The thread on outdoor AC's reminded me to post this: My old Honda Preulde (1993) had lost its AC! It only pumps out hot air. I got an estimate yesterday and they told me tha the AC fan belt needs to be replaced and perhaps there is more work to do (as they always say) once they get under the hood. The gave me an estimate of 300 to 500, perhaps more. Anyone knowledgeable about car AC problems and what exactly this means. I don't want to just blindly say Ok fix my car, and then get stuck with a huge bill. Help!
If the AC belt is turning then that's not your problem and I'd take it to another shop before letting them touch the car because it sounds like they are going to get you in small and just start replacing parts until everything is replaced. I'm not saying the belt doesn't need replacing (check for cracks), but it won't have anything to do with not blowing cold air. Now if your belt is gone (broke off), yeah - that would be your problem. Of course it could lead to other questions but if the compressor pulley turns, I'd start with just putting on a new belt. But if the belt is ok, they are fishing. If the belt is turning but is making a weird noise, it's loose and just needs to be tightened. Or to check for a loose belt, shut the car off and push on the belt - it shouldn't move more than an inch. If it moves too much and slips, that may cause it to not function properly. But a loose belt just needs to be tightened. But that is about as much diagnosis are a layman can do. It could be the freon leaked out in which case you'll need to pressurize the system to find the leak before reloading. Or if could be a switch or it could be the compressor. But an honest, competent guy is going to tell you right away what it is and how much it will be to fix it. I used to go to a place called Tinkers over in NW Houston off Clay Rd west of Gessner if I remember correctly. My gf (now wife) drove around Houston for a couple of years without AC because she was told it would cost $400 to replace the compressor (they said it had a leak) and she didn't have the money. I took it there for her assuming they could do it cheaper and they replaced a bad switch for a $30 - no leak so those guys were just going to rip her off. Tink has since died, so I don't know if the place is still around. It was a hole-in-the-wall place and they weren't always the fastest at fixing a car, but you couldn't find a place in Houston that was any cheaper or more honest than them.
Ok thanks. Do you know of any other causes that may lead to hot air? What are some simple checks that I can do to hopefully narrow down the problem, at least to eliminate a potentially small problem. I hate taking my car to the shop without having some idea of how the system works. I despise feeling helpless!
