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Any thoughts on why 12oz gives me a lowside/highside reading of 25psi/140psi when a fully charged system is supposed to read in the range of 15psi/210psi ?
Searching the forum, people mention checking at 2000 rpm. Does the pressure go down if I check at 2000 rpm? Seems like the opposite would happen but I can get someone to assist me and check it out.
If you have pulled a proper vacuum, added 1/2 the factory spec amount of refrigerant, and your high side at IDLE reads 140F and let's say the temperature outside around the car is average is 83F and your high side should read 210 psi,
it is simply because you have not completely filled the system.
You need to add the balance of 17.6 oz.
Now, let's say you put in 29.63 oz and on a 83F degree day your high side at IDLE should read 210 psi and you see 250 psi and the low side reads between 20-40 ps (or 30 psi avg), the excessive high side reading is an indication that either:
A) There is air in the system, or
B) Condenser fan not operating properly
Depending on if compressor is compressing or not:
Low side goes between ~15 and 25psi
High Side from 130-160psi.
I noticed that the compressor only comes on in bursts. Sitting at idle looking at it it goes on for about 7 seconds and off for 25-30 seconds and just cycles like that. Vent temp while car is parked in my ~80 degree garage on a 90 degree day is about 72. Running it around the city with the windows closed at 20-40mph it was barely OK for me but it isn't going to fly with my wife
Also, when I turn on the max AC switch I get significantly less air flow in the cabin than with the AC completely off (and both vent levers moved all the way to the left). Due to the increased airflow it actually feels cooler than when the AC is on. I have never owned this car with functioning AC, is this the way it is supposed to work?
How does one check the condenser fan? Just remove the pollen filters or is there more to it?
I've been looking at Griffith's components since I got the car a year ago knowing it had AC problems, and would like to replace whatever is necessary without breaking the bank. Unfortunately Griffith's just makes the components and is kind enough to come onto this site to help troubleshoot otherwise I'd take the drive to Franklin NJ for a real troubleshooting session.
Coming here could frustrate you.
We had trout season late April through May.
Just finished up early bass.
And now the greens are grown in and the fairways are fast.
When you observe pressure readings it should be when the compressor
clutch is engaged. Hence, say you had an ambient of 80F I'd like to see 202 worse case but you have 160 with a full charge. So I have to ask if the gauge set is accurate, is the amount of ounces accurate. But for moment move forward.
You have a low of 15-20 psi, if you have a full charge that is a very cold evaporator coil. But your vents are warm. So, is the evaporator really getting cold? Feel the return line (suction, large one) attached to the compressor.
Is it cold and sweating. Get into the evaporator area in the front trunk (lots of threads on Pelican and Renn to get you close) to see the TEV (exp valve).
The large line attached to it (outlet line back to comp) is it frosty and sweating?
If that line is very cold you might have either a frozen evap core (although the compressor is cycling on and off; a good sign) or something more simple like the blend doors for heat or fresh air are not closed and you are not truly getting cold air that came through the evap into the vent..... time to get the hammer out (Bosch KTS 300 or equivalent) and run some diagnostics.
Or maybe a few of the clan here can chime in on visuals you can do.
After leaving the car sitting for a couple of days I checked the pressures and with engine off both sides were equalized at around 75psi.
After taking the car for a 15 minute drive with the AC on:
- return line at compressor is cold and wet
- large line coming off of the TEV and going towards driver side of vehicle and then back (line that is mostly insulated with a neoprene(?) covering) is cold and wet but no frost. Less than an inch is exposed so I can't really quantify if it is colder than the compressor return line.
As I would expect, water dripping from under car after coming back from the drive.
Servos "seem" to be working OK though I have nothing to compare to. Moving bottom CCU slider turns air on and off to footwells. Moving top slider moves air from dash vents to the top of dash vents.
I ordered a T-OBD from Tore to do the servo testing but he's away and not shipping anything until after July 7.
Other things are same as before, AC compressor cycles on for ~7 seconds and then off for ~30 seconds.
Switching from full dashboard venting (both CCU sliders to left) with CCU fan set to highest setting to MAX AC results in the volume of airflow being reduced by at least 50%. Still not sure if this is the way it is supposed to work.
When I added the SUVA R-134a last week, one of the cans had dye. In my dark garage I went over the car with a UV light and did not see any leaks.
Thanks for all the help so far.
Picture of TEV (between windshield and fuel tank) taken from passenger side and looking towards driver side.
Thank you for the T-OBD order.
Problems with air flow with A/C Max or resirc buttons pressed indicate a problem with the resirculation flap. I would guess you have a vacuum leak or disconnected vacuum line to the flap actuator.
