Big $$$ AC repair on 03 Ford

[tallyho8]

I have had a "shaft seal leak" on my compressor since it was diagnosed 12 years ago. They wanted quite a lot to fix it but neglected to state that it was only leaking about 1 oz a year. I have put a few ounces of refrigerant in it about every 3 or 4 years now at a cost of less than $1 a year. Glad I didn't get it fixed!

When 2 leaks are diagnosed on a system and the shaft seal is one of them, usually the shaft seal is a very slow leak and the other leak is the major one which requires repair. Many times a shaft seal leak can be corrected with "refrigerant with stop leak".

 

[riptides]

Mike, you are right. This may be one of those things where I'll look back on it and laugh. But I'm not laughing right now. I've priced a new tractor shed (pole barn type thing) and it was going to cost me about $1000 to build it. Poof, its gone. Tractor will have to live under a tarp a little while longer.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and wish you luck.

My tractor lived outside for two years until I built a shed for it, so I know how you feel. Those ROPS make great tents!

Then after the shed was done, we moved. So in the end that tractor shed cost me a million dollars. HAHAHAHA.

-Mike Z.

 

[N80]

The upstairs AC went out in my house again last night. It was 100 here today. It was 88 upstairs at 7:00 this morning. I slept on the couch downstairs amongst tarps and drywall dust where they are repairing water damage to my den and kitchen (that happened 6 months ago.)

I seriously thinking about trading it all in for a single-wide and a used moped.

 

[dullpain]

N80 - Wow I thought I had it tough , I feel much better now.

Hope your bad luck turns good real soon.... really

 

[dmccarty]

Dang George,

When it rains it pours.

I can't resist being a smart a..., maybe you should have gone out in the truck and run the AC.....

You do have my sympathies. When I bought my first house the heat pump was in bad shape. I knew it would have to be replaced but I figured it would last until fall and I would buy a new one. I went out on a date on night and got home late. Walked into the house and it was like an oven. What the ..... said I. I could hear the AC was on. I felt an outlet and it was blowing hot air. The AC had died, the unit kept trying to cool down the house but all it did was blow into the house hot air. So the AC stayed on fill the house up with heat.

Not Nice.

Turned it off of course. The house only had four windows. One in each bedroom and the kitchen. Opened my rooms window, found an old fan and tried to get some sleep....

It was like being a kid again living in FLA with no AC at all......

Things have to get better soon!

Later,
Dan

 

[N80]

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. (You might have noticed I haven't been around TBN much lately...I haven't been around my tractor much either!) I can't really complain about the house AC, the upstairs unit is 21 years old, the downstairs is 18. They've done their time and need to be replaced. I'm just trying stall for time and get them done this winter when prices are better and I can get a decent loan. I should pay in cash....but I won't go there right now.

Its kind of funny. In college I lived for four years in Charleston, SC with no AC. During the summers I lived with my grandmother here in Rock Hill, SC (90 right now, will hit 100 later today). I remember being hot at times but you got used to it. Now I feel like a big baby....can't live without AC for more than a few days. Sigh.

I'm either going to spend some big bucks fixing my current house (its actually a very nice house on a 1 acre lot which is big by most suburb standards) or I'm going to buy Grandmas' house. It is 70 years old and has been unoccupied for 3 years now (don't ask). It is solid as a rock but has never been remodeled and will need HVAC, electrical and plumbing upgrades as well as a small addition. One way or another I'm going to get into a house that isn't crapping out on me constantly.

But, the good news is that the Ford AC is now freezing cold and as some one mentioned, might be a better place to live than the couch downstairs! And the truth is, if home/car repair costs and air conditioning are the worst things I have to contend with then I don't really have anything to complain about. Like they say "it anint nothin but money" or, locally, "it aint nothin but a thing."

 

[lug nut]

Sorry to hear about your luck, George. I'm suprised that they didn't at least offer a little help on the price of the repair.

I just priced out an a/c job on an Explorer today that ended up at about $1000. The compressor pulley locked up, causing the engine to die. It will need a compressor, belt, accumulator and a flush of the other a/c components.

There aren't many a/c repairs that are cheap, whether it be on a vehicle or in a house.

 

[DieselPower]

Without going over everything that has been said already I'll just add this. DO NOT USE A/C STOP LEAK. If you ever have to get your A/C system serviced at a repair shop and they test the system and find stop leak in it they will not service it. The stuff destroys recovery machines. Before I hook up my recovery machine to a vehicle that's not mine I alway's test the system first. If I find stop leak I tell them to go somewhere else.

 

[kenmac]

I can't really complain about the house AC, the upstairs unit is 21 years old, the downstairs is 18. They've done their time and need to be replaced. I'm just trying stall for time and get them done this winter when prices are better and I can get a decent loan. I should pay in cash....but I won't go there right now.


It's time to upgrade your units. Adverage life is 10- 15 yrs ( sometimes a little longer) I don't know about prices comming down this winter as copper prices are still high & there is alot of copper in an a/c unit. You may also want to consider a unit with 410 Refrigerant as this seems to be the Refrigerant of the future as R 22 production is at end. You will pay more for a unit with R 410. But, as R 22 prices increase , you will be money ahead to go with a R 410 system when you replace. A new unit will be a 13 seer now days. You probably have a 7 or 10 seer now.

 

[N80]

I don't know about prices actually being lower but I'm always getting fliers in the winter with AC deals and in the summer for heater deals.

Anyway, I got two estimates on replacing the downstairs unit, both around $7,000. I 'bout fainted. I just can't do it right now. I have no idea what type of units were suggested. But, the ductwork under the house needs replacing. It is sagging, the insulation is coming off of it and it weeps when the humidity is high. Both quotes added about $3000 to redo ductwork. I don't know if these are competative prices. Both are from fairly large and well established HVAC companies around here. Some folks (who have no reason to know) have told me that sounds high. I'll shop it around a little more when it is time to pull the trigger.

I do know that the two units, as old as they are, are expensive to run. Electric bill high in the summer. Gas bill high in the winter.

I've just got to limp along here until we decide what to do about this house. If we are going to stay, I'm going to refinance and get a home improvement loan and get all this stuff done at once. I've already replaced most of the plumbing. Replace the GP siding years ago with Hardy Plank. Some of the carpet upstair is probably older than a few of our members, wall paper too. So, I've got to drop some more money in this money pit or move.

Anyone interested in a 30 year old house? I'll knock off 10% for TBN members.

And for all of you who are getting tired of my whining and moaning, let me put this in a 'TBN' perspective: I'd say all this has cost me about:

One 20x30' tractor shed, one 7' disk, one 500# fertilizer spreader and a 6' toothbar for the bucket and a hydraulic top link. Money aint nuthin, but when you have to give up on tractor implements, well, I don't care who you are, that's just sad.