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Im having some problem with the A/C on the van, I would assume its a vaccum issue. Sometime the the A/C will cut off and wont cut back on unless you turn it off then turn it back on. Last time I checked, it had enough R134. Where should I start looking? Any insight would be great.
I have problems with my 90 Aero's A/C, it stems from the vacumn valve that is in the dash passenger side, next the the speaker. Sometimes the vacumn will not move it and the valve defaults to putting the air out the defrost vents.
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Allen D
1966 F-100 4x4 with 390 GT engine
1990 Areostar 2wd XLT ext
1980 Bronco with 460
1976 F250 4X4 Custom with 429
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^ Thanks man, I was looking today and found a broken vaccum line under the hood, so hopefully that will fixthe fan issue and cutting on and off.. Now if I could just get it ice cold, we will be good to go.
On paper, an A/C system is a simple matter of physics, but to make it work requires at least a dozen different components that must all work in perfect harmony. One weak or damaged part can disrupt the entire system and make troubleshooting a nightmare. Sometimes you are dealing with two or more problems simultaneously which greatly compounds the difficulty in figuring out what is wrong.
From your inital description and adding to what 96_4wdr listed, your system could act like that if it is overcharged. There is a fine balance between too little and too much r134a and as mentioned gauges are the only way to know whats going on inside. What you describe could also be intermittent freeze up of the evaporator core, especially if you live in a humid climate. The core ices over, blocks air flow and suddenly no A/C. When you turn off the van (and A/C) the ice rapidly melts and the A/C magically works again.
Unless you have considerable time and money to chase down an A/C problem, the best bet is to let a qualified A/C specialist tackle it. They can diagnose in minutes what would take a first timer days or weeks to figure out. There is also another FTE forum on Heating and Air conditioning. You might want to check out some of the problems people are posting over there just to get an idea of what all is involved in A/C repairs.
^ Thanks, how would you go about "draining" some R134? According to the gauge on top of a 134 recharge can, shows it to be slighty overcharged. The compressor does not cycle on and off. Thanks again
The correct method is to recapture it. However, this requires specialized equipment only A/C shops have. Of course, leaky A/C systems vent directly to the atmosphere.
An overcharged system will not cycle. Cycling times are temperature dependent. At ambient temperatures above 90 degrees, the system will infrequentlly cycle, it at all. Simple huh?
It's possible for you to capture some of the stuff yourself, but you will be working with high pressure liquids.
The output of the condensor is high pressure liquified refrigerant, and you can tap it from the schrader valve with a metal tube, run it through a bucket of cold water to help keep it cool, and feed it into an evacuated container, also kept cool. Use the compressor to keep generating the pressure until it equalizes with your container, or until the system is drained enough that the pressure switch no longer turns on. It might take a couple of containers if you don't have an external compressor that's sucking the refrigerant out of the system.
you can't just let it blow out into the air? i remember i broke the AC line on a friends wrecked corolla trying to get the rad out... he had bald rear tires, hit a bump, and "drifted" into a rock. the tube started hissing...
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88 civic hatch - rebuilding from the ground up, too many mods.
90 civic sedan - daily driver in the works
95 4.0l 2wd xlt base - old reliable turn key family savior
It's possible for you to capture some of the stuff yourself, but you will be working with high pressure liquids.
The output of the condensor is high pressure liquified refrigerant, and you can tap it from the schrader valve with a metal tube, run it through a bucket of cold water to help keep it cool, and feed it into an evacuated container, also kept cool. Use the compressor to keep generating the pressure until it equalizes with your container, or until the system is drained enough that the pressure switch no longer turns on. It might take a couple of containers if you don't have an external compressor that's sucking the refrigerant out of the system.
Of course not. But if you read my post carefully, I was describing a cooling system where you run the metal tube through a bucket of cold (ice) water to keep it cool on its way into the collection container. In fact, get several feet of copper gas line and coil it so it fits in the bucket, then fill it with ice water. By the time the fluid reached the container, it should be cooler and lower pressure.
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95 Aerostar A/C Issues
