A/C Problem and it's hot out...HELP.
07-19-2001, 08:09 PM
#1
Instructor
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Location: Birmingham, AL , USA Alabama
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Has plenty of freon. Compressor kicks in and engages. No cooling. Not any of the pipes or hoses get cool or cold. Will not take freon. Just blows hot air. Has the compressor had it?
07-19-2001, 08:57 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
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Could be the temperature door actuator relay, the clip for the door actuator rod, or the programmer.
Open the hood and look on the passenger side by the firewall for the heating/ a/c unit. On the top of the unit is a unit held into the core box with three bolts (it also has electric connections). remove the three bolts (7mm?) and look into the unit. You should be able to see a door. this door moves back and forth covering either the heater core or a/c. Try moving it with a screw driver. If it doesn't move, then it could be the relay or the programmer. If it does move then it the clip for the door is broken (not uncommon for 89-90).
If the door does not move, check your programmer, located under the dash on the drivers side, near the brake pedal. It is a 4x6 black box with a vacum hose harness, and an electrical connector. It is connected to the firewall with one bolt. Remove the bolt, the wire harness, and the vacum harness (there is a 4-5 mm bolt in the middle of the vacum lines). Once the unit is out, open it up to expose the electrical board. Look in the upper right corner of the board to locate two resistors. If the soldier connections are dull gray (not shiney silver) or the board is discolored, chances are that is your problem. They may just have to be either resoldiered(for a better connection), or the resisters need to be replaced. If this is the case, go to Radio Shack and buy two resisters (120 I think). They cost a total of 52 cents for the pair. then go to a TV repair shop and they should be able to replace the resistors ( They can even check if they are good and what ohms they are.)
I also had an 89 and it turned out to be the resistors just needed to be resoldiered.
This is an inherent problem for 89-90 model years. The resistors build up alot of heat and either go bad or become unsoldiered. Chevy solved this problem in later years by using larger resistors.
If you need any help, or further info, E-mail me.
Open the hood and look on the passenger side by the firewall for the heating/ a/c unit. On the top of the unit is a unit held into the core box with three bolts (it also has electric connections). remove the three bolts (7mm?) and look into the unit. You should be able to see a door. this door moves back and forth covering either the heater core or a/c. Try moving it with a screw driver. If it doesn't move, then it could be the relay or the programmer. If it does move then it the clip for the door is broken (not uncommon for 89-90).
If the door does not move, check your programmer, located under the dash on the drivers side, near the brake pedal. It is a 4x6 black box with a vacum hose harness, and an electrical connector. It is connected to the firewall with one bolt. Remove the bolt, the wire harness, and the vacum harness (there is a 4-5 mm bolt in the middle of the vacum lines). Once the unit is out, open it up to expose the electrical board. Look in the upper right corner of the board to locate two resistors. If the soldier connections are dull gray (not shiney silver) or the board is discolored, chances are that is your problem. They may just have to be either resoldiered(for a better connection), or the resisters need to be replaced. If this is the case, go to Radio Shack and buy two resisters (120 I think). They cost a total of 52 cents for the pair. then go to a TV repair shop and they should be able to replace the resistors ( They can even check if they are good and what ohms they are.)
I also had an 89 and it turned out to be the resistors just needed to be resoldiered.
This is an inherent problem for 89-90 model years. The resistors build up alot of heat and either go bad or become unsoldiered. Chevy solved this problem in later years by using larger resistors.
If you need any help, or further info, E-mail me.
07-19-2001, 08:59 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
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One other area to check is near your distributor cap. There are vacum lines which either crack or become disconnnected. Although the programmer is electronic, it needs vacum to operate as well.
07-20-2001, 12:08 AM
#5
Le Mans Master
You said the following:
>Not any of the pipes or hoses
>get cool or cold.
If that is true, then all of the above responses are wrong. A basic test of AC functionality is to feel the metal part of the high pressure AC line. Feel the metal part of the line where off the back of the compressor and heads toward the condensor. This line should be fairly hot.
Feel the metal low pressure line right after the expansion valve, right before it enters the evaporator. It should be fairly cold. Feel the metal low-pressure line coming out of the evaporator and feel the accumulator. They should be fairly cold.
If you cannot find a cold line anywhere then your problems can include low freon, moisture, bad expansion valve, bad compressor.
--rb--
>Not any of the pipes or hoses
>get cool or cold.
If that is true, then all of the above responses are wrong. A basic test of AC functionality is to feel the metal part of the high pressure AC line. Feel the metal part of the line where off the back of the compressor and heads toward the condensor. This line should be fairly hot.
Feel the metal low pressure line right after the expansion valve, right before it enters the evaporator. It should be fairly cold. Feel the metal low-pressure line coming out of the evaporator and feel the accumulator. They should be fairly cold.
If you cannot find a cold line anywhere then your problems can include low freon, moisture, bad expansion valve, bad compressor.
--rb--
