No Cold Air?

[Seriph]

My A/C has not been blowing cold air for a few months and I would like to know what I might be able to do about it. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Take it to an a/c shop and get it recharged..

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

Or you could buy a can of refrigerant and recharge it yourself. If it quits working again shortly after, it means you have a leak somewhere in the system.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

take it to an a/c shop and have them find the cause.

really though it could be anything from a small leak, to a bad compressor, to an electrical problem.

if your mechanically inclined at all you have a chance at figuring it out, but what i did with mine was call up an a/c guy on craigslist, took my RS to him and had him check it out. took him 5 minutes to find what i had missed in two weeks. a shot compressor clutch. 30 mins at the junkyard and two hours at home and i had a/c again.

but depending on your skill level it might be easier to just let someone else handle it.

 

[rlacasse1]

I would make sure that your a/c is coming on in the first place before you go and have it recharged.

 

[612 Performance]

Take it to a shop were they can charge it up and put dye in it then after a few weeks take it back in so they can check for leaks with a black light. Since you don't know rather the refrigerant has leaked out or not don't put it in yourself because you could overcharge your system. If the a/c slowly got warmer and warmer you most likely have a leak. If the temp. Jumped back and forth for awhile before going out it will most likely be an electrical issue.

 

[4g63tc]

Or you could buy a can of refrigerant and recharge it yourself. If it quits working again shortly after, it means you have a leak somewhere in the system.

+1 it's a quick $15 trouble shoot, and it's easy peasy.

Follow the directions on the can, get one with the reusable trigger/gauge, the hose end pops right onto the "Low" side.

Takes about 10 mins.

 

[612 Performance]

Buying a can of refrigerant is cheap and easy yeah but if that's not the problem then you're back at square one and you'll have to take the car somewhere to have the a/c recovered and recharged anyways

 

[4g63tc]

Buying a can of refrigerant is cheap and easy yeah but if that's not the problem then you're back at square one and you'll have to take the car somewhere to have the a/c recovered and recharged anyways

Actually, with 134a, you won't need to. if it's a leak it'll just vent out anyway.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

Buying a can of refrigerant is cheap and easy yeah but if that's not the problem then you're back at square one and you'll have to take the car somewhere to have the a/c recovered and recharged anyways

so instead of buying a can with dye in it at walmart, your suggesting they go spend an extra $80 to basically do the same thing? doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[4g63tc]

so instead of buying a can with dye in it at walmart, your suggesting they go spend an extra $80 to basically do the same thing? doesn't make much sense to me.

especially since, alot of 134a cans have dye in them as well as a UV penlight to find a leak.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...-265k?itemIdentifier=424631&_requestid=343900
UV kit

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=425681_0_0_

R134a

 

[Aestabrook1]

If you have a black light wait until dark, unless you have a garage and can turn out the lights, check the engine bay with the light PRIOR to recharging to be sure there isnt anything in there that is glowing already, if so clean it off, then go to autozone/advanced auto, get a recharge can with the dye in it, recharge the system, run it for a day pop the hood, turn on the black light and see if theres any leaks. if so, document where they are then either repair it yourself or bring it to a shop and let them know where the leaks are.

Knowing where the leaks are already will cut down on the time they have to spend looking for them...less money out of your pocket

 

[cflaherty3]

Or you could just take the A/C unit out and drive faster and the extra wind blowing will keep you cool.

 

[Aestabrook1]

Or you could just take the A/C unit out and drive faster and the extra wind blowing will keep you cool.

^

 

[blkgst97]

Did you check to see if your belt broke?

 

[GSLENK]

have someone stand over your engine bay and make sure the ac compressor turns on... make sure your switch is "telling" the compressor to turn on.

Did the max cold fade away, or did it suddenly stop being cold?

 

[gusu]

The ONLY reason AC stops blowing cold with a WORKING compressor and blower is a leak.

I still have the original R12 refrigerant in my car. It blows colder than anyone's newer cars I've been in, but it makes sense since R134a is known to not cool anywhere near as well as R12 although you can find false reports done by refrigerant companies.

For those who don't know after 1995 the EPA started to force anyone who is not certified to use R12 and recovering it can't purchase it or use it legally.

I hear a lot that you can't legally have it recharged which isn't true. Most companies and techs aren't willing to pay for a permit to charge a system with R12, mostly because R134a conversion kits are dirt cheap and R12 costs a crap ton.

Some shops will even buy your old R12 and after recovering it will give you 10-20 bucks and on rare occasions 40-50 bucks depending on how much refrigerant your car takes.

 

[nastyleak]

If you do have a leak and replace the leaking component or lines then you will need to use vacuum to remove any water or humidity from the system before you recharge the system.