Hi Folks, Just wanted to share with the group a bit of my fun dealing with non functioning ac on a prime I bought. The car was in an accident, and repaired "mediocre" by a "c" grade body shop. I knew this, and made an offer accordingly. Turns out, the ac/heat pump was inop throwing code B1476 "AC inverter load system" Took the car to the dealership for troubleshooting, they took my money, returned the car to me and said "the ac doesnt work" - what a waste of time. I did a bit of digging around, and got to work myself. What I believe caused the compressor to fail, was a leak, or multiple small leaks in the accumulator assembly (as evidenced by the oil/dust/dirt all over i) causing a low refrigerant/oil condition, until the compressor finally had enough - when I recover the refrigerant, I was only able to recover 370 grams or so. there was hardly any oil remaining in the receiver/dryer, and as well hardly any oil in the compressor. maybe an oz or 2 in both combined. If you have a prime, I would strongly encourage you to take a look for evidence of leaks, and if you do have some leaks, evacuate and recharge PROPERLY, and maybe add some oil, I really dont see an issue with adding a bit too much oil, as there is tons of room for it in the receiver/dryer If anyone has any lead on the large suction tubes that attach to the accumulator, please let me know, So far, I found a new accumulator assembly on ebay, compressor on ebay, and a new condenser from rock auto, In Canada, the ND-11 oil is unobtanium, so I wound up with this oil, that should work... Ive flushed the lines, and internal condenser, but so far, I haveny been able to flush the internal evaporator, as the expansion valve is closed, and is nearly impossible to remove with the engine still in the car Im going to be away for work for about a month, but will continue to post my progress when I get back. Tom
So after a long trip abroad, I was able to get everything back together and success! Things with the AC/Heatpump seem to be working as they should. 1060G of r134a and ~6oz of POE hybrid electric compressor oil I purchased from summit racing. I wound up changing the accumulator Assy, new condenser, ebay used compressor, and one of my lines (that was bent, and I broke trying to straighten) needed to be welded - I would have liked to have found a new one, but this line is only sold with the accumulator assy, and the unit I bought on ebay, had the line listed as a different item and before I realized I needed it, was gone. All in Im at about $2200 CAD to get things running again. Not the end of the world....
