Car Ac Not Cool Enough

[hrm]

Hi,

I have a 1994 Lancer and since recently I experienced that AC is not cool enough. I can hear the compressor working but it is not turning on and off as usual. When I press the AC switch wind starts to blow but little difference with normal blower air. And the compressor keeps working without periodical shutting down.

Don't have much insight on to this as I'm a newbie to cars. What would be the reason to this ? and how to fix this up?.

PS: I use the car sparingly

Thanks in advance.

[Watchman]

Luckily you're not the first person to have this problem, so do a search and you'll find a LOT of detailed explanations what might be wrong how much it might cost and where you can get it fixed.

[ferrarif50]

Time to service your AC system

[hrm]

  On 4/11/2012 at 4:38 AM, ferrarif50 said:

Time to service your AC system

Yeah Thanks mate .. It might be a gas leak or something. But my concern is why the compressor keeps working without stop. Is the Ac clutch doesn't disengaging properly?

[Pericles]

Just to point you in the right direction on what to search for, its probably lost gas.

[VVTi]

Get off AL, go to a AC shop get it checked. A compressor that runs with low gas will eventually fail. You might as well get a full AC service, this will include a cleaning of the condenser, cooler, leak check and re gassing.

[hrm]

  On 4/11/2012 at 5:00 AM, VVTi said:

Get off AL, go to a AC shop get it checked. A compressor that runs with low gas will eventually fail. You might as well get a full AC service, this will include a cleaning of the condenser, cooler, leak check and re gassing.

Sure.. will do it straight away

[Ripper]

yep...ac gas circulates much needed lubricant to the compressor and leaking gas means it's loosing lubrication and will fail!!!

[CARBON B4]

If your a/c is not cooling well, ( significant loss of cooling) , best is to just switch it off, and get it checked from a good place. Running it will make things work worse as there is much more strain on the system.

Edited April 11, 2012 by CARBON B4

[hrm]

Thanks guys for the advices. Do you know a good auto AC repair shop around Battaramulla? As i was about to do a general full lubrication service shortly it will be help full to do both types of services at once.

Edited April 11, 2012 by hrm

[Davy]

  On 4/11/2012 at 5:40 AM, hrm said:

Thanks guys for the advices. Do you know a good auto AC repair shop around Battaramulla? As i was about to do a general full lubrication service shortly it will be help full to do both types of services at once.

I sent you a PM. Hope you get it sorted out. Good Luck!

[dpbatagoda]

There are lot in Athul Kotte road (168 bus route) for AC repairs. get quotation before you start the repair. Pala auto is the best. but the prices are double than other places.

[hrm]

  On 4/11/2012 at 5:57 AM, Davy said:

I sent you a PM. Hope you get it sorted out. Good Luck!

  On 4/11/2012 at 6:18 AM, dpbatagoda said:

There are lot in Athul Kotte road (168 bus route) for AC repairs. get quotation before you start the repair. Pala auto is the best. but the prices are double than other places.

Thanks mates !!

[jdnet]

  On 4/11/2012 at 6:18 AM, dpbatagoda said:

There are lot in Athul Kotte road (168 bus route) for AC repairs. get quotation before you start the repair. Pala auto is the best. but the prices are double than other places.

I live in ethul kotte and would not take my car to any of the shops on it. That includes that big place too.

[dpbatagoda]

I did my CR42 AC system full service at Derana AC, Ambagaha Jn, Buthgamuwa Road, Rajagiriya, they took me Rs.10,000 as they said they replaced some parts. Now my AC is very powerful and no complains, even people at back complaining that it's too much cold.

[hrm]

Update : I just manage to re gas my AC today. (Until this time I didn't use AC that much). Apparently the AC guy said he could not find any leak in the system by doing an visual inspection so I went for only re gassing. cost 2K and now the issue is solved and compressor started to work as normal.

Is it normal to re gas the AC time to time as I haven't done it for past 8 months and doesn't know how previous owner maintained it.

[rover]

  On 4/28/2012 at 5:28 AM, hrm said:

Update : I just manage to re gas my AC today. (Until this time I didn't use AC that much). Apparently the AC guy said he could not find any leak in the system by doing an visual inspection so I went for only re gassing. cost 2K and now the issue is solved and compressor started to work as normal.

Is it normal to re gas the AC time to time as I haven't done it for past 8 months and doesn't know how previous owner maintained it.

No. It's not normal if you re gas time to time. Definitely your system has a leak. Get it checked by a experienced mechanic.

edit: Since the leak is apparently small it might be through the O rings.

Edited April 28, 2012 by rover

[hrm]

  On 4/28/2012 at 7:46 AM, rover said:

No. It's not normal if you re gas time to time. Definitely your system has a leak. Get it checked by a experienced mechanic.

edit: Since the leak is apparently small it might be through the O rings.

I get your point mate. But this is the first time I have done this since the car was bought about 8 months ago. Let's see how its going.

[The Stig]

  On 4/28/2012 at 7:46 AM, rover said:

No. It's not normal if you re gas time to time. Definitely your system has a leak. Get it checked by a experienced mechanic. edit: Since the leak is apparently small it might be through the O rings.

What the hell are you saying ?

