A/c

[yo! adrian]

97 D1 SE7

A/C not blowing cold, so I added a can of freon- Issue fixed, or so I thought. Took my truck for a spin, and as I pressed down on the gas pedal, I hear a loud hissing sound coming from the engine bay- I notice that the freon is escaping from the A/C pump purge valve.

Also, only cold air is coming out of the driver side vents- warm air only comes out of the passenger side vents.

Can anyone tell me why this is happening.

 

[Joey]

did you use a fill gauge when you added the can of R134a? How big a can did you use? Was the A/C on and running when you filled it?

 

[yo! adrian]

did you use a fill gauge when you added the can of R134a? How big a can did you use? Was the A/C on and running when you filled it?

Joey,

No

It was a small 6oz can

Yes

Thanks

 

[ptschram]

If you used too much, it will vent. The fact that the compressor is running indicates you have sufficient pressure in the system.

Hot one side, cold the other indicates either pilot error or an issue with the control cables.

Congrats on the first A/C post of the season. I was just thinking it was time to buy some freon and maybe a machine.

 

[yo! adrian]

Hot one side, cold the other indicates either pilot error or an issue with the control cables.

Pilot error, as in user error? Should I evacuate the system and then have it filled up again?

I figured it was getting hot enough that I should be the first to post! LOL

 

[Phototone]

I would take it to a place that offers A/C service and have them put their gages on it and evaluate it. I think Wal-Mart may do this, or they used to. I had the A/C checked out at my local independent garage/tire shop a few days ago and it needed about 1/2 pound of R134a. Since it was such a small amount, the shop only charged me 1/2 of an A/C service, which netted out to be $39.95. It really takes attaching the guages and looking at the readings on the pressure and vacuum side to determine the health of the whole system.

 

[ptschram]

Pilot error, as in user error? Should I evacuate the system and then have it filled up again?

I figured it was getting hot enough that I should be the first to post! LOL

NO, pilot error in th sense of having the controls in the wrong position.

It sounds to me as though you have a correctly functioning A/C system but problems with distribution of the cold air. DIs have a completely mechanical air distribution system. If the controls are set correctly, you might have a broken control cable.

If the A/C compressor is running, it is unlikely you need refrigerant. The A/C system is pretty sophisticated to protect itself and meet regulatory requirements. R-134 systems require both high and low pressure switches. Again for those who have a hard time with reading comprehension, if the A/C compressor is running, it is unlikely you need refrigerant!

 

[msggunny]

I had the same problem with my passenger controls.

Drop the glove box, look at the linkage while manipulating the pass controls (a/c on of course)

When i did this i noticed that the dial didnt actuate the likage all the way and had to push it all the way down with my finger to get the coldest air to come out. It works as long as my wife or another passenger doesnt mess with it. I may search the RAVE to see if there is a way to adjust the linkage to work correctly.

Hope it helps.

 

[yo! adrian]

OK, so I learned today that I have a bad valve (purge valve located on the compressor). It looks like it's threaded- anybody know if this valve can be replaced without replacing the whole compressor?

Thanks

 

[Phototone]

OK, so I learned today that I have a bad valve (purge valve located on the compressor). It looks like it's threaded- anybody know if this valve can be replaced without replacing the whole compressor?

Thanks

I don't know about replacing the purge valve only,....but if it can be replaced, you should know that you need to take the truck to an A/C shop, or any store that does auto A/C work, and have your system drained of R134a. They will pump it out and capture it, then when the repair is done, they will put the R134a back in, adding additional to get to a full charge. Even though R134a is more environmentally friendly, it still should be captured and reused if at all possible. If you can take off your purge valve, it would vent all the R134a out to the surrounding atmosphere instantly unless you have the system drained first.