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Hey all, been a long time since I wrote here, partly because my car's been doing pretty well. That all changed recently. I have a few problems that I'll have to fix, and one that I need the board's help with.
So here's the sad story about the a/c:
Driving in 95-degree heat with the a/c on, and I hear a sudden hissing noise, followed by clouds of something coming through the cabin vents and out from under the hood. I turn off the a/c, and it goes away. I suspect that something in the a/c system has sprung a leak.
Later, for diagnostic purposes, I try restarting the a/c. Nothing happens...no engine slowdown, no cool air. My diagnosis: there's no refrigerant left, so the pressure sensors are not allowing the clutch to engage.
So, assuming I have all that right, the next question is where the leak is and how to fix it. First thing I tried was taking off the serp belt and spinning the pulley on the a/c compressor. There's no resistance there, so at least the compressor hasn't failed to the point of contacting the pulley with the clutch disengaged.
So my theory is that a hose or fitting probably burst somewhere. Searching the board, I found the post by dudewithasaab that said the high pressure hose from the compressor is a common culprit. I pulled off the bottom cover/shield on the engine bay and looked at that hose. It looks like it's been chafing against the subframe there, and the aluminum insulation is split through, and the rubber is now chafing against the frame. Furthermore, the two a/c hoses there and everything else in the area are covered in some sort of black grime. However, there's no obvious rupture that I can see.
So here's the question: how do I know if that hose is the problem? Is there an easy way to pressure test it? Is the black grime a telltale sign?
Please help me figure this out...I want to get it back working!
Matt
'99 base
posted by 65.107.212...
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