that's some serious $$$ for an a/c system. while it may not be visually appealing, it may be more cost effective to carve out part of your rear window and put in a room air conditioner from kenmore...just wire it into the electrical system! they're only $150 on sale this week at sears. lol. i don't know what i'd do if i was driving and saw someone do this on their LS. probably flag him down and shake his hand just for kicks.

 

Kizoku,

excellent tip on the lcd screen - looks like I can get it done real soon after all!

and those graphics would be most appreciated whenever you can get them up (no rush dude, we know you have a life too!)

rhlight

 

K....thanks for the credit card info on Mikado...didn't know they would do that, and it sure sounds like the way to go..will save me 300 bucks and another trip to Nashville from the Kentucky Lake area where I live...hope it all works out on your air..by the way, Lexus of North Nashville "retrofited" mine for the new freon...probably a ripoff, but in the midst of all the other repairs I just said fix it...good luck, capper

 

By the way, just called Mikado Eng., and they will do it but only with visa or mc (or COD)....I burn all my plastic on Amex, so will have to see if I can borrow the wifes visa : )
Capper

 

You need to determine whether or not there is freon in your system, and if there is none, you'll need to find where the leak is. Most of the time the leak is from hoses, o-rings and/or compressor. I only change the compressor as the last resort after confirming that the compressor leaks and no where else. Mechanics tends to blame problems on compressor in a hurry to make $$$.
I tracked down where my system leaked, and they were a $1 o-ring and a $2 low pressure charging port valves. Being an old AC system, I went ahead and changed all the o-rings, port valves, high & low pressure hoses (rebuilt), and dryer. Did a vacuum test and it passed. Charged up my Lex and she is pumping cold air now and should be good for the next few years at least.

 

hyperot thanks.....yeah the shop told me that the freon was all gone so i must have a leak somewhere......i'll probably hold off on fixing it for awhile.....college books/tution/room&board = lots of my money......i just have to sweat it out......

but for all those who wanted the A/C scans i posted them on a page really quickly......i think it takes longer to download tha page then it took me to create it.......well the addresses is below:
http://members.***.net/kizoku/
the first two scans arent that good but the others are much clearer......hope this helps all those who needed it......

 

Thx a lot for the scans, can I put them out on my page?

 

retrodrive,
sure you can put them on your page that way it can help many others........u might want to hide the copyright info on them though.......

 

Kizoku,

Thanks for the scans on the a/c. Really helped me and my mechanic on the repair of my a/c.
However, if you don't have the proper equipment and/or resources, be prepared to pay dearly for the repair! Mine cost $2K!
My a/c compressor seized and in the process sent metal fragments throughout the entire system. The following items were needed: compressor (new) $685, drier $65, expansion valve $132, pressure regulator $180, evaporator core $375. Labor was $480 (8 hrs @ $60/hr). System was flushed out and converted to R-134A.
Happy to report that the a/c works flawlessly now and it's just as cold as it was with the R-12. The repair took 3 weeks because of the national shortage on Nippondenso compressors.

The existing evaporator core was still in excellent condition but was replaced since my mechanic had to get in there to replace the second expansion valve anyway. I'll be selling the evaporator core for about $250.

 

I replaced my 91 LS-400 A/C compressor with a factory new unit.
The place to get one is from Blendair@aol.com. They charge 500.00 for a new (not rebuilt) compressor with new clutch.
The compressor is a direct OEM replacement for the factory Nippondenso 10PA20C. You will need to replace the dryer at the same time for about 65.00 . I would highly recommend that you use only a certified Lexus mechanic. The new compressor needs a valve plate off the old compressor, and will need 2 new O-Rings for the valve plate. If you go with non Lexus mechanic he might muff up the entire job.
You are spending to much money to have some yo-yo not know what he is doing.

Pilot

 

I am in the process of having my a/c fixed too. I just ordered all the necessary parts. The parts are coming to me and I will just have my certified lexus mechanic put it all together.. All the parts came to about $700. The labor, freon, and a few misc items should come to about $700. $1400 total.. way less than what lexus would do it for... I am replacing the compressor, evaporator, condenser, expansion valve, dryer/receiver. If you have a catastrophic failure of the A/C system you usually have to replace everything I am told because of debris in the system. even the best A/C flush does not always remove everything and if you have debris in the system you will have another compressor failure... I was also told that the conpressor in my 91 ls 400 is especially vulnerable to debris. I found that pace compressor http://www.auto-air-compressor.com/ has some of the best prices for parts. They are nice to work with. They also sell a filter for the compressor for about $25 and will warrenty the remanufactured compressor for 18 months if you use their filter. hope this helps. b.t.w my a/c lcd screen is dark like everyone elses. I need to get it fixed someday too.

you may not need all this work done.. my compressor is on the way out.. it is making lots of noise and turning hard... my a/c/ blows nothing but hot air. mechanic suggested replacing most components.. I checked with many others I heard the same unbaised advice.. I just don't want to spend a bunch of money on some stuff and have it fail again and have to replace some of the same parts. maybe wise, maybe not?

 

I'm having a problem with my A/C. I works fine & everything, but when I'm in slow traffic here in NYC I mean when its really hazy,hot and humid the A/C fan does not kick up into high speed. The temp needle rises up to H. The dealer told me I need a temperature control switch that regulates the fan, but there's 2. One on top the engine I guess by the thermo somewhere and the other one by the A/C fan.
Can someone please confirm this and let me how I can diagnos this problem.

 

Is the compressor failure the only source for debris in the AC-system or can the failure of other parts also be a debris source?

My Dad's 91 LS 400 has been nailed twice for $1500 + each time. I would like to avoid this with my 94 if at all possible!!

damon

 

Pilot,

I have an email off to Blendair@aol.com & have gotten no reply. Do you have any better contact info for them, a number perhaps?

Thanks, damon

 

The aforementioned 91 LS is back from AC Repair:

883205003084 A/C Compressor ( re-man) $825.00
8847150010 Drier $74.01.00
8871150030 Discharge Hose $174.52
8871250010 Suction Hose $99.38
F1CZ19D644A Pop Off Valve $8.25
Freon R12 Freon $118.75
8884014010 R12 A/C O-Rings $ 5.89
1569250020 Oil Filter Housing $ 1.30
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parts $1307.10
Labor Cost $ 480.00