Another 1988 PA A/C Problem

Hi all, I'm very glad to have found this forum, and I see there are some very knowledgeable people here.

As the thread title suggests I have a 1988 Buick Park Ave. It runs wonderfully, in the winter the heater works perfectly, but in the hot New Orleans summer, it's BRUTAL because the A/C doesn't work at all. Most of the people I have asked about it, think it's the compressor. They also suggest getting an old one from a junkyard. Can I get some advice on this as far as what the problem truly might be? Thanks.

65% of A/C first time failures are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak- this increases dramatically with age of vehicle- I'm willing to bet yours is a leak- at the compressor shaft seal- and/or evaporator- so have at it- find and fix your leak- and recharge with your refrigerant of choice- I highly recommend keeping it R-12...

A junkyard pump will get you the exact same problem back again---been there done that several times- I usually reseal those..

Bacardilvr, you should start a new thread instead of tagging on the end of someone elses.
Your A/C problems could be a lot of things. A leak in the system anywhere will cause the refrigerant to leak out and your compressor would have nothing to compress. You need to have it recharged with leak dye and run it to see where the leak(s) are. The dye is a flourescent green and special lights or glasses help to see it in a dirty engine compartment. I've looked at old cars and see the dye without looking very hard. Chances are the aluminum line that runs down under the battery tray is corroded and leaking. Designers thought it would be OK there but didn't stop to think battery acid might actually drip on it.
You can get parts from the auto recyclers but 20 year old parts are probably about as good as the ones you have.
As I indicated in this thread, the compressor may have already been disabled by the computer if the refrigerant (freon) has all leaked out. There's differing opinions on leaks fixing additives in recharge kits. Do the research and make up your own mind whether you want to use them.

[quote=deerefeed]Bacardilvr, you should start a new thread instead of tagging on the end of someone elses.

Sorry, I tried to delete this post, but for some reason I couldn't

Sorry, I tried to delete this post, but for some reason I couldn'tThis thread was created for you & merged with your duplicate.
Please read: Posting in Closed or Outdated Threads-PA (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=635164) Af Community Guidlines (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/guidelines.html)

I say get a new rebuilt compressor from advance auto or O'reilly's. They cost $199 well at last for my 95' park avenue. More than likely if the seal leaked and u didn't recharge it the compressor seized at least that's what happened to mine. Plus at that age u should replace the o rings anyway. I know someone who recently got a compressor put on around the same time as me. I did mines right, the did theirs wrong. Mine still works, theirs don't. So if u do do it, do it right the first time and don't try to cheap out or you will still waste your money. But I understand the summer heat. I'm in the South to. Thats why I did mine.