A/C cooling issues

[Kyle]

okay soo ever since ive had my 3 ive noticed the A/C wouldnt cool very well or not at all. i just did the recalibration and that seemed to help a little bit, but the A/C still doesn't get ice cold. i was thinking about going and getting some refrigerant and adding that in, but before i do, can anyone else think of anything else to check?

 

[poncho1965]

Mine works great. Not sure if you can properly check it without seeing the operating pressures, need to throw gauges on it to see what's going on.


Mike

 

[Kyle]

Mine works great. Not sure if you can properly check it without seeing the operating pressures, need to throw gauges on it to see what's going on.


Mike

yea so far mines actually working better with the calibration that i did yesterday!

 

[poncho1965]

What us a recalibration?


Mike

 

[Kyle]

you turn the ac nobs a certain way and it recalibrates the ac system.

 

[Medic_Morgan]

Sooooo I'm assuming he was asking "how to" do the recalibration. Can you elaborate or clarify what knobs need to be turned? What order? Timing? Etc? Thanks Kyle


Sent from my secret lair bwaaahhahahahah

 

[Kyle]

Sooooo I'm assuming he was asking "how to" do the recalibration. Can you elaborate or clarify what knobs need to be turned? What order? Timing? Etc? Thanks Kyle


Sent from my secret lair bwaaahhahahahah

I was being lazy, didnt have a very good day yesterday,

Mike heres how you do it,

Turn on the ignition with the engine off.
Turn the temperature dial all the way to the right.
Turn the blower control all the way to the right.
Turn the mode postion dial all the way to the left.
Press and hold the ac and defrost buttons until the LEDs start flashing.

Dont adjust the dials until the leds stop flashing!


Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

 

[Medic_Morgan]

Thanks Kyle! Not that I/we need this now but it might help one day!


Sent from my secret lair bwaaahhahahahah

 

[poncho1965]

Ok thanks, what condition would this cure? Crazy computer stuff, mines on full cold full blast all the time!


Mike

 

[Kyle]

Ok thanks, what condition would this cure? Crazy computer stuff, mines on full cold full blast all the time!


Mike

That might fix it, give it a try, it couldn't hurt!


Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

 

[Kyle]

Okay, so today i have the A/C on and im driving around and it was surging cold then hot then cold again


Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

 

[Kyle]

Okay, so today i have the A/C on and im driving around and it was surging cold then hot then cold again. Any thoughts?


Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

 

[Dennis]

Okay, so today i have the A/C on and im driving around and it was surging cold then hot then cold again. Any thoughts?



Sent from the top of a mountain in my h3

Try the re-calibration deal again....


FYI: these HVAC systems have a constant HOT deck (Heater core always HOT) and a Cold Deck or Evaporator (Cold when Compressor runs)
The blending door or flap in the HVAC unit is not staying on the Cold deck of the system..sounds like its opening to the hot deck and back again..this is controlled by your temp dial..make sure it is fully to the left (CCW)for cold..Mine is not completely staying or on recirculate anymore (Center Button ON)..I think there is a gasket around the flapper door that is leaking..cuz now I can smell exhaust fumes from Diesels in front of me, when a year or so ago you couldn't..

 

[speedy]

Next step i would try would be a little radiator maintenance. This is a great DIY video.
A clean condenser,radiator and a healthy fan clutch can make all the difference.

[video=youtube;I-thGyh_W6c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-thGyh_W6c[/video]

 

[f5moab]

Do what Speedy says. Then if it works ok, great. If not, check to see if when it goes warm the compressor clutch is shutting off. If one of the pressure switches are faulty (or have a bad connection), the compressor will be shut off and the system will blow warm air. There is no use in constantly re-calibrating a component if the problem lies with another component. If you find out the compressor is shutting down, you need to get the system professionally tested. If the compressor is not shutting down, and it is a temp door switching from the cold path to the hot path, then it is either the controller or the temp door...however, I would then bet on a controller. Usually when a door goes, it stays in one position until repair or replaced (usually).

 

[Kyle]

Okay soo after testing I've found that if I let the car sit for an hour. Come back and start it up the air blows cold for about 20 mins then the compressor starts kicking on and off on and off. I'm thinking low freon, so the compressor turns off to save it self then the freon psi builds back up and the compressor kicks on until the Psi drops again and it cuts off again? Thoughts?

