Life Support System out

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha folks, the A/C quit 'day before yesterday. It cycles every 2-3 seconds in the carport, but no cooling. Does that suggest anything other than a low charge to you? YouTube says clean the condenser.
God bless Ed

 

[Rkb53]

Yes, most likely your low on freon.

 

[curtis james]

Aloha Ed,, The ac on older vehicles are a little easier to figure out and either ac clutch gap gets to big or freon as rk mentioned, sometimes low switch or some electronic. if freon is low it usually means a leak if its old and dirty in lines it will just not get as cold. you can tap on outside of clutch fan to see if it will engage, most time it will engage if issue, truck needs to be running and hit the outside plate, be careful and watch a video, there easy to fix, some ya got to remove clutch or some just adjust from out side but way easy and cheap to do,, ya need a filler gauge to check, but see more of this then freon being low on vehicles with on off intervals, if freon is low its usually a small leak somewheres. and most times it just stops working.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Aloha Curtis, if I can hear it clicking, doesn't that mean that the clutch is working? I had the system drained and filled by a smarter-than-me mechanic last spring. During the summer I replaced the clutch disk. All was good until 2 days ago then nothing but cycling every 2-3 seconds. I suppose that I should go back to the guy who filled it in the spring.
Thanks to all and God bless Ed

 

[curtis james]

The clicking could be compressor or clutch trying to engage, you have to watch and have someone turn on and off to see what it is trying to do,,relays go bad but if ya got a leak ya need to throw dye in it to find, or waste a can of freon and spray lines with soapy water. i would do as ya mentioned and have the shop look at it. over the years i have seen so many clutches that just need adjusting then leaks, or just not blowing cold enough but low v relay or blend doors will click when they go bad. hope ya get her fixed and not too pricey..

 

[Ed Fenwick]

The shop looked at the A/C Friday. They said the evaporator was leaking but that it was under the hood not behind the dash! New to me under the hood but why would he want $400. labor for the job? Has anybody done this? It's hot over here!
thanks Ed

 

[curtis james]

Hey ed, it is not hard if you like to work on cars and have the tools, you can charge and purge the system yourself but if ya have to have system purged and charged and the part its going to be a grandish or more at a shop. i have used sealant in the past and had it work on the road quite a few times but it depends on the leak, but it is a band aid and the leak will come back at least what i have seen. seems like things cost quite a bit more in Hi. but i am sure its worth it right..i grew up in az and did not have ac but that thought now gives me the chills..

 

[blert]

Google says the average around me (central florida) is around 600-800$. Doesn't seem you are getting a bad deal. Tech has to purge and collect the old refrigerant, replace the part, refill and test it again.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

So far, the recharge has held for 9 days. I may buy some Freon and charge the system when it runs low. I can buy a lot for $500. How should I handle the oil charge?
Thanks Ed