very bizarre auto AC HVAC recharge experience

For most filters (engine, oil), I prefer to stick with oem. Probably for warranty purposes.

Or in the case of my stinger, all aftermarket applications call for a spinon while the car actually takes a cartridge (lookup '22 stinger 2.5T).

Re ac, well, at least you were able to get it fixed yourself. Our fridge died yesterday. Barely 5 years old, it's an LG piece of crap. Apparently they're known for failing prematurely due to the retarded compressor design. There was even a class action lawsuit against them for this issue which got settled. Someone's suppose to be here thursday to replace the compressor. We'll see how that goes.

Fortunately we're not entirely up sh!t's creek. There's another fridge and freezer in the basement (from 2001/2006 respectively. Both working fine.

tl;dr don't buy lg appliances, electronics maybe.

we have the correct filter for a 2011, which is 1.3" longer than the filter for a 2008-2010--cars and engines are identical, but GM made that change. Also, for 2011, they went to a synthetic blend called Dexos at the time. So my hunch is the oil filter got longer, but the AC hose that has the low side port stayed the same.

Our Maytag is a 2002 and ice maker broke long ago, but started having trouble in 2016 I think where it iced up. I've tested the resistance to the defrost wire and it's good. I do think that we overstuffed the freezer and the thermostat that clips to the evap tube broke as it was swollen. But since last year, I have the thermometers in the frezer and fridge and watch it all the time.

The most odd thing is I bought a new timer never installed. It says right on it, defrosts every 8 hours, and for 33 min.

Believe it or not I recently timed the defrost cycle (I know because the freezer hasn't reached its -5F and it turns off), and it was exactly 33 minutes!! But only 1X per day which I don't understand at all.

Through all that I've learned the fridge truly doesn't like to be loaded up. Growing up, my mom would put holiday meals in the garage when it was like 25F outside, to keep them out of the fridge. Other than the rodents, this made sense lol But imagine the load that the fridge did not have to take on. Imagine putting a turkey in the fridge, etc.

A replacement fridge is like $1700, and I know people spend even more these days...it's scary if they don't last. Again, our dryer is from 1984, washer I bought in 2005. I'd be upset if a new appliance broke inside of a few years....good luck with it, as ordinary folks these are big ticket items to us...

p.s. my mom used a lot of common sense when I was growing up, without knowing the science. She would yell if I'm "browsing" the contents of the fridge, and then actually don't even take anything out.

I have seen our fridge sitting at a nice cozy 39F, but open the door looking for stuff? Now it's 45F and takes a long time to get back to 39F (this is why I am very interested in a refrigerator that has evaps for the fridge and freezer, i.e. 2 of them, if this even truly exists). If it's stuffed and full? Now it may not get back to 39F until more contents are depleted. Maybe our fridge is simply old, but I know that if not loaded up, the temps are right where they should be, and how full does affect them. I think I heard freezer 75% full and above is good, but just not blocking airflow.

If the A/C system needed a charge of refrigerant, there is a leak somewhere. By adding refrigerant, the problem is compounded. 42 degrees F is too cold. There is a risk of freezing the evaporator coil and causing it to fail. Translation - Remove the Dashboard! $$$$$

The leak needs to be found and fixed. A leak tester is very expensive. Then pull a vacuum on the system to make sure any contaminants are removed. A vacuum pump is very expensive. When pulling a vacuum the gas is recovered and disposed of legally. Then the system can be charged with a measured amount of refrigerant and oil. Leave out the oil and the compressor is toast!

It is cheaper to let a qualified repair person do all this.

Exactly, as I've gone through life, I've found that there is the theoretical, and the practical.

Anyone can google everything and anything these days.

Drive into the dealership, take out the rewards card, and part $3,100 in debt. That's the known with my wife's GM. they are not troubleshooting looking for a leak, they are replacing front and rear evaps, all the lines, expansion valve and orifice. this is not even talking about the compressor or condenser.

Plan B? Buy a $8.xx can of refrigerant, and hope the problem goes away for years, or at least before the car is junked. I mean this system was serviced when the car was under 2 years old, 8.5 years ago, by the dealer. Who knows.

In this case, for all we know, there was nothing wrong to begin with. It worked. I just felt something is awry, I heard a repeated hissing in the cycling, and, when the dew point was about 70F, I saw no water under the vehicle.

