AC not working.... how to diagnose?

[cyan328]

hello my AC is not working. I thought I did not have enough freon gas so I went to my mechanic to fill it up.....I paid 100.
it worked fine for about a week. it wasn't great but it was some what cold. now is just blowing hot summer air....
do you think my compressor is leaking?
is there a way to diagnose which part is broken?

thanks guys

[Anita]

dumb question: Did you check the hoses and O rings on the a/c for leaks?

Mine behaves the same way you describe - mechanic found a leak.

[tom4bren]

Anita's right, get out the soapy water & start checking for leaks. Unfortunately, you'll have to have your system charged again to find it. If it is a leak & it's bad enough to deplete your system in a couple of days - you'll prolly have to have the system purged.

[Todd Adams]

hello my AC is not working. I thought I did not have enough freon gas so I went to my mechanic to fill it up.....I paid 100.
it worked fine for about a week. it wasn't great but it was some what cold. now is just blowing hot summer air....
do you think my compressor is leaking?
is there a way to diagnose which part is broken?

thanks guys

Sounds like your mechanic needs to attend one of my AC classes. AC repairs have the highest rate of re-repair in the industry. Look for an oily residue at all the ac hose connections. The compressor is hard to see since it low but look up from under and use a mirror and flashlight. The compressor seal is a common place to leak so look between the ac clutch (where the belt goes) and the compressor for this oily residue. Then check all the line fittings (pull the front grill off to get a better look ant the condenser). Then follow the lines to the receiver drier and then where they go through the firewall to the evaporator. Anywhere you find an oily residue you have a leak. I hardly ever use a leak detector or soapy water.
Other things that can cause the ac not to function are electrical.
I would choose someone that has a good reputation for ac work guarantees his work and has worked on Isuzu’s since electrical controls vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Also ask if he is certified and trained and has certificates to prove it.
Todd

[cyan328]

Anita's right, get out the soapy water & start checking for leaks. Unfortunately, you'll have to have your system charged again to find it. If it is a leak & it's bad enough to deplete your system in a couple of days - you'll prolly have to have the system purged.


when when you said that I need the system purged, what do you mean?

thank you

[tom4bren]

A leak that bad can allow contaminates to enter back in. Whoever ends up working on it should be able to recommend if it's required or not. Purging is just flushing the system out or maybe just evacuating it. Not real sure of the process. I'll defer to the experts - I'm just talking from a layman's perspective.

[SBC]

Mine was doing the same thing, instead of paying someone big money to tell me there was a leak....(cause there was a greasy residue on one of the hose's) i went to Auto Zone got one of the dye and stop leak kits !!!! found exactly where the leak was, and of course that hose is on back order for something like 12 years and coming from japan :( so i put the stop leak in it and new juice and its been blowing cold ever since. Its not a hard thing to do and you get everything you need to test the system for alot less money outta your pocket........

[cyan328]

Mine was doing the same thing, instead of paying someone big money to tell me there was a leak....(cause there was a greasy residue on one of the hose's) i went to Auto Zone got one of the dye and stop leak kits !!!! found exactly where the leak was, and of course that hose is on back order for something like 12 years and coming from japan :( so i put the stop leak in it and new juice and its been blowing cold ever since. Its not a hard thing to do and you get everything you need to test the system for alot less money outta your pocket........

thank you tim for the great advise.. you save me a lot of money...

I'm going to try this tomorrow...

one question....

do you think I need to find the leak? or should I just add stop leak... because I know there is a leak somewhere...since I didn't get any AC after a week or so....?

maybe this a dumb question.... hahahaha....

thank you tim....

[cyan328]

tim has recommended me stop leak... they sell at over at autozone.

http://www.efproducts.com/

it like one of those flat tire fixer..... automatically fills the leak.

I'm going to try this tomorrow.

[VehiGAZ]

Careful with that stuff - I tried it last year and it apparently plugged up my expansion valve. $600 later...

[snowtrooper1966]

I too am experiencing a problem with my AC.
I did check for leaks, but cannot find any. My issue is that the system works, but I get a wierd surging that actaully moves my RPM's when idiling. Any thoughts?
Best,

[Anita]

Do you have your climate control on automatic? The compressor automatically comes on and off. At an idle, you will see a rise in the rpm when the compressor comes on and a drop as it goes off. Now depending on how much it fluctuates it could be something else.

[tom4bren]

"I get a wierd surging that actaully moves my RPM's when idiling."

Careful with that. Many owners have reported that while stopped in traffic, that surge can actually move you forward unless you have a heavy foot on the brake. I can vouch for that. I think the surge is normal - just much more pronounced in the VX for some reason.

[snowtrooper1966]

No, climate control was not on.
I first noticed the surge when the Dragon was parked, and as said, it was actually moving the VX....
Wierd.
Best,