QuestionGood Morning Roland,
I checked the proceedure, no blinking light. I also had the van running and found the two lines at the compressor to be differant temps. One was smoking hot and the other was ambiant temp, that is no colder than outside. I only had it running a few minutes and had to shut it off as I looked under to check for the condensation drip and found power steering fluid instead-unreal! Cooler lines are finished and on order. This van has never given a moments trouble until it hit 150,000 kms (aprox.93000 mi) and now it is turning into a whale sized P.O.S...sorry about thaty I am a bit annoyed.
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Thanks Again Roland,
I do not have the van with me today at work, I will check out the incomong and outgoing line temps and let you know. The A/C system is the standard type-no digital or climate control, just the slide type temp settings for the front and rear. As far as the black light...when I gave the shrader valve a quick poke with a screw driver it has a highly visible amount of flourescent dye in the refrigerant, I will also try to pick up a bulb and let you know how that works...
Kevin
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Hey Roland that is exactly what I figured except the compresor is not cycling on and off...it is staying on all the time, sorry I think I made that part of my description a little confusing...>? I went ahead and gave the shrader valve a quick poke with a screw driver and it has pressure in the lines as well as a good amount of green dye in the refrigerant, will a standard black light bulb in a trouble light help me find a leak >? My problem with returning for a free repair is that I am in Toronto Canada and the dealer is in Knoxville TN...probaly 12-14 hrs away...
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While on a road trip to Fla we had to replace a seized A/C comp...a/c worked prior and after (really well after) and has now gradually lost the cold temp. repairs made last week of April. The dealer also replaced the drier and A/C expansion valve...the compressor is cycling on when the A/C button is activated but it stays on-no on-off cycle and no cold air >? ";
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Hi Kevin,
The behavior currently appears to indicate some leakage of the refrigerant out of the system. When the internal pressure of the system drops to near the lower limit for operation it will do that...cycling on and off because there is a pressure sensor that turns off the compressor when the pressure dips too low. Probably there is a small leak in the system which they didm't find when they did the repairs. It can be found with a leak detector. It is so recent (<90 days) I believe they should be responsible for finding the leak at no cost to you and for refilling it with refrigerant. So push for a no charge for repair and recharge servicing.
Roland
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Hi Kevin,
Now I understand what you said about the compressor. Do the incoming and outgoing lines from the compressor show an appreciable temperature difference? If so, then perhaps there is a problem in the console in the cabin as regards the door that directs air to or around the cooling coils. Is you unit a digital readout (automatic temp control) type or a conventional type of control panel? There is possibly a self-diagnostic test you can run on the control unit to determine if it has detected such a problem. So let me know and I'll give you a procedure for doing that test.
I have to admit ignorance of the physical principle involved with leak detection, so I can't confirm the efficacy of a black light. Is that supposed to work for both R-12 and R-134a refrigerants?
Roland
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Hi Kevin,
On the self-diagnostics of the control unit, the standard type unit used in the LHS series cars of that time period does have this feature, though the control panel is not identical in its layout to your van's. If you have the rear window defogger push button that is the key to the self-test. Idle the engine, turn on the blower to any speed, set lever for full cooling, and set the air distrubution knob to defrost only. Then press and hold the rear defogger button and hold it for 5 seconds until it begins to blink, then release it. If it doesn't begin to blink then the unit doesn't have self-diagnostic capabilities. If it blinks it will do so for 30 seconds and then either go off or stay on. Rather than continue with the procedure for the testing, the next time you write back tell me if it does the blinking and I'll describe the remainer of the procedure. To get out of the test mode if it appears to have it, just turn off the blower.
Roland
AnswerHi Kevin,
I wonder about the return line being ambient, I believe it should be cooler. Maybe the expansion valve is at fault? On the non-blinking of the rear defroster button, that must mean that the unit has no self diagnostic capability. About the only other non-refrgerant system explanation would be that the air mixing door in the console is not connected to the temp slider, so see if it feels like it is moving something as you slide it. Other than that, I am at a loss for other explanations. Maybe a well-regarded AC shop is your best bet.
Roland