With my home system that used R22, I replaced the system in July 2020. I still owe on it! But after June 2023, it will be the only thing I owe, so I'm ok with it. My buddy who is a Dave Ramsey follower said if you couldn't pay cash (I could of but I rather 0% it), you basically don't deserve AC. Tell that to my wife and son lol

Did you add one of the modern leak stop products as well or just the R134A? Leak stop products get a bad rap becuase they can (after you use it) destroy a tech’s evac unit. Newer products, say from the last 10 to 15 years are formulated differently to protect the tech’s equipment, should you finally take the car to a tech. See https://gobdp.com/blog/healing-the-stop-leak-reputation/ for one product that is the first approach for one of our local garages. They say that in about 75% of cases it works very well.

No, I just used plain R134a. I just weighed the cans and I seemed to have consumed 5 oz. That's a lot considering the system is 20.3 oz. But this is a 2011 SUV with known issues for AC, and there are front and rear evaps. So I'm ok with it just working. I tell myself it's not worth the money to repair it, and true, I have never owned a car with AC issues.

My German car has the ports right on top easily accessible. Interestingly, my Japanese car has the low side port also down low, I think accessible. But the GM having an oil filter in the way? How stupid is that? Again, 2008-2010 they used a PF48 filter. In 2011, a PF63 which is 1.3" longer. I think that's why.

On a BMW forum, a person complained about being uncomfortable. He has all the numbers because he used the computer and dealer software to obtain everything.

What I gravitated to is 95F outside, 65F vent temps. This seems right. I think in a car we're looking for a 30F drop, I got 28F when I say it was 42F.

So that is interesting, I think his car blowing 65F when it's 95F outside is working properly. But then he states the car is 80F and uncomfortable. Now I wonder if there could be a vent issue, blower issue, etc. But it would seem the evap part is fine, as were his pressures. AND, he did have it professionally evacuated and then charged to rule refrigerant out.

I just find these things interesting, and try not to get hung up on how much it could potentially cost, because that's depressing lol

p.s. thanks for the tip on the leak product--wow, they say it's ok to use as long as it's not more than a pound a day lost. That's huge as the system only holds 20.3 oz!! But why it seems up my alley is it's exactly what I have in mind as far as not having to pay the big bucks. I hope I won't need it, but would definitely consider it if I did down the road...

The dealer is not where I would go for an A/C repair. There is a local repair shop with a number of expert mechanics that I have dealt with for 20 years. They charge a fair price. A repair shop like this is hard to find!

When we got Bilsten struts and shocks put in my wife's car (they cost about the same as OE, except the rears were $20 more each), I used the local garage who does inspections on two of our cars.

The Bilsteins didn't have the spot where the ABS sensor snaps in place--rather than leave it dangling, the tech neatly zip tied it in place. I noticed that tech also has a Bilstein sticker on his tool chest, so he was the right guy! It's an Exxon station and they allow customer parts. I also got all the old parts returned, because I like to look at and see the condition.

Same with my Japanese car, but the place is 65 miles away (can't find one in Phila). The dealer did a free multipoint when I got it used, and said I need $6,700. The indie said, you need $0. haha

The gas gauge stopped working on the truck a little over a year ago. He called a local Ford dealership to see what their diagnostic charge would be. $130.00. Yesterday, he called a local independent repair shop that I have been using for a number of years. $40.00. The only issue, he has to wait 3 weeks for an appointment because they are so backed up. Almost everything that this shop does is by word of mouth. That’s the way I found out about them. A friend of mine told me about them, his daughter told him about them, and so it goes. These guys are honest and will only fix what needs to be fixed. If they spot something and it’s not going to create a problem, they will tell you about it, but then will tell you that it is not a necessary repair. Example, my GMC truck threw a code. I go to them to get it checked out. They came back and said that the thermostat was opening too much but it didn’t need to be replaced. They said that it would cost $400-$500.00 to do the replacement, but if it was their truck, they wouldn’t do anything. The only thing that will happen is that the engine will run cooler, which it actually does. In the summer it’s fine, but it takes longer to warm up in the winter and the heater doesn’t get as hot.

My Japanese car has a timing belt (go figure never had one before, it's a 2006). Dealer charges $1,800 to do it. The indie quoted me $750, then called back. Sorry, it's $900, you said you want the tensioner done and we looked up the wrong kit (the $150 is not all the kit). The dealer actually doesn't do the tensioner at 90,000, only 180,000. But I opted for the 180,000 job at 86,000.

