A/c Not cold.

[Janiel]

Whats up with my a/c? At night its piping cold but during the day (I live in Miami) its just cool. What do you think it could be? And it does have the right amount of freon and a new Dryer.Thanx for the help.

[wthramann]

check out www.aircondition.com. It would be helpful if you measured the pressures. Are both fans on? Condenser clear of debris? No bubbles in site glass?-oops sorry you did say refrigerant level good.

[Blue Impact]

Bad fuse? For 2 years I thought my AC system isn't gonna ever work again, but I just checked earlier today and it turned out to be the fuse. Ladies and gentlemen, I now have AC in my car again.

[3rd GEN]

could need new freeon too..
if the freeon is old then it looses it's power to cool

[ACCORD EX]

could be a lo of things !
better download the AC section from the service manual to trouble shoot it !

MIKE

[rattler]

hey I have the same problem and i live in Miami to so if u fix it please tell me

[DBMaster]

BTW, Freon does not lose it's power to cool unless you have moisture in the system. It cannot become "stale."

If that were the case, there would be an awful lot of spoiled food as refrigerators used R12 until just a few years ago.

[3rd GEN]

ok.. well maybe not loose it's power to cool
but the freon does wear out..and if you change the freon, you will probably have cold air again..
thats usually the case when a/c doesn't produce cold air anymore

[wthramann]

I agree with Mike. Freon is being recycled as it is no longer being made (at least in the US).

[88LXi/87CRXSi]

Originally posted by wthramann
I agree with Mike.

Me too! R12 is stable under all conditions and temperatures normally encountered in refrigeration. Otherwise every a/c & ref system would have to get a ref change every 2-5k hrs operation.
Sorta like changing the air in your tires every 6 months cause its stale and your car will handle better with new air. Maybe, but not that you could notice a difference! Usually it's the compressor that loses capacity from wear.

[3rd GEN]

ok ok.. i know.. you guys are too technical..
the freon used in a fridge, is not the same as in an air conditioner..well it could be.. but i don't know..
cuz my friends parents car did that.. the a/c would gradually get warmer and warmer over time...so they changed the freon ( which was rather expensive) and after they cahnged the freon, it was cold as ice again...so yes, the freon does wear or something happens to it over time, i just don't know the technical term for it...if you guys want to believe it or not..but it does...
so if you cahnge your freon, you will most likely have cold a/c again

[wthramann]

It is possible your friend's parents' car had a leak and so they had to have it recharged periodically to keep cool. I just added a can of R12 to my '88 as it was blowing warm air and now the vent air is in the upper 30's*F = 3*C!

[DBMaster]

The reason your friend's parents' car needed the "freon change" is because the system leak(s) caused the system to take on air and moisture over time. Both of these substances are what A/C people call "noncompressibles," meaning the compressor cannot compress these things from gas to liquid. This leads to a loss in efficiency. Or, it could just be that before they got the leak fixed the low freon levels caused the air to get warmer over time.

And, yes, refrigerators used to use the SAME refrigerant as pre-1994 cars, R12. They had to make the change to a different refrigerant, too. Home air conditioners used R22. Many of them have changed now, too as R22 (also a flourocarbon) is also being phased out.

There is plenty of R12 available out there as manufacturers stockpiled before the ban. Also, it is still being made in other countries that do not comply with the international agreement. It has gotten to be a lot more expensive, however, as the number of cars and refrigerators that use it go to the junk heaps the demand is falling. If you were to check on eBay for R12 you would notice that the stuff is selling for less than a third of what they were getting a year ago.

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

I just got 2 14oz cans of R-12 off ebay for $47.50 total. $21.50 for one can, and $26.00 for the other. I don't think that's too bad at all, considering.

[3rd GEN]

ohhh ok.. i see i see..
cuz i had always thought that maybe the freon wears out over time...
mmmmm..ok.. thanks

[DBMaster]

Jared, that is a pretty good price. Last time I bought a can at Auto Zone (I have the EPA license) it cost me $35. Then, a friend at church gave me three cans that were sitting around in his garage. All his vehicles are too new to use it.

3rd GEN. I guess in a way it's like wearing out. Just like motor oil or coolant the mix in your A/C system (which usually just consists of freon and oil) gets contaminated. Usually the problem is more related to a lack of freon due to leakage. I still have to add a half can per year to my system. Even with the new compressor, hoses, drier, and schraeder valves I still lose a slight amount somewhere. I have a pressure gauge which allows me to tell when it is low as the new drier has no sight glass - Honda did away with that apparently. I can tell when I am low because I hear a lot more "hissing" from the evaporator housing. the air coming in does not always get noticeably warmer. I fill baed upon the pressure reading and the vent output temp. When the pressure gauge hits a certain point (in the blue pie wedge on the gauge) I keep checking the vent temp. When it hits bottom (40-45 degrees depending upon the ambient temp) I stop filling.

I am no A/C expert. I am just into saving money!

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

They still sell it at autozone??? I didn't know that. I've got my EPA license now too. If it's cheaper though I'll still just get it off ebay.... seems to be the best bet so far.

Oh yea Mike, I'm not sure if you read my post in the other thread or not, but the Freeze-12 blows chunks pretty bad. I had it properly deep evacuated and everything before filling. It's really no better than straight R134a (yes, I know it's 80%). About 60-65 when idling or moving real slow on a super hot day, and then once you get going it slowly goes down to 50 if your in town and moving, or 42 if you get on the highway. Fans and everything are working perfectly, that's just the way it is I guess. Oh well, the good stuff is coming shortly!! :D

[DBMaster]

Jared,

What about the Autocool site I posted?

http://www.autocool-refrigerants.com/

I was just wondering if anyone has ever tried it. It sounds really good. Anyway, you are right abotu Freeze-12 being an R134a blend. I wonder why the shop I use said they like the stuff. I gets damn hot here in the summer so mediocre A/C performance would be readily noticed.

R12 is going to be available for a long time. Most of us have never even SEEN recycled R12 because there is so much new stuff out there. If the system is operating properly you won't need much to fill it and keep it filled for several years. It's a small price to pay to be comfortable.