor to crack.. i have not hit anything down there. this is the second time i change it. the mechanic who charged the a/c said that if the car runs hot that there is a gas release plug to let go of the gas...not sure of what he meant....all i know is that i have no a/c now just blows hot air....i dont want to change the aluminum canister again and have it crack. if my cat.converter is blocked would the car run hot? the cat. is about 10 months old but one day two of my coils were bad, so the car was not burning all the gas correctly and the cat.conv. got cherry red. could that have ruined it.. also the 02 sensor was changed like two weeks before the cat.conv. was replaced.the fuel pressure reg. is new, fuel pump is new, radiator also. I even replaced the oil sending unit.also the car has a little shaking to it.the plugs are new, the ignition module, cables too. air filter is 6 months old. I don't know if its the car or the mechanic or just me.....
any little noise and i take it to the mechanic..sorry for asking so much...


juan:rolleyes:

Raw gas in your exhaust will ruin your converter every time! Usually when a converter goes you should not stop with just replacing the converter but find out why it went bad.

If you have a build up on your core and it is oily than you have a leak there. Eventually the core becomes soo blocked that no airflow can be felt coming out the vents.

On your compressor their is a high pressure relief valve which will blow when it hits too high of a pressure. I cannot tell you why the cannister cracks unless I could see it.

hi igor, the canister connected to the compressor, where the two bolts are connected to it you have the aluminum lines going out to the accumulator up on top. well right there where they connect two inches from the two bolt were it starts to curve it cracks right there.. at the bend. twice already. and the car is running hot. juan

flatrater...i have a 90 lesabre and i retrofitted it to 134a. does that make the ac more prone to leaking at the evaporator? Also, i the other day i hooked manifold gauges up to the system because it didnt seem to be blowing as cold. the high side was 150 psi below normal and the low was 15 ( chart i had said 134a pressures should be at 200-225 for high and 45-55 for low at 80 degrees F) i tried adding freon, but there was hardly any suction on the low side. it took 20 mins to get half a can in and the pressures still didnt go up. any ideas? thanks a ton