A/C worked for a few hours then stopped...

[travis85904]

Hey so I have an 89 accord lx-i. The ac wasnt working when i bought the car, and the compressor clutch wasnt engaging, so i replaced the compressor with a junkyard one, put in a new receiver/drier, then added oil and recharged. The ac worked great for about an hour or so but i noticed it wasnt like super cold, anyhow when i got on the freeway it got really cold like it should, then about half hour later, i rolled my window down for a brief moment, and then it just stopped working all of a sudden. havent been able to figure it out. I checked and it hasnt lost any refrigereant. the clutch still engages, it just wont blow cold air now. Also when it stopped working, the car blew some white smoke for a brief 10-15 seconds, which made me think , maybe it was a leak or something, but when i checked with the ac machine at school it hadnt lost any refrigerant. Any help is appreciated. I have searched, but havent found anything very relevant to my specific situation. thank you.

[gp02a0083]

Travis, few things here.

first off is what type of compressor did you install? The denso types are a bit more robust and can handle a 134 conversion no problem compared to the keihin counterparts that have a nasty habit of being a "ticking time bomb" with the front seal failing. It's a good possibility that the junkyard compressor was on its way out. 4 seasons is a decent company that has rebuilt compressors.

Second is what kid of pressures do you see on the low and high sides? The expansion valve could be clogged if you do not have the right differential pressure

I would identify what compressor type that you installed, put some dye into the system at school if not done so and use a uv light (wear the protective goggles!) to try pin pointing potential leaks. Recheck to see if the compressor clutch is working properly. Monitor both high and low side pressures while running.

good luck!

[derolph]

Did you flush and clean the system before adding new refrigerant?

[Dr_Snooz]

Sounds like a blockage of some kind. Probably the expansion valve.

[travis85904]

yes i flushed the system, and i have the denso compressor. High and low side were both around 80-90psi, they both were exactly the same. I ordered an expansion valve and a reman compressor, should be here tuesday

[Hauntd ca3]

low side is to high and high side is to low.
tx valve jammed shut at a guess.

[gp02a0083]

Great , good start with the denso compressor.

As haunted pointed out, that expansion valve is most likely shot with those low/high side pressures.

i bet with after you install these parts and the system is good after holding 30inHg for an hour and a good recharge you will be rewarded with an icebox. when your done post up pictures of center vent temps!