OK, so I ran through the manual test of the AC and found no issues. The flaps are working, the sensors are working, and the AC clutch engages. However, there is no cold air under any setting.

I checked the fuses, they're good, relays are new.

I let the engine heat up with the settings on "LO" on both sides. I checked the silver pipes coming out of the compressor, the fat one closer to the front of the engine was hot, the smaller one on the back was hotter. Isn't one supposed to be cold?

The clutch seems to be engaging and the compressor is spinning, it's just not getting cold. I saw that there is a thermal cutout switch on the compressor, could that be bad? Could the heater core temp sensor being faulty cause this problem?

Does anyone know a way I can diagnose the compressor easily? I don't want to toss a new compressor in there if I could just as easily swap out a switch.

Thanks!

 

Disregard the thermal cutout, I was ill advised, that part is for the EAS.

 

Sorry, didn't notice your reply until just now. As for the pipes... one should be cold. It could possibly still be the sensor on the hot input pipe.

Maybe see if it's the compressor clutch...
"Open the bonnet, and with the engine running, have someone switch the A/C on and off. There will be an audible click from the Compressor as the clutch engages. Placement of the compressor varies from engine to engine.
Remember, in the absence of chilled air, either through a faulty system, or because the A/C is switched off, the system will substitute external air, at the ambient temperature. In some parts of the world (rarely in the UK) this can be hot. Thus sometimes "cold" air is hot. "

Sorry can't recall... did you have the freon recharged?

 

Hi ldivine,
Yup, the Freon is all charged up. I think I have tracked it down to the expansion valve. I read through the RAVE manual, and all signs point that way. I ordered the part from Rock Auto, hopefully that will solve this one for me.

If anyone has tackled that, I'd like to hear how it went. The RAVE makes it look pretty easy to get to, but I don't have a way to drain the system, I'll have to take it to the shop and have it vac'd out and recharged after the parts swap. Is that going to break anything?