The air conditioner in my Saturn has not worked in years, I found out when it was too late that someone cut the wires to the compressor clutch. I will note It was not my Saturn when the A/C went out. I am considering getting A/C again and doing all the labor, the part I'm not sure on is this, will it be worth it? I will be using aftermarket parts and replace every single part, I will not reuse any parts, not even a hose.

How good will the air conditioner work If it's all new (maybe some reman?) Will it cool down my Saturn on a 95F day in the shade and maybe even while driving in the Sun?

 

If you use quality aftermarket parts that are all new and not remanufactured, you should have no problems at all with the a/c. Just make sure you use the correct oil for whatever refrigerant you put in the system and don't overcharge it. I don't know how many pounds of R-134 (guessing at what you're using) that the system holds, but it should be on the label under the hood. Good luck with the project and let us know how it turns out. I'm in FL and it's over 90 everyday with a dew point in the upper 70's and 90+% humidity. The a/c in my PT Crusier and 200 both get cold enough to have to turn the temp up.

 

+1 no reman (compressor). At a minimum I'd be changing the condenser, receiver/dryer, and thermal expansion valve (TXV). If you're up to the task, the evaporator is located behind the center of the dash and is supposed to be a blast to replace----never tried it myself.

Have you checked to see if your system still has any refrigerant left?



I am VERY interested in this project as it has been 2 years since the AC in my 95 SC2 was last charged. It would hold a charge for less than nine months with a slight overcharge; I could not find the leak w dye so it's either the evaporator or the compressor or both.

You would be doing a great service to the forum by doing a "how to" thread from start to finish. You don't need a pic for every step--just the important and maybe non obvious steps, and the milestone pics ("evaporator removed" etc).


You may wish to investigate switching to R12a (no not R12 for your home AC). It takes a diff amount to charge the system and the operating pressures are different, so some research is in order. It's supposed to be the wave of the future, less expensive, more efficient...if you're doing a 100% replacement, I can't think of a better time to switch

Please keep us posted on the parts list(actual make and part # would be awesome), cost, time spent, used, operating pressures, and the "make sure you don't ____" list.

(Can you tell I'm interested?)

 

When the time comes, I am replacing EVERYTHING to do with the air conditioner, even the evaporator. Not one single piece or even tubing will be reused. Its been at least 6 years since it has run and if I am paying any money to get the AC running, I don't want to risk destroying any new parts by reusing any old parts. The air conditioner will come towards the end of the long repair list most likely.I will be sure to post updates when the time comes and lots of photos.

 

It would be an awesome gift to those of us with 1st gen Saturns if you could write a how to on this --to be made into a sticky. Don't need pics except for the big or tricky steps where you need a pic to explain what to do. Many of us are flying w systems w leaks and it will be a great stack of knowledge to know how to get to and remove/replace.

Be advised that the fine print on the new compressors requires that you prove to them that you replaced X and Y and had the system flushed prior to compressor installation for the warrantee to be honored, meaning

KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!!!!!

 

I will be sure to keep receipts for the whole job to prove that every single thing is new. Then there "should" be no issues with warranty should I have a problem.

I am still taking photos for my collection, and I will be sure to document everything for future reference.

The thought of an air conditioner is crazy because it's never worked while in my family's ownership, at least as far as I can remember. Family claims it worked, the only thing I know that is accurate is the fact it was intentionally ruined. Based on the damage. There is a big junk of A/C clutch wire CUT off from the compressor. Wasn't pulled off or any excessive wear, it was cut.

 

Why not just a new clutch (or soldering in proper gauge wire), flush. fill, n go? Till it craps out --- then replace?
If you plan to replace it all afterwards, why not use it till it craps out mechanically on it's own?

 

I have thought about that, but my concern with that is what if the compressor seizes while the clutch is engaged? I have read it can cause serious damage if the compressor fails with the engine running, such as the belt breaking amongst the small problems that can happen.

 

I believe it has a thermal "switch" in it so if it gets hot enough it will melt and open the circuit

The belt will come off of course; if it gets twisted up and tangled in/on a pulley it'll make a mess, but the only pulley in the system that is driven is the crank pulley. If it gets tangled there, I would thing it would shred apart before impeding the crank's rotation --- though I never really thought about it until you just brought it up

 

I'm sure it would cause a serious problem with the engine. My poor Saturn's engine is running at less than half it's stock power, so it cannot handle an event like that. On a related note it's running at only about 42% of stock fuel efficiency. Its a long road ahead for my Saturn.