13 Cadillac CTS ac disaster.

[Chris142]

Car has 70k on it. The AC compressor ground its self to pieces then locked up. Filling every component with metal! Cadillac thought it would be a great idea to put the expansion valve behind the dash.

I have to remove the expansion valve to flush the metal out of the evaporator.

Book time just for the expansion valve is 9 hrs x $100/hr. In reality it took our seasoned dash guy double that amount of time. He can take on a Dodge or ford truck dashjob and be done about lunch time.

This Cadillac was tough and it's not done yet. I spent most of yesterday getting the locked up compressor out and it's not out yet. Another engineering marvel from Cadillac lol

This pic was taken after most of the dash was back together. Total cost for all parts and labor will be $2500ish.

 

[Lolvoguy]

This is why there are so many used cars getting scrapped vs. repaired.
Nobody wants to deal with that hassle as a car ages.

Reminds me of the old Volvo 140/160/200 series.
To access the heater blower motor, you had to disassemble that much of the dash to replace it.
Mind you, those old Volvo's didn't have a fraction of the interior electronics these fancy newer cars have.

 

[AZjeff]

Ho Lee Chit.

 

[Fotoflame]

Sorry that you had to get this repaired. I think a lot of cars have the evaporator crammed between the firewall and dashboard and it's a nightmare to get to it. I have a 2000 Mercedes E-Class and the procedure to get to the evaporator is similar in scope to what you have pictured here. I pray I never have to do this.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Scary. What a disaster.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
This is why there are so many used cars getting scrapped vs. repaired.
Nobody wants to deal with that hassle as a car ages.

.

He bought it used last year. He is still making payments on it!

 

[carviewsonic]

Up here in the great white north, that car would become my winter beater - no a/c required.

 

[atikovi]

Guess at that age it's on the border of new enough to be worth fixing and too old to bother, especially when it doesn't affect drivability. Still, $2500 is a lot to spend on a comfort repair. Maybe I would have tried just replacing the compressor and putting in a filter for $500 or $600 and see how long that lasts while keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by carviewsonic
Up here in the great white north, that car would become my winter beater - no a/c required.


Winter? How many days in the summer do you really need a/c up there? Like three?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by carviewsonic
Up here in the great white north, that car would become my winter beater - no a/c required.

We are in the desert. Plus the belt has to go on the compressor to run the other parts like the alt and ps pump.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Good luck getting that dash back together without rattles and squeaks. I'd have never had this repair done.

 

[atikovi]

You don't have to remove the compressor to keep the pulley functional unless the clutch locked up too.

 

[bradepb]

wow. too bad there isn't a hack shortcut .. I remember replacing the heater core on my kids older Taurus, manual says you have to pull the entire dash.

You tube showed me wich bracket to cut with a die grinder to make it a couple hour job.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
Up here in the great white north, that car would become my winter beater - no a/c required.


Winter? How many days in the summer do you really need a/c up there? Like three?


Come up north and visit us and find out.....

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by JC1
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
Up here in the great white north, that car would become my winter beater - no a/c required.


Winter? How many days in the summer do you really need a/c up there? Like three?


Come up north and visit us and find out.....


I was up in Edmonton for a week one night.....or so it SEEMED like a week. No A/C in the motel, trying to sleep while it's light out.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by atikovi
You don't have to remove the compressor to keep the pulley functional unless the clutch locked up too.

Both the compressor and pulley locked up. First the compressor locked up,caused the clutch to slip which overheated the grease in the pulley causing it to lock up.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by bradepb
wow. too bad there isn't a hack shortcut .. I remember replacing the heater core on my kids older Taurus, manual says you have to pull the entire dash.

You tube showed me wich bracket to cut with a die grinder to make it a couple hour job.

Not on this one. That huge aluminum bracket has to come off to get to the expansion valve. No way around it. I'm familiar with the taurus assembly bracket you cut off.

 

[andyd]

Wow wotta mess. We used to joke that the first part on the E-28 on the assembly line was the HVAC .

 

[KrisZ]

This is a messy disaster for sure. Thanks for sharing and proving that there are more big ticket items in a vehicle other than the engine and the transmission. And that some are better/worse than others.
This one is obviously a very bad and expensive to fix design.

 

[diyjake]

Isn't this common that the expansion valve is underneath the dash for most vehicles these days?