DOES ANYONE KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO CAN FIGURE OUT MY AC PROBLEM??? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

DJDBumblebee · 04-08-2021, 09:28 PM

I've been having an issue with my AC since September in my 2012 LS Camaro. I've taken it to all the dealerships in the area and none of them have any sort of intelligence. All they've done is throw parts at it and I just can't afford to pay for any more guesses. I live in the Louisville, KY, area and I would like a suggestion on where to take it for a diagnosis. My AC compressor makes a whining, growling noise whenever it's engaged and the line starts to freeze up. The longer it runs, the thicker the frost gets until it stops blowing. The attempts to repair it from dealerships have included 5 new AC compressors (all new, not remans, with brand new clutch bearing assemblies), evac and recharge 10 times, new condensor and drier, new tensioner, new serpentine belt, new alternator and a new water pump. None of these have fixed it and the noise is immediately there and present even after the repair, but yet I'm still forced to pay for the part and labor as well as a diagnostic fee that misdiagnosed it. I'm sick of having people stand and look at me with their eyes glazed and not knowing how to help but still wanting to charge me a diagnostic fee to tell me it's my AC compressor again. THEY ARE WRONG. They claim they changed the expansion valve, as well, but it doesn't look new. Since they claim it was changed, though, they won't change it again unless I pay another diagnostic fee. I need someone who knows what they're doing to give it a look and figure it out. It's getting hot outside and I'm at my wit's end.

Camaro2ss2010 · 04-08-2021, 10:27 PM

Sounds like it has a leak and the low charge is causing it to freeze up. They should be able to check it with a dye or even a sniffer. As for locations I can’t help you but this may help point you in the correct direction. Good luck and let us know the outcome.

gtstorey · 04-09-2021, 09:20 AM

I'll say it again, stay away from dealerships for non-warranty issues. You are better off throwing darts at the yellow pages listing for mechanics (if there was such a thing as yellow pages to throw darts at anymore) than to take it to the dealership.

Find someone on this list close to you, confirm their BBB rating and give it a shot. AC isn't magic.

https://www.yellowpages.com/louisvil...tioning-repair

ElderJ · 04-09-2021, 11:32 AM

Hey man, I'm right across the river from you. I'm with gtstorey on this: avoid dealerships with any non-warranty stuff, and even then sometimes avoid them!

Anyways, I use these guys (the Jeffersonville location). They're good, legit, and honest. A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. Damon (one of the head mechanics) is a straight shooter.

https://probiltautomotive.com/

bayarea408 · 04-09-2021, 03:48 PM

you need to get a pressure test kit that bolts to the AC unit and pressure tests for leaks. If you can not do this go to a place that does. Call into the AC places around you and ask if they do a pressure leak test your AC has a leak, Done. You are running around morons at a dealership that dont know anything about HVAC

G8One2 · 04-09-2021, 04:50 PM

First thing here... If any one of those AC compressors failed internally, it will destroy every single other compressor you put on it from that point forward, if the system had not been flushed. The lines, condenser, the dryer and even the evaporator in the HVAC case, will have metal debris in it that will work its way back to any new compressor you put on it. Doesn't matter if you replaced parts, if the system wasn't flushed, there's still metal in the system.

Now I'm not saying that's your issue, but if the compressor has been replaced multiple times, I would for sure suspect that was likely your original issue. No amount of parts you throw at it will fix it, until the system is flushed, or every single part of the AC system is replaced all at once. If the compressor for some reason is not the issue, it could have a leak. Although automotive AC systems dont work like the ones in your house. They generally dont freeze up with a low charge because most automotive AC systems have an evaporator temp sensor, and a pressure sensor that will disable the system before it freezes.

I dont know for sure if our cars have a evap temp sensor, but most newer cars I have ever messed with do. A low charge plus a faulty evap temp sensor would cause the evaporator to freeze. Normally, this evap temp sensor will turn the compressor off if the discharge temps are too low, this sensor is usually found on the HVAC case right near the evaporator, if it has one. But if the system is freezing, you for sure have too low of a pressure and or a leak that needs to be found. Go to the parts store and get some dye to inject into the system, get yourself a blacklight, yellow safety glasses and invest in a sniffer.

