[trackbird]

Apparently all of those letters I keep getting in the mail about class action law suits about the 2015 (and similar) Silverado trucks have some merit. My AC isn't cooling (now that the weather is warm) and close inspection revealed a cracked high pressure AC line at the compressor. I figured this out after putting gauges on it and finding 18 psi on the low pressure side (it should be around 35 psi). It seemed to be leaking freon almost as fast as I was putting it in. Ultimately, I ordered new high and low pressure lines (from the compressor and to the compressor), an expansion valve and drier assembly. Add in freon and new belts and I'm looking at about $550 in parts...give or take.

Apparently these trucks are known for compressor issues, high pressure line issues and there's a weld in the condenser that's known to crack. I sprayed soapy water on the condenser and I didn't see any bubbles. Tomorrow, I'll tear it all apart and swap out the lines. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into an all day event....

I've also learned that we now have "stretch fit" belts that don't use an idler pulley. I hadn't run into this before and sadly I didn't find it in time to get the proper tools delivered. However, my neighbor is a former dealer tech and a newly minted Matco dealer. He happened to have a few of the tools GM used to send with new belts, so he gave me a set of those so I can hopefully get the belt on without too much drama.

I'll keep you posted.

[GCrites80s]

I need to learn how to do this since I don't want to pay an A/C shop to get my IROC's A/C working (getting to old to live without it, hot weather makes me way too tired) for the first time since about 1999, maintain my Colorado's (it's going to turn 10 this fall and is still on the original charge) and if the Civic's going to need charged every 3 years I don't want to have to pay the dealer $350 every time it needs it. But they all take different refrigerants!

I think one of the biggest problems with new cars is that if something does happen to them nobody knows anything about them since they act up so little. Including the dealers. Dealers can fix LSes like MFers by now but if something goes wrong with a new LT none of them have ever seen it before and they have to fly an engineer in (real story) who even then might not know. You get 15 years down the road though and I'll be able fix the damn thing. Dealer training simply can't forsee this stuff because there's no precedent. Like that fix for vapor lock on the carbureted 3rd Gens that GM came up with using some zany contraption after like 5 years of work but now everybody on TGO knows how to fix super easily for $6. I don't remember the details.

[trackbird]

I need to learn how to do this since I don't want to pay an A/C shop to get my IROC's A/C working (getting to old to live without it, hot weather makes me way too tired) for the first time since about 1999, maintain my Colorado's (it's going to turn 10 this fall and is still on the original charge) and if the Civic's going to need charged every 3 years I don't want to have to pay the dealer $350 every time it needs it. But they all take different refrigerants!

I think one of the biggest problems with new cars is that if something does happen to them nobody knows anything about them since they act up so little. Including the dealers. Dealers can fix LSes like MFers by now but if something goes wrong with a new LT none of them have ever seen it before and they have to fly an engineer in (real story) who even then might not know. You get 15 years down the road though and I'll be able fix the damn thing. Dealer training simply can't forsee this stuff because there's no precedent. Like that fix for vapor lock on the carbureted 3rd Gens that GM came up with using some zany contraption after like 5 years of work but now everybody on TGO knows how to fix super easily for $6. I don't remember the details.

See Gordon, I'm not just a 6 speed swap guy, I have other tricks....

I have a vacuum pump and gauges for R134. I have six cans of R12 stashed away for an old car at some point....though I'm starting to think I'll never use them. I haven't looked for gauges for R1234 or whatever the new one is, but I'm sure there are adapters for the vacuum pump and gauges are likely available through the normal sources (Napa, etc).