Hello all. I have a question regarding ac service. Should I or should I not have a check up. Air is nice and cool for a 30 year old system. It is kind of smelly and musty, though. Non issue. I’ve owned the TC for 3 summers now without having the a/c checked or serviced. It gets very hot in Coastal, GA around 1st of May. My gut tells me to leave well enough alone. I’m not even sure if it has beeen converted over or serviced. Can I do it myself? Anyone have advice or experiences? Thank you.
If it works, leave it alone. As far as the musty smell, there are sprays available to spray in the air inlets to help get rid of the smell. Be sure the condensate drain isnt plugged.
+1 on leaving it alone. Hardly anyone has r12 equipment anymore. You might want to remove the cowl trim/vents and check for rotting leaves or other debris
Thank you. Words taken seriously-especially with a 30 year old system. This one is as almost as good as the one in my Fusion given the age. Many thanks.
You might find that eventually you'll need a freon recharge, and R-12 is no longer an option. You can convert to R-134a yourself, probably in less than a day. The startup cost is probably around $200-300, which includes the vacuum pump and gauges from Harbor Freight (mine have given me no problems over the years) and the parts you'll need to convert it (the good news is you can use the same HR-980 compressor--I did, despite what some sites tell you). There's a great write-up on this very site that I used to guide me. The advantage is you'll now be able to maintain and repair your own A/C.
I did mine in early 2016 and have had no problems, even in the 120-degree heat we have here.
One day I went out to run errands and found I had very little R-12 left, apparently it had slowly all leaked out, and no A/C here is really not a viable option. Years ago I found a mechanic who would recharge it with R-12. The thought of going through all that again was not something I wanted to pursue, so I upgraded.
If anyone is needing R-12 I have some I would part with to help someone that does not want to convert their system. From 12 oz to 30#. The price is reasonable, you pay actual shipping.
I've had one of mine for about 14 years now and never had an issue. Blows nice and cold. If it ain't broke................