I wouldn't be surprised if your original issue was the compressor grenaded internally, sending metal throughout the whole AC system. Dealership techs threw parts at it, charged you for them and never bothered to flush the system either because they're incompetent, or they know you'd be back to throw more parts at it and never really fixing it, or they just dont give a **** about you and just want your money. Each and every time they finger ****ed your AC system by replacing parts, they likely disturbed the system to the point the created more problem with leaks because of incompetence, or the lack of skill.

Vegas Bound · 04-09-2021, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtstorey

I'll say it again, stay away from dealerships for non-warranty issues. You are better off throwing darts at the yellow pages listing for mechanics (if there was such a thing as yellow pages to throw darts at anymore) than to take it to the dealership.

Find someone on this list close to you, confirm their BBB rating and give it a shot. AC isn't magic.

https://www.yellowpages.com/louisvil...tioning-repair

Yellowpages is still available online but I wouldn't recommend throwing darts at your computer screen.

ElderJ · 04-11-2021, 10:41 AM

At the end of the day, just know this: I didn't have AC in the first couple of cars that I owned, unless you count rolling down the windows and hitting the highway as "air conditioning"... =D

Camaro2ss2010 · 04-11-2021, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElderJ

At the end of the day, just know this: I didn't have AC in the first couple of cars that I owned, unless you count rolling down the windows and hitting the highway as "air conditioning"... =D

We call that 260 AC around here. 2 windows down at 60mph.

PaulsSS · 04-16-2021, 08:09 AM

Blows my mind how simple these ac systems are but you hear it all the time people complaining they don't work properly. Blockage, dirt , moisture, too much charge<thats the big one. Take your pick, when a new compressor is installed if they don't flush the system completely OR install a line filter to catch all the crap you will never get these smaller systems to cool right. I would start over, find a good ac shop and have them pull it apart, clean the system then properly evacuate and charge it. Its so dam simple it blows my mind every time I see one of these posts.

Friends of mine bought a new ford 350 pu to haul a 5th wheel to Florida. They were constantly complaining the ac just doesn't get cold enough and had it back to the dealer. Dealer tells them all these newer systems don't cool like the older stuff. BS I checked the charge level and it was WAY overcharged by the dealer. Cold as any other system now.

04-08-2021, 09:28 PM	#1
DJDBumblebee Drives: 2012 2LS Coupe Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 16	DOES ANYONE KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO CAN FIGURE OUT MY AC PROBLEM??? I've been having an issue with my AC since September in my 2012 LS Camaro. I've taken it to all the dealerships in the area and none of them have any sort of intelligence. All they've done is throw parts at it and I just can't afford to pay for any more guesses. I live in the Louisville, KY, area and I would like a suggestion on where to take it for a diagnosis. My AC compressor makes a whining, growling noise whenever it's engaged and the line starts to freeze up. The longer it runs, the thicker the frost gets until it stops blowing. The attempts to repair it from dealerships have included 5 new AC compressors (all new, not remans, with brand new clutch bearing assemblies), evac and recharge 10 times, new condensor and drier, new tensioner, new serpentine belt, new alternator and a new water pump. None of these have fixed it and the noise is immediately there and present even after the repair, but yet I'm still forced to pay for the part and labor as well as a diagnostic fee that misdiagnosed it. I'm sick of having people stand and look at me with their eyes glazed and not knowing how to help but still wanting to charge me a diagnostic fee to tell me it's my AC compressor again. THEY ARE WRONG. They claim they changed the expansion valve, as well, but it doesn't look new. Since they claim it was changed, though, they won't change it again unless I pay another diagnostic fee. I need someone who knows what they're doing to give it a look and figure it out. It's getting hot outside and I'm at my wit's end.

04-08-2021, 10:27 PM	#2
Camaro2ss2010 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SSRS M6 Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Alabama Posts: 1,287	Sounds like it has a leak and the low charge is causing it to freeze up. They should be able to check it with a dye or even a sniffer. As for locations I can’t help you but this may help point you in the correct direction. Good luck and let us know the outcome. __________________ ECS supercharger, Texas speed stage 3 boosted cam, Johnson 2110 race style lifters, ported throttle body, long tube headers, aeromotive fuel pump, fic injectors, ATI super damper, Corsa Extreme exhaust, elite engineering catch can and many other things.

