Random thoughts from the moose cave.

does it smell a little lke a drycleaning store?
Its almost certainly R12 flurocarbon refrigerant. You had a leaky seal that allowed R12 to escape and reduce the pressure to a point where the old seal worked properly again.
when the new gas topup was added it blew the seal. the buzz saw noise is probably the compressor trying to compress non existing gas.

When old aircon systems are being upgraded to new refrigerant all the seals are replaced and this is why it costs so much (500.00).

Your mechanic should have explained all this to you.

No idea about the dry cleaning store smell. I probably have only been inside one maybe 2 or 3 times in my life. The only familar smell it reminded me of was fresh nail polish and it has been awhile since I smelled that too.

So, it sounds like it is either pay $150 every couple of months for a bottle of the old refrigerant or spend $500 to have it converted to the new stuff that is only $50 or so a bottle....

Do you think the blowing of the seal was probably that loud WHOOSH I heard and felt this morning when the car started up? If not, any other areas of the engine I should check other than looking for broken belts or hoses?

If the buzz saw noise was the compressor trying to run on empty refrigerant, is it okay for me to still use the fan without running the A/C (just venting the outside air without going through the A/C system) until I can get it fixed? We're having a 100+ degree heatwave here for the next week or so.

He didn't and I I probably would not have believed them if they had. The whole time I was there, I had the distinct feeling I was being conned into buying parts that weren't really needed. My neighborhood mechanic replaced all the ball joints and other stuff in the front end wheel and axle area and gave me the old parts. The shop mechanic told me one of the parts (a rocker arm) the neighborhood mechanic didn't replace had a lot of play in it and needed replacing as part of the wheel alignment process. I asked for the old parts. After being charged $250 for it (just one of the arms, not both) and not getting the old parts, I told the neighborhood mechanic about it and he got under the car to check it out. Boy did he blow a gasket. He said the part did not need to be replaced and had not been replaced, it was just painted over with grease. The original rocker arm was still there.

I don't trust shop mechanics anymore, especially the ones that are not independent shops.

he is correct on the R-12 situation.

yes you have a leak, and my guess is at the compressor seal.

my guess on the buzz saw noise is that it was your compressor clutch or the bearing. prolly locking up and trying to smoke the belt. (smell)

in reality you need a new compressor with clutch, drier, new o-rings, and a conversion to R-134a.

to convert it and pay the labor betting on your old compressor surviving is silly.

I did this last year on my own vehicle (1990 chevy) to be able to ferry around a friend that had to have a/c, and it cost me almost $500. (i did my own labor and pay less than you for parts)

in reality you would do better to sell your car and buy something made after 96 with good a/c.

not what you wanted to hear, i'm sure, but honest nonetheless...

refrigerant has no odor.

Please note: IF I AM CORRECT,... I may not be correct. This could be something else completely. with the info you provided and not having the car to look at I dont think i'm too far off (a blown head gasket maybe? tyres? water pump? unlikely for the last two)

If i am right your aircon is completly useless. There is no refirigeant left. The seal is broken and or blown out.
if you had the old type of refrigerant topped up it would leak out in a day or less.

You will need to have all the seals replaced and the new type of refrigerant. check with a mechanic you trust as to weather the compressor is OK. I think it should be.

Yes it should be. Is there a separate button to activate the aircon? If thats the case then it should be OK to use the fan only. but pay attention to fan noise.

The acetone (nail polish) type smell is something i associate with R113 flurocarbon which i used for many years as a drycleaning fluid and was banned about 10 years ago along with R12 refrigerant and other similar products.

as to the fan...

I would unplug the compressor (it is a simple plug in and there is only one).

when you run the defroster, it kicks on the air.

otherwise it only runs when you want a/c.

R-12 has no odor...

(even in Australia)

It just crossed my mind that this (dodgy?) auto shop may have used R134a to top up.
Q. rockhead, does 134a have an odour?

Hate to argue with you but some refrigerants have an adour described perfessionally as...
Odor: Slight ether
Refrigerant gas freon we can offer: R11, R12, R22, R502, R407C, R410A, R417, R507, R134a, R600a, R141b, R142b, R125, Halon 1301 , Halon 1211
http://www.industrialcompressorcomponent.com/refrigeration-gases.html

you ain't arguing with me, you're proving my point.

Slight...ether.

in a laboratory you might get some of it.

outside with the car running there's no way.

I once watched a budding genius pop a $60 can improperly in the open shop with an old can tapper. (this has been a while)*

lotsa things happened, but a funny smell weren't one of them.

we use 30# cylinders now...

no odor to 134a either.

and they don't mix.

so unless they evacuated the system and pulled a vacuum on it, they did not put 134 in it.

they oil that is added to the a/c system can have an odor.

especially if it gets too hot...

(i still think it was belt funk)

dammit.

i'm ready for bed, but dink is in a singing contest with some alley cat. (he's winning)

gonna be a long sultry night, methinks...

Today is D-DAY!

I hope that u 'll have the Flag mounted in front of the Cave!

(U might wanna wait until the sum comes up.)





David

Thanks for the reminder, David. Just saluted D-Day on the radio thread. You must stop by there.

Not in the cards these days. I can barely afford the $500 for a repair of the air conditioning much less to buy a good used car. Doubt I'd get much for the '93 Cougar to help pay for a used car.

I understand.

just realize that the critical components and the o-rings are 17 years old.

you are better off to roll the windows down and drive faster...

(even with all new components, I need to add R134 to make mine go this year)

Yes, there are separate push buttons for the defrost, heat, a/c and vent with a slider that adjusts the temperature.

the salt water spray seems to be working.

off to water some more...

I was rather disappointed by the food festival today. It appeared to be mostly a hippy dippy intellectualized gardening demonstration event to showcase the latest trends and gimmicks in composting and organic gardening; not much in the way of vendors food or otherwise. The few vendors that were there were selling mostly canned jams, salsas and hot sauces to benefit the Hubbell House. A few more were selling tomato plant seedlings. The rest were handing out literature printed off the internet about southwest organic and xeriscape gardening techniques and safe canning procedures.

The Hubbell House itself was the most interesting part of the event and recruiting more membership for their preservation fund seemed to be the whole reason for the event, not gardening or a farmer's market. I toured the house and enjoyed the various pieces of artwork and old photographs, preserved furniture and clothing period pieces. Here's some info about the Hubbell family and the historic house:

http://www.hubbellhousealliance.org/history.html

http://www.wmonline.com/attract/pforest/hubbell.htm

I did sit at one of the half hour gardening workshops to listen to the master gardener's tips for controlling various pests and diseases in the home vegetable gardens.

For just about every pest, the suggestion for future prevention was to turn the soil over in the Fall to expose and kill off the dormant eggs of the pests over the winter.

For immediate control, they recommend the same stuff Dadpad suggested, and also recommend importing beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings and some nematodes.