Testing the flap is easy, press resirc button and observe the flap under the dashboard.
Cheers,
Tore
I'm having trouble identifying the recirc flap. Driver's side or passenger side (US model)? I'm assuming it is somewhere on the firewall. Is it big/small,round, square?
Hitting the recirc button, I don't see anything happening under the dash, though air flow is significantly reduced a couple of seconds after pushing the button.
FYI, I saw posts about a white pipe for vacuum under the dash. Mine seems to be securely connected to the short black pipe on the rear of the CCU.
Dug in again today.
Noticed a hard black tube behind the firewall going from a wire bundle behind the fusebox to a fitting in the center of the windshield that was not connected at the center fitting. I might have disconnected this when I changed the pollen filters earlier this spring. I reconnected the black tube to the 180 degree black tube at the center of the firewall but it didn't make a difference. Was I supposed to reconnect this?
Curved tube connected to white hard plastic tube was OK.
*****
Here is a picture of how the black pipe runs along the firewall and past the fusebox (and into a wire bundle)
*****
Vacuum connection in engine compartment appears to be in good condition.
*****
I couldn't get the CCU out. I used 2 of these tools and tried to push from the back. Are these the correct tools? I can insert them around 4 inches (10cm). Do you push the tools outward (hard to do on the left) or inward while pulling/pushing? Any hints welcome.
*****
Since I couldn't pull out the CCU, here is a picture from Tore's website showing behind the CCU. I can see #1 from the bottom as well as #1a and can see a good connection between the white pipe and the black pipe (circled in second picture from bottom of ccu - also from Tore's website). I don't see anything moving around when I push the recirculation switch.
Black plastic pipe goes to engine vacuum source and emerges in forward corner of engine bay on drivers side from wiring harness. Make sure it is connected and all other vacuum hoses are connected.
May not be the source of your vacuum or actuator problem, however.....
anywhere you have a vacuum line and the connection is rubber, the
rubber hardens over time (sometimes you will get cracking) and
it becomes a source for a bad seal or vacuum leak. If there is
a long enough piece of the rubber just cut back 3/8" or 10 mm or so
and slip the hose back on the connection.
Black plastic pipe goes to engine vacuum source and emerges in forward corner of engine bay on drivers side from wiring harness. Make sure it is connected and all other vacuum hoses are connected.
Hi cupcar,
I don't have any black plastic pipe coming from the (US) driver side. The pipes coming on the driver side are the AC pipes from the compressor that go to the triple expansion valve.
I do have the thin black plastic pipe going to the center of the vehicle that comes out the passenger side corner behind the fusebox along with a wiring bundle.
That is the piece that I wrote about earlier in this thread. I connected it up to a black 180 degree rubber fitting that was nearby and not attached.
You have a low of 15-20 psi, if you have a full charge that is a very cold evaporator coil. But your vents are warm. So, is the evaporator really getting cold? Feel the return line (suction, large one) attached to the compressor.
Is it cold and sweating. Get into the evaporator area in the front trunk (lots of threads on Pelican and Renn to get you close) to see the TEV (exp valve).
The large line attached to it (outlet line back to comp) is it frosty and sweating?
If that line is very cold you might have either a frozen evap core (although the compressor is cycling on and off; a good sign) or something more simple like the blend doors for heat or fresh air are not closed and you are not truly getting cold air that came through the evap into the vent.
Temperature 83, humidity 49%
After leaving the car sitting for a couple of days I checked the pressures and with engine off both sides were equalized at around 75psi.
After taking the car for a 15 minute drive with the AC on:
- return line at compressor is cold and wet
- large line coming off of the TEV and going towards driver side of vehicle and then back (line that is mostly insulated with a neoprene(?) covering) is cold and wet but no frost. Less than an inch is exposed so I can't really quantify if it is colder than the compressor return line.
As I would expect, water dripping from under car after coming back from the drive.
I will be looking with the T-OBD when I get it, but any ideas in the meantime?
(I was also able to get the CCU out utilizing 4 16d finishing nails since the tool wasn't working out.)
As I wrote earlier, if fan running on high, hitting recirc or max AC drastically reduces the air flow.
I noticed that pushing the recirc button closes the fresh air intake beneath the windscreen but doesn't seem to do anything to the flap behind the CCU even though everything appears to be connected.
Vacuum lines seem to all be attached well (but will triple check again), rubber connectors look to be in very good condition for a 21 year old car. Is it just a vacuum that actuates the actuator in the above picture or is there something electric involved? If I remove the white pipe from the connectors beneath the windshield and create a vacuum by sucking on the pipe, should the flap behind the CCU close?
06-23-2016, 12:37 AM
AC capacity - Recirc Flap - CCU - Not Cold