04-09-2021, 09:20 AM	#3
gtstorey Drives: 2010 Camaro SS2,L99, LSA SC Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,451	I'll say it again, stay away from dealerships for non-warranty issues. You are better off throwing darts at the yellow pages listing for mechanics (if there was such a thing as yellow pages to throw darts at anymore) than to take it to the dealership. Find someone on this list close to you, confirm their BBB rating and give it a shot. AC isn't magic. https://www.yellowpages.com/louisvil...tioning-repair

04-09-2021, 11:32 AM	#4
ElderJ Drives: 2014 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Central Florida Posts: 372	Hey man, I'm right across the river from you. I'm with gtstorey on this: avoid dealerships with any non-warranty stuff, and even then sometimes avoid them! Anyways, I use these guys (the Jeffersonville location). They're good, legit, and honest. A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. Damon (one of the head mechanics) is a straight shooter. https://probiltautomotive.com/

04-09-2021, 03:48 PM	#5
bayarea408 Drives: T Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: CA Posts: 805	you need to get a pressure test kit that bolts to the AC unit and pressure tests for leaks. If you can not do this go to a place that does. Call into the AC places around you and ask if they do a pressure leak test your AC has a leak, Done. You are running around morons at a dealership that dont know anything about HVAC

04-09-2021, 04:50 PM	#6
G8One2 Drives: 2014 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 492	First thing here... If any one of those AC compressors failed internally, it will destroy every single other compressor you put on it from that point forward, if the system had not been flushed. The lines, condenser, the dryer and even the evaporator in the HVAC case, will have metal debris in it that will work its way back to any new compressor you put on it. Doesn't matter if you replaced parts, if the system wasn't flushed, there's still metal in the system. Now I'm not saying that's your issue, but if the compressor has been replaced multiple times, I would for sure suspect that was likely your original issue. No amount of parts you throw at it will fix it, until the system is flushed, or every single part of the AC system is replaced all at once. If the compressor for some reason is not the issue, it could have a leak. Although automotive AC systems dont work like the ones in your house. They generally dont freeze up with a low charge because most automotive AC systems have an evaporator temp sensor, and a pressure sensor that will disable the system before it freezes. I dont know for sure if our cars have a evap temp sensor, but most newer cars I have ever messed with do. A low charge plus a faulty evap temp sensor would cause the evaporator to freeze. Normally, this evap temp sensor will turn the compressor off if the discharge temps are too low, this sensor is usually found on the HVAC case right near the evaporator, if it has one. But if the system is freezing, you for sure have too low of a pressure and or a leak that needs to be found. Go to the parts store and get some dye to inject into the system, get yourself a blacklight, yellow safety glasses and invest in a sniffer. I wouldn't be surprised if your original issue was the compressor grenaded internally, sending metal throughout the whole AC system. Dealership techs threw parts at it, charged you for them and never bothered to flush the system either because they're incompetent, or they know you'd be back to throw more parts at it and never really fixing it, or they just dont give a ** about you and just want your money. Each and every time they finger **ed your AC system by replacing parts, they likely disturbed the system to the point the created more problem with leaks because of incompetence, or the lack of skill.

04-11-2021, 10:41 AM	#8
ElderJ Drives: 2014 Camaro 1LT Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Central Florida Posts: 372	At the end of the day, just know this: I didn't have AC in the first couple of cars that I owned, unless you count rolling down the windows and hitting the highway as "air conditioning"... =D

04-16-2021, 08:09 AM	#10
PaulsSS Account Suspended Drives: 15SS Camaro Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: US Posts: 351	Blows my mind how simple these ac systems are but you hear it all the time people complaining they don't work properly. Blockage, dirt , moisture, too much charge<thats the big one. Take your pick, when a new compressor is installed if they don't flush the system completely OR install a line filter to catch all the crap you will never get these smaller systems to cool right. I would start over, find a good ac shop and have them pull it apart, clean the system then properly evacuate and charge it. Its so dam simple it blows my mind every time I see one of these posts. Friends of mine bought a new ford 350 pu to haul a 5th wheel to Florida. They were constantly complaining the ac just doesn't get cold enough and had it back to the dealer. Dealer tells them all these newer systems don't cool like the older stuff. BS I checked the charge level and it was WAY overcharged by the dealer. Cold as any other system now.