AC BUSTED>>> Need Help Fast!

[Kenrik]

2003 G35 Coupe

Ok so I was driving today and it was really hot out (96 Degrees) and my AC stopped working. I smelled something that smelled like Latex paint.Well I got a refill kit with gauge and filled her up to the proper PSI... it did not get cold.

I checked it 10 Minutes later and it was empty.

I filled it again and waited... then I turned on the AC and guess what.. all of the refrigerant came out of the vents in a big puff.. I could hear the hissing from the leak.

So... is it the evaporator core? a blown O-Ring? What?

I need help it's hot as hell here.

[qship96]

Take it to the dealer. Sounds like evaporator ruptured, a labor intensive fix as the dash needs to be disassembled to get to it.

[ScottJackson]

probably needs a new evap, as stated in the other response. Hope it's an O-ring though. DO NOT use those cheap "death kits" for recharging your A/C. They often do more damage than good. They ONLY time they are OK is on an old junker car that slowly loses refrigerant and when the pressure gets low enough to shut off the A/C, you can add some from one of those cheap kits so long as the system isn't completely empty to start with. On the last A/C compressor job I did ('99 Buick), the compressor kicked on after only adding 10oz. of refrigerant in the system which is full at 2.25lbs. So just adding one 12oz can when the A/C shuts off due to a slow leak is usually not even close to enough to bring it back to full. If you've got a big leak where it all leaks out, you need to find the leak, fix that, drain compressor oil, fill with correct amount of proper oil, vacuum the system down, and then re-fill. If the system has bee open to the outside air for more than a few hours, it's a good idea to replace the reciever/drier at the same time as it contains silica which absorbs moisture from the air and can quickly become saturated if left exposed to outside air.

[ScottJackson]

By the way, if the system was completely empty and had outside air in it when you charged it up to the proper psi, you quite possibly did some more damage. I'm not sure, but I think that could also have caused you to blow the evaporator. A/C is a steep learning curve, and I know I'm not an expert by any means on it, but probably just a little higher than base camp, where most folks hang out.