A/C troubles

[89ReattaKid]

Under the advise of one of the members I am just going to post one issue per thread to make things easy sorry for the confusion.
The problem I have been having is that the A/C only blows ice cold when the car is
(A)At idle,
(B)im slowing down from highway speeds and
(C)intermittenly during driving even in MAX COLD setting.
heater works great.
I went by a local shop and he said it should be full because the condenser had a lot of dew but the compressor kicks on and off alittle more often than it should.I am getting no codes anywhere for this issue and being in texas this is a problem.
Also it has been converted to R134 per this mechanic.
thanks in advance

[steveskyhawk]

That sounds like a vacuum problem. The ventalation system defaults to defrost when you have no vacuum. When you lose cold air from the vents in the front of the dash check to see if you are getting air through the defroster vents. If this is the case then it is a vacuum problem.

[Ronnie]

If the compressor is cycling on and off constantly and it is hot outside I would put my money on low freon. That would be the first thing to check. It is more than likely cycling on and off because the low pressure switch is cutting out the compressor. Find someone with a set A/C gauges that can check it with certainty. Looking at the condenser is not good enough. You really need to know for sure if it had enough freon before going any further. Nothing else you can do will overcome a low freon condition.

Steak is right these cars have a door that diverts the airflow that frequently gives problems. Search the forum and you will find lots of info on how to check it.

[89ReattaKid]

it blows threw the vents always just blows kinda cold air or slightly warm air unless in one of the situations I described.I think it did that what you suggest once or twice when I first got it but thats fine now.I think this car did alot of sitting because of the milage and the way things get ever so slightly better the more I put it on the road though this issue is constant.
Is there a hot/cold door or switch thats run by vacuum?
Will check it tomorrow with a gage and get back to you.
thanks

[Ronnie]

Quote:

Is there a hot/cold door or switch thats run by vacuum?

Yes, there is a hot/cold air door behind the glove box. I believe it is vacuum operated. Has anyone directed you to the reatta.net free field service manual? You need to sign up for it but it will help you alot.

[89ReattaKid]

No going to do that now and It provides diagnostic test for this and other things?

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted By: 89ReattaKid

No going to do that now and It provides diagnostic test for this and other things?

Yes. it is the same manual the dealerships used. You can purchase them for $50-$100 used. I have a real one but I prefer the online version for fast searches. Here is the link to it.

[89ReattaKid]

been by a few shops but they want to diagnose it and not just check the ac and other dont want to mess with it.
going to keep trying.

thanks
Omar

[89ReattaKid]

ok finally found a shop that would look at it.
He said it shows only 2.9% of refig.Also he informed me that it had been converted to R134 but only one fitting was converted.He tried to recharge it on the Low side I think but its still doing the same thing.Also he found somthing kind of odd.he says someone has ran some wiring direct to a fuse next to the compressor? Im not sure why or if that has somthing to do with my problem?
thanks in advance for the help

[steakneggs]

I never contributed to this post or any other concerning a/c. I don't know the first thing about it. The a/c in the Steakmobile has never worked and probably never will be addressed by me. I don't like being falsely accused of being right. Steak

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted By: 89ReattaKid

ok finally found a shop that would look at it.
He said it shows only 2.9% of refig.Also he informed me that it had been converted to R134 but only one fitting was converted.He tried to recharge it on the Low side I think but its still doing the same thing.Also he found somthing kind of odd.he says someone has ran some wiring direct to a fuse next to the compressor? Im not sure why or if that has somthing to do with my problem?
thanks in advance for the help

I will try to help.

First I have never heard the amount of freon in an A system expressed as a percentage. Did he use some type of machine that gave him a readout as a percentage? All the knowledgeable AC techs that I know use a set of AC gauges made for that purpose.

It sounds like someone took a shortcut with the 134a conversion. You said he tried to recharge it on the low side. That is vacuum side of the pump and the only side you should ever attempt to add freon to. You cannot recharge the system properly without the compressor running. If the system is near empty as indicated by him saying the system only had 2.9% then the low pressure sensor would need to be "jumped" in order for the compressor to run. Did he have the compressor running when he tried to recharge the system? When he was finished did he say the system was filled with freon?

If you can answer no to either on of the last questions, you need to find a competent mechanic with a set of AC gauges that can test the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the system and then be able to interpret those readings to determine what may be wrong with the system.

As for the wire, it sounds like someone has tried to bypass the touch screen AC controls to activate the compressor. Not a good sign that the AC system has been operating properly in the past.

[89ReattaKid]

yea i didnt think the guy knew what he was talking about but he was the only one that didnt want me to pay $100 diagnostics.He did hook it up to a machine but not sure where he got the percentage from.He did have the car running and said he filled it as best as possible but i needed to buy the fitting for the other highside inlet I think he said? because he thinks its leaking because it wouldnt go down to 0% vacuum.
I thought the CRT would have told me that it was low but no such message so maybe it is bybassed I have no idea.As far as the controls on the crt for ac work fine on when its supposed to and off in econ or htr mode.

As of right now its still doing the same thing as before except at idle it blows a little bit colder than before.
The compressor is still kicking on and off in 5 to 20 second intervals.
This is texas i need AC.There is a chevy dealership in pearland that was willing to take a look but im afraid of how much $$ its going to cost.
what should I do next?

[Ronnie]

You need to find a competent mechanic with a set of AC gauges that can test the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the system and then be able to interpret those readings to determine what may be wrong with the system. I would avoid a dealer if possible. They are expensive.

[89ReattaKid]

I have no idea where else..ive tried more than a handful of shops and either they don't know how or if they don't want to because its a Reatta.
do ALL of you work on your cars?
is there even any other reatta;s in texas or houston?
I will try this place in pearland and if no luck there I dont know what ill do.will keep posted
thanks for the help Ronnie

[89ReattaKid]

ok update.Took it another shop yesterday.He said there is a blockage somewhere.At idle its flows fine but when the compressor picks up speed the pressure builds back up its triggers the switch and shuts the compressor off.he said its due to the last person that did the conversion might have left R-12 oil in the system before converting it and its having a problem with the R134 and breaking the compressor down.So he wants me to replace the compressor the orfis tube? and one other thing that escapes me.
To me that doesn't sound right but Im not sure.I dont want to spend $900 that I dont have to. [img]<>/frown.gif[/img]
Do these cars have an expansion valve?
could that be the trouble?