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These guys are the experts on blend door issues with multiple automobiles and the information on this web site should help understand and resolve some of the common problems. HVAC repair
These guys are the experts on blend door issues with multiple automobiles and the information on this web site should help understand and resolve some of the common problems. HVAC repair
When I put the lever to MAX AC or AC it does not engage the compressor. It acts as if it's not getting electricity to the compressor. Is there a fuse I don't know about?
1990
XLT Bronco
351 V8
Thanks
If it is the latter, the blower fan speed, then check the blower resistor bank which is usually in the air plenum, right at the output of the blower fan. The design typically uses the air from the blower fan, to cool the resistors which get hot. That resistor bank is what gives you the different blower speeds (controlled of course by the blower switch). If one of those resistor wires burns out, you'll get weird motor speed problems.
And check the connectors on the wires to motor. Heating will often burn the plastic connectors or the metal contacts causing them to make and break connection because of poor contact.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If it's the typical GM setup the power through resistors may kill one speed or more of the lower speeds depending on where in the series the break occurs. However the high speed is usually controlled by a relay and doesn't go through the resistors because of the high amperage draw involved. So if the problem is resistor pack, switching to high usually will work fine. You hadn't mentioned that so I suspected the blower motor. Ideal is if it won't work and you know where the motor is and you can tap it gently with a hammer or a screwdriver handle and it starts moving with the vibration making contact.
Good luck. You might post in a group related to Astro vans to have someone tell you where the blower is located.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thanks
If you can't afford a new replacement motor, you may want to check a junk yard to see it they'd sell you a fan motor.
Or don't use the A/C during low speed.
If all of that is fine, then I'd verify that the engine was indeed getting up to correct operating temperature (this will indicate whether thermostat is working). Your engine needs to get hot, to be able to give the heat to the heater.
Assuming that is fine, then move your diagnostics inside to the heater controls.
If so, then the first diagnostic step is to run it in manual mode, where you adjust the blower speed and temperature output. If that works correctly, then your problem is obviously in the automatic control piece, and I would look first at the sensor which monitors the cabin temperature and feeds back to the unit whether it needs heating or cooling.
Also your pressure is too high. Maybe the switch shuts off on too low AND too high pressure, I don't know.
About 28 to 30 PSI on the low side at 70 degrees F.
My pressure is in the blue on the low side meter (i'm guessing that was 45). Any idea what my next step is? can I go straight from the solenoid to the a 12v source and see if it turns on? or is this something that needs to go to an a/c expert?
Now think of all you've learned.
Anyway, if you had bypassed the low pressure switch, the compressor would have clicked on, telling you that there was low pressure in the system. Where did you get that 45 psi reading from? Oh, you said that was a guesstimate....
pulled that back off and got down to about 35 and 230. Cool but not COLD. Suction line cool, but not COLD. After 30 minutes highway, it DID cool off better, but on a short trip this AM... same situation. Anyone have any ideas?
This year I notice that it is not blowing as cool as before. It takes 10 miles or 20 minutes before the car feels like it is getting cooler.
I'm thinking that it needs a recharge since it does cool to some extent. If the compressor was shot it would not cool at all. Also, if I had a major leak in the system all the r-134 would leak out and I would not have any cooling either.
Any opinions?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
My 1998 car got light on cooling a couple summers back. If the heat load wasn't great, it seemed to cool okay; but as the heat load increased during the day, it just felt insufficient.
I added freon up to the max based on the colors on the gauge--still within the green, e.g. Put a fan in front of the radiator and run the motor at about 1500 and just start adding.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You could buy a couple of cans of R-134a at Checkers along with a refill valve. Just make sure you connect it to the low pressure side. I've seen people do this indefinitely until a catastrophic failure occurs either by corrosion on the evaporator core or disintegration of the compressor causing it to lock up.
Since this is a 1997 vehicle and it still cools, I'd say you got your value out of the A/C and only you know if it would be worth repairing.
A local shop could test for the R134a with a sensor that detects leaks and if its microscopic they can always use a can of R134a with dye in it. I'd bet you've got a small leak in the evaporator core since back in the 90s Amercian cars didn't come with those cab filters and the evaporator core gets trashed.
BTW, I called the coolant r-134. Is that the old Freon coolant? My owners manual says I have the newer non-Freon system. Am I using the wrong terms?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I've got a 12 oz can of R12 in the garage. I'm waiting for it to go high enough to fund my kid's college education.
The R134a was only needed because the patent for DuPont ran out on R12. The idea that it was ruining the environment is not correct. Same with claritin being replaced by clarinex by the drug company; the patent was running out and now you can buy claritin over the counter.
A little R134a will almost certainly be cheaper than replacing a larger item in the AC system. While the environment folks had us worrying about R12 and feeling guilty, the rest of the world was/is releasing R12. So I'd have the shop check for a noticeable leak (not likely or you'd be empty) and refill occasionally. If it were my GM I'd say it seeps around the compressor seals and 10 years was needed to drop enough to be noticed.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Whether you choose to believe the "science" or not, the ostensible reason for the demise of R12 was environmental concerns and the increasing power of the EPA. That same mentality has bled over into R134a, whether it is justified or not. Auto AC shops are required to capture all refrigerants and dispose of them properly. The rationale is that this measure protects the ozone layer.
This also has an impact on loss of refrigerant in a closed system. That loss is seen by the EPA as escaped refrigerant that is attacking the ozone layer and needs to be regulated/controlled. In some states and overzealous shops this is viewed as a violation of EPA regulations and your car can be flagged as a "leaker" and be subject to additional scrutiny from the EPA, including denial of a license plate until the system is repaired($) or the AC disabled and removed.
You can avoid this by purchasing the refill cans at the local parts store if you have no conscience over being solely responsible for destroying the earth. However, the cans are a hit and miss proposition and it's easy to over or under fill the system. To do it right you really need a refrigerant manifold set and enough knowledge to measure ambient temperature and both high and low side pressures. If you have several cars(and want to be the most popular resident in the neighborhood), this might be a reasonable investment for under $50 plus a little internet research.
I don't because it's not been proven. To discuss the global warming and ozone hole faux science:
Are autos responsible for global warming
>this might be a reasonable investment for under $50 plus a little internet research
Agree with that. I found Harbor Freight has a good set (all their tools aren't always top notch). A vacuum pump would be a good investment also. But a good bit of knowledge goes along with using this setup; the potential for damage to the system is there. Adding a can of freon R134a is somewhat idiot proof as long as one follows the gauge and cools the condensor as they add freon. If I need a manifold, a barnyard mechanic up the road has a set I can borrow.
A slow loss over 10 years is one thing; a seep that's losing a can a year needs to be checked out by professionals who know where leaks typically occur in that model of car.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,