QuestionQUESTION: Hi, I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant which I just purchased about a month ago. The A/C isn't blowing that cold. The other day for example, it was almost 80 degrees outside and the temperature at the center vent was mostly around 68 degrees. There was a point where it was blowing at 56 degrees but it only stayed there for a couple of minutes and then went back to 68 degrees. The other day it was 90 out and the A/C temp was about 77. Today it was 60 out and the A/C temp was 44. The A/C was always in recirculate mode and I heard the compressor kick-in and the fan was set to speed 2. When I set it to 3 or 4 the temperature would go up about 10 degrees (I guess because it was adding in warm air). Also, the A/C temperature didn't change much when I was idling as compared to when I was driving although when I first turn the A/C on it gets cold for a couple of minutes and then the temperature increases to the temperatures listed above. Also, the low pressure line under the hood was cold. Other cars that I have had had very cold A/C's. Is it possible that this model car just doesn't blow as cold as other model cars? I read on the Internet that sometimes metal shavings can partially block the line and divert the cold air. Could this be the problem or do you have another suggestion? Thank you for your time.
ANSWER: DJ,
I would suggest having a mechanic (on that is familiar with working on A/C systems) to check your system for leaks, proper pressure, and refrigerant level. It the refrigerant low, the air will not come out as cols as it should. Also, if the proper amount of refrigerant oil is not in the system, the compressor will struggle to push the refrigerant through the system.
Other areas to have inspected are your condenser (located in front of your radiator) to see if it's being blocked by any debris. The evaporator located in your heater core box, may have blockage around it. If that component has problems, that can contribute to your problem.
Good luck!
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QUESTION: Hi again, my mechanic said he removed all of the refigerant and filled it up again with the proper amount since he thought that is was overcharged. It does blow a few degrees colder but it still isn't that cold. Yesterday it was about 75 degrees out, but the A/C temp was about 55 degrees at Fan Setting 2. At Fan Setting 3 the A/C temp is about 60. At Setting 4 it is about 62. That is without recirculation on. When I put it on, the temp goes up about 2 degrees or so which is strange to me since it should go down. The A/C compressor seems to be cycling normally. There is something else that I noticed that may be causing the problem. When I first start the car and put the A/C on it blows pretty cold...about 45 - 50. Then after about 3 minutes or so the temp goes up to 55. Also, when idling, when I just put the vent on (no A/C) the temperature of the air coming out of the vent is about 90 degrees (even though it was only 75 degrees outside). The temp control was on the coldest setting. Now I am thinking that possibly once the car heats up after 3 minutes the A/C is working very hard to try and cool that hot air that is coming in. If this is true could this problem be Heat related...such as a blockage causing extra heat to come into the car. By the way, do you know how much refrigerant this cause should have? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
AnswerDJ,
I do not know the quantity of refrigerant your car requires, nor the ratio of oil that should be mixed in.
This issue could point to a problem with the evaporator and/or the expansion valve (or orifice tube). Both of these components have the functionality of regulating pressure and heat. If either are malfunctioning, heat would not be able to dissipate, and could even cause additional heat to be produced. For instances, if the expansion valve is not regulating the pressure, it could cause the evaporator to get extremely cold (below freezing). In this scenario, the evaporator coils can freeze. A frozen evaporator coil will not absorb as much heat. And if you recirculate the air, that warm air inside the car could be pushed back out even warmer.
Another scenario to consider is that even though you have the temperature knob turned all the way to the coldest setting, it still may be letting hot coolant follow into the heater box, hence hot air can out of the vents.
In either of these scenarios, I would recommend you have your mechanic get inside your heater box to inspect the evaporator and expansion valve for any problems.
Good luck!