Anyway I said, are you going to do the thermostat, since you're already in there? No? Why not?

"Because we've found that generally speaking, the thermostat doesn't need replacement, especially at these miles. But if you want us to replace it, we're more than happy to spend your money and charge you."

Another indie, I went to them to change a brake hose to the front caliper. The owner: "Now why do you want us to change the brake hose for you, you're more than capable of doing the job yourself. You've replaced calipers."

I said because if the line breaks (which it likely wouldn't), I'd have no way of fixing it, I can't flare lines, etc.

The response was, "OK, then we're more than happy to take your money."

Last story, when I was 25, I had a little run in with the law, so I called an attorney. I remember his words to this day.

"You don't need me, you haven't been charged with a crime, now have you? But if you want me to hold your hand and stand there with you in court, I'll be more than happy to take your money. But you do not need me, you can handle this yourself."

The above are 3 examples of integrity imho.

p.s. referring to the cars with the old mechanical thermostat, that's an engineering feat. Imagine it is able to regulate the temp of a car, and be such a simple device. Without it, like you said, a car should not ever warm up to proper temp. Some cars have electronic ones, which, why make things complicated when simple works?!

Look up linear compressor. Apparently that's what LG uses. It's quieter and uses less electricity... And has a life span of 2-5 years, usually on the lower side.

My wife has a 2014 Subar* Outback (name protected to protect the guilty). Great car, but, if the headlight goes out you have to remove the wheel well protective pad to get to the bulb. This is best accomplished by turning the front wheel toward the engine (rt wheel far left, lft wheel far right) for the best access while having the front end jacked up. Since I didn't get the optional car lift in my garage this renders my DIY fix almost useless.

I know I'm getting old and less handy but I don't like to be reminded by being unable to do jobs I could easily handle a few years ago.

I had a 1987 BMW 325i. All the bulbs were easy to change, and the owner's manual was helpful if needed.

My 2002 Audi A4 owner's manual essentially says about all bulb changes "don't try this at home". I got helpful youtube video help both to change headlight bulbs and to get into the tail light cluster.

Crazy!

I suspect my 2022 Tesla Y is worse, but at least those are LEDs which one can hope won't need to be changed in normal experience.

A coworker had an Oldsmobile (I forget the year & model) where you had to remove the front fender to replace the passenger side headlight.

To change the drivers side rear sparkplug on my neighbor's old Ford V8 pickup, you had to loosen the motor mount and jack up the engine slightly to get clearance from the firewall.

Dumb automotive engineering has been around awhile.

I've got a 2011 Honda Accord and it is the same thing. The wheel well cover needs to be removed to access the headlight bulbs. When I first got the car changing bulbs was easy, just remove the panel. Due to a bad rash on my hands when I got older, I am unable to maneuver my hand into tight spaces. Last time I had to pay a mechanic to change the bulb. Getting older is not fun.

How do you change an led headlight bulb?

Not looking forward to this..

A few months back I purchased a 2022 Acura RDX. In trying to get me to buy an extended warranty, I was told that replacing the headlight was about $1200 in parts and another $200 in labor. As an engineer, I said “show me” and was escorted to the shop to be shown what was involved. The no deductible extended warranty was $3000 asking price, but I got them down to $2000. I have rarely purchased extended warranties but these cars today need careful consideration.

I came this close " " to buying an rdx last summer. Ended up passing due to issues with the turbo in the rain (there's a thread about this on acurazine - https://acurazine.com/forums/third-generation-rdx-2019-454/c... ). But more so, on the final test drive, I just didn't connect with the vehicle.

For the stinger, kia partners with a third party to offer the warranty. Still on the fence about getting it. Will need to decide before 3 yrs/36K miles as thats when the electronics warranty runs out.

Car is ~11 months old now, 5500 miles. Only issue is a seeping from diff mid shaft. Basically the seal at the front diff on the driver side. Noticed this at last oil change a week ago. First oil change done at 1500 miles last sept - everything was dry. I don't drive a whole lot so will wait 1K miles then reinspect and make appt as necessary.

My 2007 BMW made the "Most Unreliable" and "Avoid" lists on Consumer Reports.

People said, "You can't own a BMW out of warranty."

So, I got the extended warranty. Shopped around, got it in DE so no tax.

