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Hey guys, this is interesting because my AC fan on the front has been broke so I just replaced that today but it did not work, it is semi cold but not ice cold and I did refill it as well and it also blows fine, could it be the compressor? Or something else?
Few reasons that it can be not as cold. One is an incorrect amount of refrigerant - either too high or too low is a problem. It's measured by weight and the only way to get it right is to start with an empty system (vacuum) and add the right amount.
If the refrigerant is right, or close, then airflow is the other reason that it will not blow as cold. Is yours blowing cold at highway speeds and just semi cold at idle? Replacing the condenser fan can help with this, which it sounds like you did. The fan only comes on if the following conditions are met:
1. Ambient temp is over a certain number - I think it's 78 or 80F
AND
2. Vehicle speed is <40mph
OR
3. Coolant temp > 212F.
If the fan locked up and you swapped it but it's still not working, check the fuse - I think it's fuse 5.
Few reasons that it can be not as cold. One is an incorrect amount of refrigerant - either too high or too low is a problem. It's measured by weight and the only way to get it right is to start with an empty system (vacuum) and add the right amount.
If the refrigerant is right, or close, then airflow is the other reason that it will not blow as cold. Is yours blowing cold at highway speeds and just semi cold at idle? Replacing the condenser fan can help with this, which it sounds like you did. The fan only comes on if the following conditions are met:
1. Ambient temp is over a certain number - I think it's 78 or 80F
AND
2. Vehicle speed is <40mph
OR
3. Coolant temp > 212F.
If the fan locked up and you swapped it but it's still not working, check the fuse - I think it's fuse 5.
The really old fan was locked up, new fan I installed works great and immediately comes on with the vehicle start, no fuses are blown
Gotcha. So the AC always blows semi-cold, regardless of vehicle speed? Do you know the delta between ambient temp and vent temps? Usually I think you're looking for about 40F difference. If you're not there, the next step is making sure you have the right amount of refrigerant.
This table shows ballpark figures for what you should be seeing:
The most cost effective approach is likely going to be getting the system evacuated and charged with the correct amount of refrigerant. That'll be cheaper than buying your own equipment (vacuum pump, manifold gauge set, new refrigerant) - plus you don't have an environmentally friendly way of capturing the R-134A that's already in the system.
Once it's correctly charged, then you (or a shop) will be able to look at the pressures on the high/low sides and at that point you'd be able to diagnose a potential compressor problem.
Gotcha. So the AC always blows semi-cold, regardless of vehicle speed? Do you know the delta between ambient temp and vent temps? Usually I think you're looking for about 40F difference. If you're not there, the next step is making sure you have the right amount of refrigerant.
This table shows ballpark figures for what you should be seeing:
The most cost effective approach is likely going to be getting the system evacuated and charged with the correct amount of refrigerant. That'll be cheaper than buying your own equipment (vacuum pump, manifold gauge set, new refrigerant) - plus you don't have an environmentally friendly way of capturing the R-134A that's already in the system.
Once it's correctly charged, then you (or a shop) will be able to look at the pressures on the high/low sides and at that point you'd be able to diagnose a potential compressor problem.
Ok thanks a lot 👍 I will definitely have a shop empty and recharge it to see if that fixes my problem first.
AC broke
