I have a 1998 Formula with several AC problems... When I purchased the car the AC didn't work. After paying $79 to a shop they told me I had a leaking Condensor.

After going out to my local junkyard, I purchased a new/used one off a 2001 V6 Camaro + all lines. I replaced the condensor, the upper line, and the evaporator. Because I'm a little on the poor side, I went to Walmart and purchased a R-134 refill /leak kit. I charged it and it worked!

Well sorta... When you put it on MAX AC(vs regular AC), it was no cooler, and the fan speed didn't increase. I also found a light amount of throttle would turn the AC off! It was cool, but not nearly as cold as I think it should be. It worked this way all day. This was last saturday.

Sunday (the day we broke a heat record for Rapid City!) on my way to church, the AC wouldn't work at ALL! I figured the freon had leaked out overnight and I still had a leak. Today I put the gauge on the low side, and it still has 38 psi on the system with the AC on. The compressor does kick on. but the vents push out hot air! Anyone have any ideas? It's getting hot and my wife is 7 months pregnant... (and we all know how pregnant people like the heat!)
Thanks
David

 

First off I hope you replaced every o-ring that was on the used parts. And I hope you made sure there was no dirt/debris in the lines/condennsor too.

Max A/C does not make the fan speed increase. It just takes air from inside the car instead of outside. It just sounds louder because you hear the fan where it is taking the air in.

It sounds like you don't have the right amount of R-134a in the system or the refrigerant is not flowing like it should. There is an exact amount that your car takes and too much or too little will make it not work right. 38lbs is high for the low side. maybe your overcharged and building too much pressure on the high side(causing the high pressure switch to kick the compressor off) when you lightly step on the gas. But it should kick off at or near full throttle.

You really shouldn't have bought one of those "leak repair kits". The often create more problems than your trying to fix. The so called leak repair stuff can block your orifice tube and other small areas. And you probly had air/moisture in the lines because you didn't pull the system down to a vaccum and both can corrode your a/c system from the inside. I would strongly reccomend that you take it to a reputable(sp?) shop and have them pull a vaccum on it and see if it holds. Then they can charge it with the correct amount of R-134a and add the oil that leaked out and prevent damage to the compressor. They can also add dye if you don't have any already.

A/C repair is expensive, but thats because in order to do it right so it works well and lasts you need overpriced a/c machines.

And at the shop I work at we always test to see if it is pure R134a before we even connect the a/c machine. Our machine costs way too much to let "stop leak" plug the lines and/or machine. Some off the shelf stuff may be ok, but the cost is too high if it wrecks something.

To summerize: there are many things you can do on your car, but charging the a/c is not one of them.(I'm sure some may argue, but I am talking about making it work good for a long time)

Ben

 

Take it out...You dont need it hehe.