Warm AC

[Phantompooper]

Jeez if it isn't one thing lately it's something else. Warm air coming out of the vents on max cold AC. It's blowing just fine but the air is the same temp as air in the engine bay. I tested the pressure with one of those cheapo refridgerant refillers and it's like more than 150psi in the lines. Should I add refridgerant? Should I purge it all out and then add some? Should I move to Mexico and forget I ever heard of Camaros?

[hot_wheels21]

I don't know patrick I got one nightmare a/c system myself shavings from the baffles of the old compressor are in my lines everywhere and they keep clogging my orvice tube. I got a new compressor from a 01 ss on the car with a uncharged system cause i dont want the shavings to ruin it so I have to somehow clear all the lines out. I'm about ready to sell this compressor so I can get my damn $200 back.

[Jpack]

Originally Posted by hot_wheels21

I don't know patrick I got one nightmare a/c system myself shavings from the baffles of the old compressor are in my lines everywhere and they keep clogging my orvice tube. I got a new compressor from a 01 ss on the car with a uncharged system cause i dont want the shavings to ruin it so I have to somehow clear all the lines out. I'm about ready to sell this compressor so I can get my damn $200 back.

Only way to get that out is with a dry nitrogen gas purge. Then hook it up, need to put a vaccume pump on it to dry it out from a moisture and non condensibles. Charge her up and away you go.

[Jpack]

Originally Posted by Phantompooper

Jeez if it isn't one thing lately it's something else. Warm air coming out of the vents on max cold AC. It's blowing just fine but the air is the same temp as air in the engine bay. I tested the pressure with one of those cheapo refridgerant refillers and it's like more than 150psi in the lines. Should I add refridgerant? Should I purge it all out and then add some? Should I move to Mexico and forget I ever heard of Camaros?

Does the compressor "engage" ? (click on and off) If so and the suction line is "beer can cold and sweating" then I would check the damper. Might not be opening to divert cold air or maybe the temp adjuster is bad. And ahhhhh, if you are thinking of blowing some charge off, don't. If you get caught the epa will fine ya $ 50,000. Needs to be reclaimed. Not to good for the ozone either.

[Phantompooper]

You say words like compressor, suction line, damper . I know the ac pulley is connected to the compressor right? the suction line is the line that the quick-connect is attached to, damper is the one I'm hazy on....

[Louvit]

is the clutch on the compressor engaging? you will know you will hear a click and a difference in idle...if you know this already I apoligize!

[justinakajuice]

Just get it serviced. Tell what you want to have done and that the air coming out has to be COLD and that you are going to test the line pressure because the last place you took it too just added a can of refrigerant. You should be okay after that.

[Jpack]

ok the suction line is the larger of the two alum. lines. It is what brings the gas to the gas to the compressor (big black thing that the belt rides around on) The big line should be cold and sweaty. The compressor when on for cooling should make a "click" on and off. The small line should be warm to hot to the touch. The damper i'm refering to opens and closes to direct air between "vent" mode and cooling mode. If it doesn't open for cooling you will feel the warm air like the vents were blowing engine bay temp. It would get a little cooler when driving around. Now if the big line is cold and sweaty, and you here the compresor clicking on and off There should be in theory enough freon in the system. For the compressor to click on it needs enough freon in it. So that would leave the temp selector switch or the damper. If these are working then the last resort would be to get a freon recharge kit like sold at Pep boys or similiar that has the dial guage that shows red and green on it. Green means it is charged to correct levels or red, over or under charged.
This kit is like 29 bucks at the store. If i was by you, I'd throw my guages on and grab my 30 lbs jug of r134a freon I have out in the garage. Good luck and if you have any more ?? let me know. If you were wondering I have 16 years of hvac background. Hope this helps.

[Phantompooper]

I appreciate it very much Jim! Ok, so I should turn everything on, feel the big line and make sure it's cold, if it is and the compressor clicks on then it's the temp selector switch or dampener, if the compressor does not click on, it's a lack of freon. Gotcha.

Now I know I have heard the compressor click on but still recieved warm air so I'm guessing it's either of those other two critters, which is easier to check? Replace? I imagine the temp switch as a dampener sounds expensive. Waddaya think?

[hot_wheels21]

Originally Posted by Jpack

Only way to get that out is with a dry nitrogen gas purge. Then hook it up, need to put a vaccume pump on it to dry it out from a moisture and non condensibles. Charge her up and away you go.

how do I do that and am I going to have to swap the accumulator out also?

sorry for stealing your thread patrick but I need help to lol.... :P

[Jpack]

Damper should be easy, select air to the floor, then upper vents, then defrosters. The damper should be by the heater core by the passenger side.

Use this as a guide.......http://shbox.com/1/hvac_vacuum.gif

[Phantompooper]

So if the floor, vents, then defrosters work then it's not the damper? Cause all of those functions work normally.

[Jpack]

Look at the illustration I posted from shoebox's site. Look at "e" "f" and "6".
#3 is your evap coil where the freon is pumped from the compressor to that coil. If the damper E is open, that is outside air into the car. If at the the "f" position it is recirculated air ant the outside air is blocked off. This would be the A.C mode. In this mode recirculated air is drawn into the blower motor, blows across the coil to blow cold air out of your vents. #6 is your temp. valve, it moves the air either over cooling coil or heating coil or blends both.
The other dampers upstream. shoot the air to where it is told to go, legs, dash, bilevel or defrost.

So bottom line, dampers to check, position e and f at blower, 6 which is conected to temp control, this one will verify if temp. control switch or damper functions. If all are good, go get the "juice".

[Jpack]

Originally Posted by hot_wheels21

how do I do that and am I going to have to swap the accumulator out also?

sorry for stealing your thread patrick but I need help to lol.... :P

If you don't have a vac pump or nitrogen and regulator and ref. guages. A pro has to do it. Best bet, find a guy who does residential a.c either a friend or a friend of a friend, slipp him a few bucks for his time and pay for the recharge of R134a freon. That's your best bet. Once all the lines are cleared out and a vacume is pulled on the completed closed system, you will themn be able to see if you have any leaks. If it leaks it won't hold a vacume. Repair any leaks and repull a vacume. if it holds good leave under vacume and add freon to the correct charge. One thing to know that the do it yourselfer doesn't understand. If air or any other material other than freon is in the system, it won't work right and will burn up the compressor. Same thing if it is low on charge. Kinda like running your car without oil. Froen has a oil added to it and in the process of changing from a liquid to a gas in it's cooling mode it keeps the compressor lubricated. As the freon in the liquid state travels to the indoor (evap) coil the air travels across the coil and the freon changes to a gas as it is superheated. if the system is low on charge, the pressure is low and can't "push" a solid stream of freon back to the compressor. So as it travels, sputters, it runs the compressor without oil for periods of time. Not good. You will be buying a new one. If it is low in a car, the "click" you hear when the compressor comes on will become more frequent and short cycle. As the levls are closer to their design, you will gett longer on cycles. If you are out of freon in a car, you will not hear that click and the compressor won't come on leaving you with no A.C.


There is the abrv.'d version of A.C 101. FYI

[Phantompooper]

So a little update, I rechecked everything and it turns out the compressor wasn't coming on. I checked the fuse and lo and behold, it was blown. So I retraced the compressor wire to a spot where the wire was rubbing on the pulley. I guess when I did my cam swap I routed the wire the wrong way and it rubbed until the fuse blew. So long story short, I cut out the short in the wire, respliced it, rerouted it around the pulley so it's not touching and replaced the fuse, wala! cold air!

Big thanks to everybody who responded to this thread.