DickieC.99

How do I do this?

I recently posted a thread asking for help with my A/C which does'nt work. At this point I am wondering if I need to check/change the freon. Since I was told that I did not do a good job of explaining my problem before I will try to do it right this time:

1) NO CODES
2) I have dual zone climate control
3) It is connected and every other function of the unit seems to be working except for the A/C - I can still use the front defog and it will blow on the windshield just as hard as the day the car was bought but the a/c light will not come on and the air will not be chilled, furthermore the air will blow out just as hard throughout the rest of the car, again it will just not be chilled
4) The external temp sensor seems to be working fine. When its F'n hot it reads in the 90's, when it pretty hot it reads in the 80's. So its not that the car is reading a cold ambient temp and not allowing the a/c to work
5) I removed the kick panel to check the interior temp sensor. (this winter I did removed the center consol and drivers kick panel to add some stuff like aluminum guage bezels so I would have removed the sensor when doing the work, of course I did not need the the a/c in the winter and did not attempt to turn it on until this summer at which time it didn't work) It is connected and it looks to be fine. (nothing broken, rusted, burnt, etc.)
6) Not sure if this will help a diagnosis but usually the first time I hit the A/C button it will blink once, from that point forward it will blink a couple of times and go out. I know the manual says that this means the a/c is not allowed to work (if the exterior temp sensor is reading a really low temp, etc) but with regard to everything I have just said I'm not sure why this would be.

Hope this can help someone help me...whenever I have to bring the car to the dealer/shop for one problem I always seem to leave with 2 more.....

DickieC.99

ttt

juicedz06

same prob, my ac light blinks and blows hot air...

tryme

first check to see if when your car is running and the a/c is on does the a/c compressor kick on and off? if it does check the freon level in you car. if that is fine try to recalibrate the actuators by disconnecting the battery. if it still doesn't fix the problem then it may be a faulty actuator not working or stoping before the temp door closes. gm had a problem with the cases not being manufactured correctly so when the actuator is bolted up to the case it is not in the position that it should be . there are 2 fixes for this one you can get a control head for a 2001 and newer vette which is about 280.00 or you can take you actuator apart and adjust it by moving it 1-2 teeth to get the door to close before the actuator stops. let me know what you do. the first steps are the easiest and cheep to do maybe you will get lucky. just let me know i have had this problem too.

peace
allan

DickieC.99

I was told there was another post a little while ago about a simliar problem with the a/c, took me a while to find it. says to try pulling the #18 and 27 fuses and then putting them back in. hopefully this will work for me. if not, next step is to check freon level. only problem is that i don't know how to do this so I need someone to tell me what to do. we'll see......

0vetteshop

If the A/C light blinks and then goes out you are probably out of freon

LoneStarFRC

Remember: If your freon level does turn out to be low, it is because the freon that used to be in the system went somewhere. In other words, a leak. It may be a slow leak or a faster leak but a leak just the same. I would encourage you to find the source of the leak and get it repaired. Otherwise you will just be continually dumping freon in. Also, a small amount of refrigerant oil usually leaks out with the freon too, so when recharging the system it must be replaced also. HTH

DickieC.99

Removing fuses and disconnecting battery didn't work. So now I want to check the freon. But here is the thing...I have NO experience with A/C systems, NONE. Is it even possible for me to check the freon level without removing it? I have already prepaired myself for the fact that I am going to have to bring it to the dealer for the fix, but I would still like to be able to rule out as much out as possible being doing so. It would make me feel better if I could tell them what is wrong, instead of them telling me...the more knowledge I have about my problem the better

If I sound like I have grave reservations about bringing my car to anyone for work it is because I have never had a good experience leaving this car at any shop including the dealer. But I have too many complaints to list here...just enough bad luck to last the car a couple lifetimes

tryme

take your car to a local a/c shop they should be able to check the freon for you in a few minutes and it shouldn't cost very much if they charge at all since they may get to fix the problem if you have one.

p.s. if you dont have a/c experience i wouldn't try it myself.
peace
allan

Bill Curlee

I recommend that you have someone start the car and turn on the AC system while you observe the AC compressor clutch. I need to know if it ever engages? If it does enguage does it engage and then dis-engage??

Please check that out and let me know

To properly check the R-134 freon level in your system, you will need to purchase a set of R-134 guages. Some systems only have a low pressure guage that allows the "SUCTION" side of the system to be read. Other guages will have a high pressure and a low pressure guage. They are a lot more money and not necessary if you are only charging the system. Commonly the suction side should read somewhere around 27-32 psi when the engine is at 1000 rpm. There are a lot of factors that can cause it to vary, but it should be in that range!

If you connect the gauge to the low pressure side with the system "OFF" it will read high (around 50 psi) because the pressure is equalized on the suction side and high pressure side of the compresor. As soon as you turn the AC compressor on and the compressor enguges (engine idle at 1000 rpm) the suction side of the system will drop to 27-32 psi and the HIGH side should pump up to APROX 117- 260 psi. If the suction side goes below 20 psi the compressor will get shut off by the "LOW PRESSURE CUT OUT SWITCH" to prevent system damage. Temp and relative humidity are factors that will make the system pressure vary. The higher the temp and humidity the higher the pressures will be. If the freon charge is LOW the suction side pressure will drop low and the clutch will disenguge. As the pressure builds the clutch may cycle on and off. This is a sure sign that the system is LOW on R-134!

Until you purchase a set of gauges and check the system pressures, you are just guessing on the cause of your problem.

You will need to find leaks using a halogen leak detector. You can also use bubble leak detectors (SOAP) to find leaks in joints and at the charging fittings IF the system still has pressure in it.


Here are a few more things to check AC Fuse #24,
AC Clutch Fuse #34

Please let me know if this info is any help to you.

Bill Curlee

SilvaDragon

Lots of good advise here, so I will add only a couple of points:

If you put a pressure gauge on the system and it's empty, you
can use a can of dye-marked R134a to find any large holes that
may be in the system (typically the condenser core in front of
the radiator).

You don't mention what year car you have, but if it's 5 or more
years old, and you didn't use the A/C much in that time, it's
entirely possible that the system just needs a recharge. Use
an R134a load that has seal conditioners in it.

Bill Curlee

SilvDragon

Excellent recommendations!!!

Thanks

Bill C