I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 Z-71 and overall this truck has done me well the 18 years I have owned it. My AC has slowly been getting worse over the last few years and now was at a point where I basically have no AC and have just a little bit of AC when driving at highway speed.

I didn’t think I could make it through another Texas summer, but I don’t have the money just lying around to fix it and also don’t want to go buy a new truck. This week I got it fixed and it was $2K because basically the entire system had to be replaced since the compressor went out and metal shards were in the system. I bet it might have cost less to fix if I would have addressed this at the beginning so this is a lesson learned for me. At least now My truck blows nice cold air regardless of if I am not moving or driving down the road. I hope I get another few years out of this truck.

Ouch! But you got 18 years out of it which is more than most home AC's last.
I was going to say just live without it..... but then I saw you're in Texas so $2,000 well spent.

Thinking that it had to be bad if the shards went through the orifice tube to work their magic on everything else.

Having done this with a 1995 GMC as an R12 conversion. The evaporator core is not fun at all and the condenser isn't either. $2K is a lot of money, but the repair is a lot of work.

I replaced the compressor, condenser, both hoses and evaporator in the Frontier for around $300.

It came with the in line filters and accumulator with the pressure switch and all the o-rings.

Took me from sunup to sundown, but saved me a pile.

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Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I replaced the compressor, condenser, both hoses and evaporator in the Frontier for around $300.

It came with the in line filters and accumulator with the pressure switch and all the o-rings.

Took me from sunup to sundown, but saved me a pile.

Yesh, I know you have very good mechanical skills that I don’t. I can do a few things, but this was beyond my scope. I sure wish I could have done it and saved some money.

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Originally posted by StorminNormin:
My AC has slowly been getting worse over the last few years and now was at a point where I basically have no AC and have just a little bit of AC when driving at highway speed.

That's where my car is at now. I have a 2003 Acura, and I've been putting it off. Did you take your truck to the dealer or a local garage?

The AC went out on my 01 Sonoma last year. The oddest thing really....it is a fairly rare occasion that I actually use it but it was getting to be a fairly warm couple of days. It worked great Saturday, went to use it again Tuesday and nothing.

Picked up a refill can Wednesday and it was working again Thursday and Friday. Following Monday it was dead again. I still don't use it often enough to even bother taking it in to get it looked at. At least not yet anyway.

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Originally posted by LastCubScout:

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Originally posted by StorminNormin:
My AC has slowly been getting worse over the last few years and now was at a point where I basically have no AC and have just a little bit of AC when driving at highway speed.

That's where my car is at now. I have a 2003 Acura, and I've been putting it off. Did you take your truck to the dealer or a local garage?

Local garage.

tell me you got a second opinion, prior to making the decesion

Yikes!
I paid $900 two summers ago on my 2000 Z71.
All NAPA parts and a NAPA shop. 3 year warranty.

I've driven cars over the years with engine ticks, door panels falling off, car basically falling apart, but AC is a must have in everything. Arizona is brutal and Texas is right there with it. 2,000 well spent

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Originally posted by Black92LX:
Yikes!
I paid $900 two summers ago on my 2000 Z71.
All NAPA parts and a NAPA shop. 3 year warranty.

Did you pay yourself the labor for installing the compressor,evaporator,condenser,hoses,and recharge?Let me guess...

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Did you pay yourself the labor for installing the compressor,evaporator,condenser,hoses,and recharge?

For what he said he paid, the evaporator core is unlikely, since that is a good 9 hours (you have to take the dash off), and probably not the condenser either. That would be consistent with a compressor, accumulator and orifice tube, however.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

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Originally posted by 21bubba:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Yikes!
I paid $900 two summers ago on my 2000 Z71.
All NAPA parts and a NAPA shop. 3 year warranty.

Did you pay yourself the labor for installing the compressor,evaporator,condenser,hoses,and recharge?Let me guess...

The 'NAPA shop' statement would seem to indicate he paid to have the install/repair work done....

Has to be the hottest time of the year, you did good!

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
tell me you got a second opinion, prior to making the decesion

I spoke with a neighbor who owns a shop and I would have originally had him do it, but he just went out of business. He quoted me $1,000 but I think he may have been talking parts as the parts add up to around that amount. Otherwise, no I did not go to another shop to get an opinion because they want to charge you for a diagnosis and you lose the money if you don’t get it done there.

Regardless it is so nice to drive in comfort again in this humid heat and not be dreading every time I stop at a light or something. Just sucks as I didn’t have 2 grand laying around.

Two grand for AC in Texas? Sold! Sold! Sold!

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Originally posted by nhracecraft:

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Originally posted by 21bubba:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Yikes!
I paid $900 two summers ago on my 2000 Z71.
All NAPA parts and a NAPA shop. 3 year warranty.

Did you pay yourself the labor for installing the compressor,evaporator,condenser,hoses,and recharge?Let me guess...

The 'NAPA shop' statement would seem to indicate he paid to have the install/repair work done....

Well maybe you're right but going off his history I'm not so sure.
I'm more inclined to go with egregore.

quote:

Originally posted by 21bubba:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Yikes!
I paid $900 two summers ago on my 2000 Z71.
All NAPA parts and a NAPA shop. 3 year warranty.

Did you pay yourself the labor for installing the compressor,evaporator,condenser,hoses,and recharge?Let me guess...

No paid the shop. I had full intentions of doing it myself even after watching YouTube videos showing the compressor can be a pain to get to.

I went to NAPA to buy the parts and the fella informed me the warranty was only valid if the system was fully evacuated and recharged by a NAPA approved shop.
So I called the shop and they offered to do the whole thing for not much more than what is would cost to evacuate and recharge it.
It was a no brainer. I did go with a remand compressor and used to get a pretty nice discount on the Napa parts until corporate took the store back.