I come to your board often and find it very informative. Well I knew my day would come that I have a question.
My AC recently (at the beginning of summer) began blowing cold air for 5-10 seconds after it is turned on, then blows what feels like outside air after that. If I turn it off, wait about two minutes and turn it back on, it does it again. Cold for 10 seconds, then off after that. What gives? Does it need a shot of freon? I have to admit, this has been a great truck for me and I have never done anything to it. Runs great besides that, which is a big deal in an Atlanta summer.

Thanks for any knowledge someone may have.

Chris Barry

 

Sounds like it may have developed a leak and is low on freon. Does the compressor cycle on and off when it is blowing hot? There is a pressure switch in the system that does not allow the compressor to turn on if the system is low on freon.

Az. Pete

 

AzPete,

If the compressor is the clicking that you hear when the AC is on, then the answer is yes the compressor does turn on. Is it easy to add freon or does this require special equipment?

Thank you

 

Does the compressor turn on and off matching up to the air blowing hot? Adding freon is best done by someone with experience. You might want to add some leak check first to find and repair any leaks. Neither is difficult, just can be touchy if you have not done it before. I use a small shop in the local area and it is pretty low cost.

Az. Pete

 

Check on the A/C under the hood for the type of gas it uses. Parts house will have a little hose and can of gas for about 10.00. directions on the hose will tell you how to connect it. Put half the gas in and see it its works. if it helps put the rest in and see how long it takes to get low again...days,weeks,months,years..
Dave

 

AzPete, the answer to your question is No. It does not match up. The compressor does click on and off, and it does stays hot (or not cold). When I add the leak stop, how do I know it has sealed a leak? Should I add the freon some time after the leak stop and see if there is a change?

Dave, thanks for your info as well. The process you explain seems simple enough too.

Chris Barry

 

OK, if the compressor is cycling on and off often, it is low on freon. If it does not cycle on and off, stays in the "on" cycle and still blows hot, it could be low on freon but not so low as to activate the pressure switch. Either way, if low enough on freon, it may only blow cold for a couple of seconds or not at all. To tell if the compressor is on or off, look at the front of the compressor pulley when the engine is running. On, it is spinning with the engine, off, it is not spinning with the engine.

As for the leak detection, normally you install it, run the system, and look for a colored fluid leaking from a connection somewhere. The next step is to repair it. Follow the directions on the can and you will be ok.

As for adding the freon, yes, be sure you add the proper type as Dave said. The system must be running to add freon. It is easy if the system has not been opened to allow air/moisture into it such as for a repair. Dave is correct in the fact that you can just add some freon and then wait to see how long it takes to leak out again. Follow the directoions on the can there as well and you should be ok. If you need to open a line or a connection to repair a leak, then you will need to evacuate the system and recharge it completely. This I let a shop do because I do not have the tools for it.

Hope this helps........
Az. Pete

 

DON'T put Stop-Leak in it! The stuff is available at every parts house, and they will tell you how wonderful it is. AzPete said leak check, not stop-leak. The A/C experts have all sorts of horror stories about that stuff.

http://www.ackits.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=20&threadid=9173

-TD