[Sephx1]

Ran the ZLE at the Podium Club on Saturday and all was well until the last session of the day. Lost an alternator belt which took out the tee at the overflow hose and sprayed coolant everywhere. When I got it home on the lift I also found that there was green refrigerant oil on the drivers side by the a/c compressor. Seems to be coming from the high pressure relief valve. Confirmed that a/c does not cool. Also confirmed that I forgot to turn off the a/c before hitting the track that morning

I fixed the coolant hose and belt, but what needs to be done about the refrigerant charge? Refill? Change valve and refill? Change compressor and refill? My service manual and searching the internet haven’t yielded any results.

[GXP08jrf]

An a/c shop would have the equipment to do an a/c leak-down check to understand if the system will still hold vacuum. They'll be able to provide the best assessment on what might need repair.

Even if the system is "on" the compressor won't engage if refrigerant charge is too low, so it's unlikely that you caused any compressor damage from having the system on without refrigerant.

I'd evacuate the system, pull a vacuum on it and see if it'll hold the vacuum first. If it maintains vacuum, I'd charge it up and see what happens. If it doesn't hold a charge and you're still getting evidence of leaking from the relief valve, you've narrowed down the problem. I don't believe the compressor pressure relief is a servicable item, you'd need to swap the complete unit...

[Sephx1]

Originally Posted by GXP08jrf

An a/c shop would have the equipment to do an a/c leak-down check to understand if the system will still hold vacuum. They'll be able to provide the best assessment on what might need repair.

Even if the system is "on" the compressor won't engage if refrigerant charge is too low, so it's unlikely that you caused any compressor damage from having the system on without refrigerant.

I'd evacuate the system, pull a vacuum on it and see if it'll hold the vacuum first. If it maintains vacuum, I'd charge it up and see what happens. If it doesn't hold a charge and you're still getting evidence of leaking from the relief valve, you've narrowed down the problem. I don't believe the compressor pressure relief is a servicable item, you'd need to swap the complete unit...

Yes, an a/c shop could surely take care of this.

I have the car on the lift with the shear plate and plastic undercarriage pieces removed, so if the compressor needs to come out now is the time and I would be the one to do it. I did find a source for the relief valve, not sure if they are one time use. Might be as simple as buying a recharge kit at AutoZone depending on how much oil was lost. There is also no where on this vehicle or my other 2 Gen 6 Camaros that says which type of refrigerant was used, r134a or r1234yf. Owners manual says it could be either one, no labels under the hood. Came across a post in a search that said 2017 and later are r1234yf?

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Sephx1

Yes, an a/c shop could surely take care of this.

I have the car on the lift with the shear plate and plastic undercarriage pieces removed, so if the compressor needs to come out now is the time and I would be the one to do it. I did find a source for the relief valve, not sure if they are one time use. Might be as simple as buying a recharge kit at AutoZone depending on how much oil was lost. There is also no where on this vehicle or my other 2 Gen 6 Camaros that says which type of refrigerant was used, r134a or r1234yf. Owners manual says it could be either one, no labels under the hood. Came across a post in a search that said 2017 and later are r1234yf?

You can’t just recharge it at this point if it lost pressure, it should be vacuumed down for sure like @GXP08jrf said. Otherwise you’ll have air in with the refrigerant which is no bueno.

[Sephx1]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

You can’t just recharge it at this point if it lost pressure, it should be vacuumed down for sure like @GXP08jrf said. Otherwise you’ll have air in with the refrigerant which is no bueno.

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Sephx1

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks

No problem. Running a vacuum test can also be used to let you know if the system holds. If they pull it down to say, 500 microns, then shut the valves off and let it sit… if it loses any vacuum they know you have a leak BEFORE you recharge it.