omeara7

I just added freon to my A/C system and right after I added it, the condensor turns on for like 3 seconds and the car almost stalls. Then when it almost stalls, the a/c turns off. It keeps happening and if I hold it at 2,000 RPM with the A/C on, it sounds like the condenser makes a grinding noise and the RPM drops to 1600. ANY HELP WOULD BE AWESOME.

The_Todd

Sounds like your compressor or condensor (I think they are the same thing) is taking a ****.

omeara7

ha yea it does but how could adding freon suddenly mess w/ the condesor? The guy at autozone said i needed more which i did, according to the gauge i bought but that didn't help at all.

The_Todd

Is your car a r134a or r12 type compressor?

omeara7

r-134a

The_Todd

Did you refill with freon or r134a?

Freon is r12

omeara7

both cans were r-134a.

The_Todd

Did you use the leak detector and make sure you filled it to the correct amount (didn't overfill etc)?

If you did everything correctly your compressor might be taking a ****

omeara7

no there was no coloring in either of the cans but i did buy a gauge and it reads in the "normal" range so it's not overcharged. Is "taking a ****" a normal/temporary thing or does that mean my A/C is f***ed?

The_Todd

Well first thing I would do is check all fuses, vacuum lines etc and if nothing is found your compressor might be kicking the bucket.

You could also try turning up your idler...see if that helps it maintain. Your compressor might not be jacked, if you hold the rpms to 1-2K and turn on the ac does it blow cold air?

omeara7

i think the air is cool when i hold it at 2,000 RPM but when the compressor engages, it makes a grinding noise so i'm not gonna drive w/ it on. How would recharging it blow a fuse though or make the compressor worse? It adds oil to it so if anything you'd think that would help it.

JimBlake

Just a silly guess... When you first had troubles, you didn't measure pressure until you had added the refrigerant.

If your ORIGINAL problem was a plugged expansion valve or something like that, you didn't help it by adding refrigerant. Now maybe you're having trouble with the compressor starting to seize, too.

btw; Your compressor is the belt-driven thing mounted alongside the engine. Your condenser looks like another radiator & it's mounted right up against the front of the radiator.

omeara7

that seems legit to me but I did check the pressure before and after I added. Before it was in the low range and after (now) it's in normal. It's kinda weird though: After the a/c has been off for a little while, allowing it too cool down, or warm back up, whichever it is, it runs perfectly and the air is nice and cold. But when the A/C had been running for about 5 minutes, the problem starts to happen. Could the clutch inside the compressor be worn and if so replaced? Also, any idea on the cost of a replacement? thanks for the help.

JimBlake

Did you measure high & low pressures before adding? Or just low?

Being plugged is a popular cause for AC to cycle real fast. The compressor comes on, the high side gets too high, the low side gets too low, & shuts off pretty quickly.

I don't know what it'll cost for a new clutch. But I wouldn't do that without really knowing if that's it.

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just added freon to my A/C system and right after I added it, the condensor turns on for like 3 seconds and the car almost stalls. Then when it almost stalls, the a/c turns off. It keeps happening and if I hold it at 2,000 RPM with the A/C on, it sounds like the condenser makes a grinding noise and the RPM drops to 1600. ANY HELP WOULD BE AWESOME.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Sounds like it's overcharged. What's the high side presure?

omeara7

Hm....I just checked the high side's pressure and it was at the beginning of the caution zone so I let some of the pressure out and when i did that the compressor seemed to stay on for a while but then eventually would start kicking on and off. I released some more pressure and now it seems to be running ok but the air isn't very cold.


Modified by omeara7 at 10:41 AM 6/10/2004

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I released some more pressure and now it seems to be running ok but the air isn't very cold.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
What's the low side presure now? (after it runs a while)

omeara7

the low side pressure is low now but the compressor stays on for a lot longer now before it starts kicking on and off. When it stays on the air is cool but not cold.

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the low side pressure is low now </TD></TR></TABLE>
Presure, vacuum, do you have a number?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> the compressor stays on for a lot longer now before it starts kicking on and off. </TD></TR></TABLE>
What presure does the high side go up to before it kicks off? Need accurate numbers.

omeara7

the low side goes up to around 30psi now, which is in the low range and the high side won't give me a reading now for some reason. The gauge just wont go in there deep enough to push in the little pin. It seems like the compressor runs until the pressure builds up too much so it turns off, and because it turns off, the pressure decreases so it turns back on.......over and over again.

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the low side goes up to around 30psi now, which is in the low range and the high side won't give me a reading now for some reason. The gauge just wont go in there deep enough to push in the little pin. It seems like the compressor runs until the pressure builds up too much so it turns off, and because it turns off, the pressure decreases so it turns back on.......over and over again.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Does the condensor fan run?

omeara7

condenser fan? both cooling fans turn on and I hear the compressor turn on/engage but it doesn't stay on very long. Also, at times the compressor makes a high-pitched grinding noise that increases in pitch as the RPM increases.

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">condenser fan? both cooling fans turn on and I hear the compressor turn on/engage but it doesn't stay on very long. Also, at times the compressor makes a high-pitched grinding noise that increases in pitch as the RPM increases.</TD></TR></TABLE>
If the high side presure is too high it can cause the compresor clutch to slip. That could be your noise. If the high side presure is too high, my best guess is the expansion valve is bad. (i think someone else memtioned that before)

omeara7

ok any clue how much a new expansion valve costs? Is it DIY material or no?

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by omeara7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok any clue how much a new expansion valve costs? Is it DIY material or no?</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you have the equipment to evacuate and recharge the system, it's a diy job.