Wow. Listen to this. Any ideas for help.

LincolnRedDevil

LincolnRedDevil

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So the 96 Mark that I have hasn't had A/C since I bought It....It doesn't really bother me that much because I like the windows down. I just feel bad for others that ride with. Sure it's Florida and it is very hot this time of year and well, year round it gets toasty in there. We go to Ford, Lincoln Mercury and go get a quote from them....It will be costly, but we wanted to see what the actual problem was, with people who know the car. Get the call about 15 mins ago. Needs a new evaporator and compressor....$2500 Job....(more than what I even paid for the car.) So now I am stuck, definetly not paying to get that all done. Any Suggestions from you guys?
 
Rock Auto...

Compressor $159 - $234

Evaporator $75

You are getting hosed...
 
I'll do it for 1/2 of that...and even with you driving it here, you're still saving $ ...and I would still be making a fortune

Hell, I would even cook you dinner for staying the night.. Steak and lobster tails sound ok?
 
Your not getting "hosed". Yes it is expensive, but that is a major job. The whole dash has to come out. While not difficult, it is time consuming. The technicians get paid by job hour. If the shops labor rate is $85-90 dollars, you can see how fast it all ads up. Not to mention the "list" price you will pay on the parts.
Replacing the compressor you can do yourself easily. Question is, does it actually need replacing? IF the evaporator was leaking, then the low pressure cycling switch, located on the accumulator, should keep the compressor off. You need to find out excactly what it was they found.
 
Just got done talking to the guy. The compressor is on its way out and we talked them down to $1700. But, I wasn't planning on getting it done by them anyway, we just wanted them to look at it and see what the final problem was. Yes we have tried filling it and tried clogging up the leak. The evaporator is definetly leaking and the compressor is starting to go bad. It definetly looks like a fall / winter project for D.I.Y.
 
On my 93, I decided to charge it myself and it cooled for 2 months then started to blow hot air, added a can and cooled for another 2 months, so I added leak detector, found no leaks , took it to 2 different shops and had 2 different answers, one was the compressor was bad, the other said compressor, evaporator and a long list which equaled a new system.

I rented a evac pump from Autozone, followed instructions from youtube and lost no pressure, so it was a very slow leak, refilled my system and a lil' voice said look really close at the high pressure connector.......BINGO, it bubbled every 20 seconds with the cap off, I checked everywhere for a new one, NO LUCK , Ford said discontinued. Went to the junkyard took about 6 off of thunderbirds and marks and replaced mine..... now going on 3 months and a very, VERY little sign that it's still leaking so i have to try one of the other ones but much later.
 
compshmoe said:
On my 93, I decided to charge it myself and it cooled for 2 months then started to blow hot air, added a can and cooled for another 2 months, so I added leak detector, found no leaks , took it to 2 different shops and had 2 different answers, one was the compressor was bad, the other said compressor, evaporator and a long list which equaled a new system.

I rented a evac pump from Autozone, followed instructions from youtube and lost no pressure, so it was a very slow leak, refilled my system and a lil' voice said look really close at the high pressure connector.......BINGO, it bubbled every 20 seconds with the cap off, I checked everywhere for a new one, NO LUCK , Ford said discontinued. Went to the junkyard took about 6 off of thunderbirds and marks and replaced mine..... now going on 3 months and a very, VERY little sign that it's still leaking so i have to try one of the other ones but much later.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna give it a nice full charge and see what happens. I like what you did here and I'll try the same and see what I can find. Headin back down to Ft. Myers next week for Fall Semester and it'll give me a good side project. Thanks everyone for the help!
 
D I Y.......at its best. There is enough knowledge here that you should be able to replace your whole system if you need to. Good luck.
 
I had no idea that the whole dash had to be pulled. What is under the dash that has to be pulled. Coil? That is a lot of money.
 
compshmoe said:
a lil' voice said look really close at the high pressure connector.......BINGO, it bubbled every 20 seconds with the cap offe to .
Click to expand...
Those connectors are not designed to be totally leak free. The cap is the final leak stop for the connector. That's why you have to have the caps on the connectors. Well that and to keep out dirt, dust and corrosion.
 
Dealers like to lie - period. I would start by replacing all the o-rings. I did that on a Mark once. It was not hard. Once done, and a refill, the system was fine for years.

An o-ring kit (universal) is about $8 and the fuel line/AC line disconnect tools are about $10. So its a good place to start with. Then get it vacuum tested. If it holds vacuum, you are leak free.

After that, some oil and 134a and you may be good to go. If the compressor is bad, you only really wasted money on the refrigerant since the o-rings should all have been replaced anyway by this time. If the system works, then they were REALLY lying!

But the above is DIY and affordable and a good place to start. The compressors are very rock solid, its one thing Ford did well. So I would be surprised if its bad.
 
rayner601 said:
Those connectors are not designed to be totally leak free. The cap is the final leak stop for the connector. That's why you have to have the caps on the connectors. Well that and to keep out dirt, dust and corrosion.
Click to expand...

Words well spoken.
 
NYCoffee said:
D I Y........Its your car learn about it. Also NEVER GO TO THE DEALER.......
Click to expand...

THIS

What they're quoting you is just sick... Yeah I know a LOT of people pay it, but I'd never be one of 'em.

You can get the parts from RockAuto and DIY... Except maybe for charging it with with refrigerant. And you might even accomplish that the cheap way using the little 12-oz cans of 134a they sell.

You may need to pick up a couple specialized tools, like a vacuum device to suction-dry the system after you put it back together, but I look at that kind of stuff as an investment.
 
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