ac problems...it's not cold
 

now that the summer is here, it's time to get to the ac.

my guess is that there is a freon leak, but i am not sure. so to be as descriptive as possible, here is what happens.

when i turn the ac on once the car is warmed up there is a sound like when the piston on a screen door closes (maybe the compressor?). it only lasts a couple seconds and is gone, but there is no cold air coming out but it does have that ac smell. when i do it at a stop light i notice the rpms go up by about 100.

i don't know much about this stuff, but when i put the car in for alignment i asked about the ac. the guy said it would be $200 just to have them evacuate it and refill it without really diagnosing it or fixing it if that didn't work. so i was wondering if there was something simple and cheap that i could try, otherwise i think i will just get used to the heat. thanks.

RE: ac problems...it's not cold
 

Open the hood and check that both of the cooling fans at the radiator turn on when you turn the A/C on.

Also, locate the A/C compressor (it should be on the same belt as the alternator and below it). When the a/c is off, the plate on the face on the pulley of the compressor (clutch plate) should not spin. When you turn the A/C on, that plate should spin at the same rate as the compressor pulley. The clutch plate engaging or the belt are the likely sources of the squeal.

Let us know what you find.

RE: ac problems...it's not cold
 

sorry it took so long to respond, but i have had troubles opening the link to the original post. i see someone else recently posted a similar problem, but i can't open that link so i am not sure what the outcome was. so i apologize if this is redundant.

thanks for the help PAHonda. to answer your questions, when the a/c is off neither the cooling fans or clutch plate spin. when turned on, both cooling fans and clutch plate start spinning right away. and the clutch plate does spin at the same speed as the pulley.

any ideas for waht to try next?

RE: ac problems...it's not cold
 

The only way that I can open up this thread is to click on your user name and click on the link of recent posts.

It seems like everything electrical is working properly, so I think that you are going to have to get the system pressure tested. The charge could be low due to a leak in the system (you can try to feel for oil/dirt buildup at each connection through the a/c system to try to locate a leak). The compressor could be failing or the shaft seal leaking (oil and dirt would accumulate on the front of the compressor).

If you have a leak, adding freon (R134a) will only be a temporary fix, because it will leak out again. Hooking up an a/c manifold to the system to read the high and low pressure sides will help identify the problem.

RE: ac problems...it's not cold
 

you can buy colored freon that will leak out purple or something like that. try that.

RE: ac problems...it's not cold
 

Engine running.
Have someone turn temperature knob back & forth.

Watchthe water valve, on heater hose near firewall. Verify the cable operates the valve & not broken or unhooked.