Of course its normal to re-gas from time to time, every vehicle will eventually loose gas even though it might not have any obvious leaks and should re-gas around a period of 3-4 years !

[terrabytetango]

  On 4/28/2012 at 7:46 AM, rover said:

No. It's not normal if you re gas time to time. Definitely your system has a leak. Get it checked by a experienced mechanic.

edit: Since the leak is apparently small it might be through the O rings.

I have to top up my car's petrol every 5 days, maybe the fuel tank has a leak!

But yeah getting back on topic, it's quite normal for periodic top ups. Plus, your compressor has a pressure switch which prevents the clutch from engaging if the refrigerant pressure is too low (experienced it quite a few times with the old van _it_ had a leaky a/c refrigerant circuit), so there's no real worry about the compressor running sans lube.

Edited April 28, 2012 by terrabytetango

[Sylvi]

Members,

Most A/C Repair shops do not check for gas leaks the just refill and charge their money. My son in law had this problem every three months he had to refill gas at a Dehiwla A/C repair shop.

Then I took oveR the vehicle gave it to Mr. Rohan Perera of CRP Engeneering. he rectified the fault changed leaking evaporator and did the job until he sold the vehicle it was OK .That was 14 months after the A/C repair.

Sylvi Wijesinghe

[hrm]

Thank guys for the points. In fact the AC guy asked me of the AC service history and I said for this is the first time I'm having this issue in this car. So then we decided if it goes low again have to check the whole system for leaks.

Other thing is when the gas went low the AC clutch kept engaging forever when I put AC on. So I avoided turning AC on until I re gas it today. Now it's ok.

[rover]

  On 4/28/2012 at 12:08 PM, hrm said:

Thank guys for the points. In fact the AC guy asked me of the AC service history and I said for this is the first time I'm having this issue in this car. So then we decided if it goes low again have to check the whole system for leaks.

Other thing is when the gas went low the AC clutch kept engaging forever when I put AC on. So I avoided turning AC on until I re gas it today. Now it's ok.

hrm, considering the age of your car there can be leaks through the compressor shaft seals and the small O rings as well. Theoretically about 15% depletion of refrigerant per year is considered normal. It's also applicable for larger applications as well. Maybe I misintepreted what you said. Thought you are re-gasing regularly, and thats not normal. Also contrary to the popular belief it is good to use the AC regularly so that the O rings and seals will be kept moist by the circulating oil and it will extend the lifetime of them. If the AC is not being used for a long time the rubber material will be dry and degrade and will cause leakages. Anyway it's good to have the AC system in your car checked by a qualified technician not a makabass.

Edited April 28, 2012 by rover

[rover]

  On 4/28/2012 at 11:44 AM, terrabytetango said:

I have to top up my car's petrol every 5 days, maybe the fuel tank has a leak!

But yeah getting back on topic, it's quite normal for periodic top ups. Plus, your compressor has a pressure switch which prevents the clutch from engaging if the refrigerant pressure is too low (experienced it quite a few times with the old van _it_ had a leaky a/c refrigerant circuit), so there's no real worry about the compressor running sans lube.

And it varies from vehicle to vehicle. I used my N16 for 3 1/2 years without any significant drop in the AC efficiency. Serviced the system once during that period and didn't find a considerable change in refrigerant level. It's true that any AC system is not 100% tight. The shaft seals of the compressor can't be made 100% tight. But saying periodic top ups is normal is just an overstatement.

[blkr6]

when i say this no one believes it. on my 91 camry (R12system) i still have the original refrigerant. my family member bought it new and i had it for the past 10 years. its still close to ice cold (touch wood!!!). best thing you could do for your ac to last long is to use the AC frequently. at least use it once a week for about 10mins. i run my AC middle of a freezing winter for about 10mins every week. most leaks are from hose joints which seals with rubber o rings. every time you run your ac the whole system gets lubricated and extend the life of all the AC components. when you let it sit all the rubber gets old and brittle and start leaking.

when you do a full AC job make sure these are done. make sure to flush the condenser and all the ac components. i personally replace the evaporator and orifice tube. after that, change all the o rings and inspect all the hoses. final step is putting a UV die in to the system and check with a UV light for leaks.

[hrm]

  On 4/29/2012 at 12:50 PM, blkr6 said:

when i say this no one believes it. on my 91 camry (R12system) i still have the original refrigerant. my family member bought it new and i had it for the past 10 years. its still close to ice cold (touch wood!!!). best thing you could do for your ac to last long is to use the AC frequently. at least use it once a week for about 10mins. i run my AC middle of a freezing winter for about 10mins every week. most leaks are from hose joints which seals with rubber o rings. every time you run your ac the whole system gets lubricated and extend the life of all the AC components. when you let it sit all the rubber gets old and brittle and start leaking.

when you do a full AC job make sure these are done. make sure to flush the condenser and all the ac components. i personally replace the evaporator and orifice tube. after that, change all the o rings and inspect all the hoses. final step is putting a UV die in to the system and check with a UV light for leaks.

Nice to hear that. well that could be a reason too. since I use the car only in weekends and for small distances I don't switch AC on.(especially when I'm the sole occupant)

Edited April 29, 2012 by hrm