kefkafloyd

Hey gents;

I decided to get my air conditioner working again. My pal at the radiator shop replaced my receiver/dryer and condenser (since they both had leaks) and cleaned up the relays for teh cooling fans since they weren't turning on high speed.

I had cold air for about a week or two, but now it's blowing warm again. The compressor is running, and my manifold gauges say that the pressures look okay. The small tube coming from the evaporator (the lower tube, this is on a 3.8, not LS1 or LT1) is nice and cold, while the upper tube (the low pressure side, I'm guessing) doesn't have any noticeable temperature change.

I noticed that when the system was blowing cold, the receiver/dryer (that metal cylinder thing where the low side access port is) was nice and cold too. It feels ambient now.

When I turn it on, you can hear the hiss of the evaporator. What could be going on here? I've heard guys say the blend door, but I'm not sure if that's the case here.

Any help is appreciated.

HBHRacing

What are the high and low pressures?

kefkafloyd

The low side is about 35 when the compressor is running. I can't recall the high side, my gauge was kind of iffy on it since I didn't have a proper fitting (the two fittings are different).

In any case, I'm bringing it back to the radiator shop, as he said he would take care of it free of charge with his fancy equipment. I had no intention of fixing it myself; I was just looking for a few ideas to toss his way from people with experience.

I called him up, and he says he thinks, since the low side pressure looks okay, that there's a high side leak that only comes out when the pressure is high enough - say, a bad O-ring. I'll check back in on Friday after he takes a look at it.

Kataklysm

Put dye in it and 1lb of refrigerant, after about a week check for leaks with a black light. I'd focus on the evap.

kefkafloyd

He called up and said it was the compressor, specifically the seal between the two halves of the compressor casing. Ugh. I don't want to replace the compressor. Had I known it would ahve been this problematic, I just wouldn't have done anything with it.