NEVER USED IT.

wth? People on the forum, hahahahahaha that would have been 6k out of warranty!

What a waste of money. I try to justify it in my mind, well, I got a new job around that time, pretend the pay differential was part of the wasted warranty.

Of course 4 years beyond the extended warranty the DSC hydro pump failed. That's a $4,200 job at the dealership. Luckily I found a YouTube and DIY'd for about $450 (had to spend almost $200 on tools and software). Knock on wood 6 years later no issues.

I did buy it for the GM, and had repairs that prolly equal the cost of the warranty. But water pump failed out of extended warranty, so here we go again, DIY. It's an $800 job and I managed to do it for about $140 (OE, as it comes with the 6 torque to yield bolts--thank goodness a tip on amazon said use RTV, you don't want to do it 2X like me). The beauty? extended warranty had a $100 deductible so it would have cost $106. The extra $34 is a price I paid to learn, well worth it. And satisfying knowing I did the job and it's been good for 2.5 years now.

The seal on the diff...dangit my Toyota is RWD. That $6,700 free multipoint a the dealer didn't see trans fluid seeping. An $11 seal cost about $380 to fix at the indie. I have pics. Driveshaft comes out.

p.s. on AC, I drove my garage queen to work with AC. It was uncomfortable (I refuse to add heat to AC lol)...I think the vents are likely blowing in the high 30s, because ambient was only 68F to 71F yesterday. Online, and also a MAC Tools thermometer seem to say normal for car AC is 36F to 46F. It does depend on ambient of course, so at 95F, doubtful the car can do 46F, but I'm not really sure. It just felt too cold to me. My wife's does feel cold, but not that cold...

Fridge repair was relatively quick, less than 90 minutes. Three parts got replaced, the condenser, compressor, and filter/drier. Board got updated too.

He didn't braze the fittings, rather using something called LOKRING to secure. Time will tell how well it works and if it lasts more than 90 days.

What scares me about the modern big ticket items...basically replaced everything (maybe not the evaporator).

But in a normal cooling system, since when is the entire system thrown away, if something is wrong with it? lol

I've watched HVAC YouTubes and seen repairs where judgement was made, "The homeowner doesn't need a ECM motor plus they don't even know what it is anyway."

Or say using generic parts instead of OE.

That's why I love and will forever keep my 2007 car. It has a true dual exhaust. Who cares, exhaust is for looks anyway, right? We don't need engineering and hardware these days, just software that can push a 4 cyl car beyond 300 ft lbs. But can the internals really last? who knows maybe 300 HP/273 ft lbs from 1.6 liters and 3 cylinders is normal today lol

What really blew my mind was... Ok, all the new parts are installed, now the controller board needs a firmware update!?@#

He couldn't tell me clear reason other than something about the way the compressor operates is not compatible with the old software.

It couldn't have been a big update either as the whole thing took maybe 30 seconds using what appeared to be a serial port like connection (5 or 6 pins).

You're right about the evaporator not getting replaced. Probably because its much more time consuming to get at it than the other parts - which are all in the same proximity to each other. My only concern is how long this repair will last. At this point I've written LG off. If this thing lasts another 5+ years then I may consider them in the future.

My car gets 300hp/311 ft lb torque out of a 2.5L. Can't imagine the boost pressures. Fortunately the engine rarely sees above 3K rpm. Just a few jaunts to redline maybe once every few months.

Friend had late 60’s Camaro
Spark plug replacement on one side involved
Pulling engine partway out!

I had a 1971 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400; same arrangement, cylinder #8 as I recall. Right against the firewall. Plugs needed to be changed about every 20,000 miles back then as I recall. I changed them once, all of them and then purchased a Delta Capacitive Discharge Ignition which easily took me 75,000 miles between tune-ups.

Loved that car...

I got tired of tune-ups every 6K miles on my '69 Volvo 142 so I got a Delta CD ignition too. Since there wasn't any real arcing on the points they lasted much longer. The trouble was that at ~30K miles the metal fatigued and I had point-bounce and I guess (can't remember) misfiring. IIRC I ran that thing >300K miles.

My toyota is 8 cyl. They label them as #1 is driver side front, #8 is passenger side rear.

The #1 spark plug is obstructed by the dip stick tube.

Here's a very sad statement. Many owners of these cars maintain at the dealer by the book. Back in 2006 I heard a conventional oil change was like $110? lol These cars never got synth from the factory like Euro cars but they had Euro car maintenance pricing.