 

[Dennis]

While the A/C is running...grab a hold of the 1/2" aluminum pipe, that crosses in front of the engine, between the radiator and the valve cover..it should be icy cold and sweaty..if not and just cool to the touch, you need some refrigerant...the system holds a total of 24 oz of R-134a..so unless you know what your doing, get it done by someone who does..otherwise you're liable to introduce air into the system and/or over charge it...both conditions will shorten the life of the system and/or permanently damage it.

FYI: I taught refrigeration and the EPA certification section 609, for MVAC and section 608, universal...for many years

 

[Mb30sdl]

Do u actually get HOT air comming out or just outside temp?

If its hot then u have a problem with HVAC module if it's outside temp u low on freon, buy DIY recharge kits in a Peoboys or similar store it comes with charge gauge and check pressure before adding any freon.

FYI that "recalibration" is a BS it doesn't do anything

 

[Kyle]

While the A/C is running...grab a hold of the 1/2" aluminum pipe, that crosses in front of the engine, between the radiator and the valve cover..it should be icy cold and sweaty..if not and just cool to the touch, you need some refrigerant...the system holds a total of 24 oz of R-134a..so unless you know what your doing, get it done by someone who does..otherwise you're liable to introduce air into the system and/or over charge it...both conditions will shorten the life of the system and/or permanently damage it.

FYI: I taught refrigeration and the EPA certification section 609, for MVAC and section 608, universal...for many years

Okay I'll try that. And go buy refrigerant. Then spend a few hours reading about how to properly charge the system. If I overcharge it, couldn't I just lowkey let some of the refrigerant out? Then go plant a few trees to make up for my pollution? Lol

 

[Kyle]

Do u actually get HOT air comming out or just outside temp?

If its hot then u have a problem with HVAC module if it's outside temp u low on freon, buy DIY recharge kits in a Peoboys or similar store it comes with charge gauge and check pressure before adding any freon.

FYI that "recalibration" is a BS it doesn't do anything

It's not hot, it's outside temp, it was like 85 today and the air coming from the vents wAs the same. Which one from pepboys do you recommend? Certain brand that gets better cooling? My dad used to have an impala when he was a kid and he told me stories about how ice would form on the vents it got soo cold.

 

[f5moab]

Okay I'll try that. And go buy refrigerant. Then spend a few hours reading about how to properly charge the system. If I overcharge it, couldn't I just lowkey let some of the refrigerant out? Then go plant a few trees to make up for my pollution? Lol

I would suggest following the instructions from Dennis, and have a professional do the fill; if needed. It's not that expensive in the long run.

 

[Mb30sdl]

It's not hot, it's outside temp, it was like 85 today and the air coming from the vents wAs the same. Which one from pepboys do you recommend? Certain brand that gets better cooling? My dad used to have an impala when he was a kid and he told me stories about how ice would form on the vents it got soo cold.

Kit brand doesn't matter look at the gauge that comes with charge handle usually it has red/GREEN/red section with AC on and compressor ENGAGED u want to be in GREEN zone.

Compressor will SHUT OFF IF: low pressure switch is activated(low freon), suction side thermostat is activated(Evaporator is TOO cold)

Or u can go to A/C shop ~$200/300 to recharge

Don't worry about your dad stories, u have low temp thermostat that shuts off AC ~35-40F

 

[Kyle]

Alright I'm gunna try refilling it my self and see how it goes. Worse thing that will happen is i have to go buy the real gauges and use the ac vac at my friends shop to suck all the **** out and refill it.

 

[f5moab]

Alright I'm gunna try refilling it my self and see how it goes. Worse thing that will happen is i have to go buy the real gauges and use the ac vac at my friends shop to suck all the **** out and refill it.

From that statement I would assume your friend works on AC systems, why not just take it to him. And around here a fill at the local shops is about 60 bucks, plus refrigerant. I understand CA is more expensive, but WOW

 

[Kyle]

From that statement I would assume your friend works on AC systems, why not just take it to him. And around here a fill at the local shops is about 60 bucks, plus refrigerant. I understand CA is more expensive, but WOW

Autoshop at my high school has the vaccum but not the refrigerant stuff. I went and bought the ac pro for 35 bucks and connected it and put the car to max ac and fan on high the gauge was in the green but was low, so I filled it to the proper psi based on the outside temp but it still didn't work the compressor started kicking on and off and the gauge went to red zone but then when the compressor kicked back on it dropped back to green. I'm out of idea as to what I need to do, I guess I'll take it to a shop and have them do the free check up and tell me what's wrong and ill go from there. I'm sure I can fix this myself.