Like I said I got a multi point at the dealer and was told $6,700 recommended. I bet the original owners faced that and traded the car in, when $0 was needed.

Anyway, many like myself pick up these cars used when they've depreciated 50k, I mean they are 300k mile cars all day long, and specimens online 1,000,000 miles. So why not?

So many found the #1 plug was never changed, and it's different than the other 7. This implies the dealer routinely does 7/8 plugs. Sad.

On my BMW, the #5 cyl (it's numbered 1 in front 6 in back) is obstructed by a strut tower bar (or that's what I call it it's from the factory). I didn't know this and had bought a SK tools locking 3/8" extension like 8" or so. It was too long for #5, so I had to be careful not to drop my socket.

I've not done my wife's plugs yet, actually have them and need them done. It involves removing the intake. I've never done that before on any car. There are many firsts for me in life, even at my age lol

p.s. now that it's 87F and 65F dew point, there is tons of water under my wife's car, although not as much as I would expect at the rear right wheel where the rear evap is. But imagine 1 1/2 weeks ago, it was 90F+ and 70F dew point, and no condensation. That's what set off this AC job and this thread...

Again looking online rear evap is common, expensive, and not an easy job, and requires special GM tools for the lines to boot...

My first car in high school was a 1978 Pontiac Sunbird. I took it to the mechanic for a tuneup. I did not realize that changing the two rear spark plugs on the V6 required removing the entire engine. I was hit with a huge repair bill. I never changed those rear spark plugs again.
The car was a total lemon. I did not know much about cars. If I did not drive it every other day the battery would be dead. There was some sort of electrical drain. The battery would wear down the starter and the alternator. Every other week the car would break down with a bad starter, a bad battery or a bad alternator.
Every time it rained, it was like driving on ice. The car would skid like crazy. I had many accidents. Changing the tires made no difference. The car was dangerous. I was so glad when it got totalled in a wreck and I had to get rid of it.

Live and learn.

My LG refridge with a linear compressor is 8 years old. No problems so far. Knock on wood.

Remember my fridge is coming up on 20 years old and I'm trying to keep it going, so I'm not exactly the savvy consumer here.

My understanding on the linear compressor is it's about efficiency, like 1/3 less electricity.

Also from what I read, Samsung is the one who has evaps for fridge and freezer.

This makes sense to me, because my fridge which was high end in 2002, has a mechanical flap to allow cold air to go to the fridge on top.

This does not work in the real world.

Just now. The fridge was 39.2F, the freezer at some flavor between -5F and +3F. meaning the compressor was not on.

Just by me opening and closing the fridge 3X, all the while the compressor was not on, the temp went up to 45.5F.

The fridge cannot get the temp back to 39.2F within one cycle.

Also, I have found if the fridge is too full, the fridge cannot reach 39F. And when empty? It's headed down to 37F.

So for me, I would be willing to give up efficiency, for performance, and really would like to know who else has 2 evaps so that the fridge can operate independently? That will be a qualifier for my next fridge.

Also, think about what "efficiency" translates to in the real world? Say the efficient compressor saves about $40-$50 per year, but it breaks? It's not nothing, it's a nice savings, but what's the trade-off....(hot water heater is a good study in efficiency, I should have gone pilotless WITHOUT the forced exhuast, that's the sweet spot, but I got the pilot).

That's why it's like saying my Toyota has a cd of .27--that's truly impressive, the BMW which has a top speed limited to 150, is .31 cd. Both cars are relatively smooth underneath.

Those two numbers are meaningless without the frontal area, and another example of marketing....(Toyota had drag coefficient and top speed as two of the 4 overall goals as a 1990 car--remember the ad with the champagne glasses on the hood...BMW at the time accused Toyota of selling the cars below cost, they were that good...)

The air valve between compartments is not completely without merit. Further, there can be more than one fan, and the fans may have more than one speed.

I don't know which models from which brands may do this, but I suspect that there are models which in the case you cite will use a fan to move cold air from the freezer into the fridge side.

Double evap models are scarce both for construction cost and for efficiency reasons, I think.

I've got a new small garage refrigerator/freezer, which I've been running plugged into a meter.

I can hear differences among zero fans (0.9 watts), low noise fans (1.6 W) and noisier fans (2.4 W) and the repair guy specifically said it had more than one fan. There may be more states than that.