I have a 01 max with 34,000 miles on it. It has been getting hot in boston lately and the AC is kinda crappy. It doesnt seem to get all that cold, even on Max AC. How cold does yours get. What kind of service can i get, and will it work

 

The general rule used to be something like with a/c on max cool outlet temp at the center vents should be about 30-40 degrees below the ambient temp. (outside.) but not below 36 (?) fahrenheit.

If it's 90 outside you should get no warmer than 60-65 coming out of your vents.

 

dude get off the sauce!!!!!!!!

 

I have never heard of that rule. On my vehicles, I get to 39º F at cruising speeds regardless of the ambient temperature or AC setting. If you are doing city or a lot of stop and go driving, your temperature may not be as cool as you want. The condenser has to have some ram air cooling to help the cooling fans and keep the head pressure from rising too high. If there is any debris on the fins of the condenser, that will prevent proper air flow through it. He should have his system checked to make sure everything's in order.

 

It was in the form of a table, where ambient temperature on one side, and maximum allowable air vent temp. on the other. Came w/my ac thermometer, long ago, but i don't have the package anymore. I am not exactly an AC expert or anything but I think that the hotter it is outside, the longer the air would have to be passed over the coils to achieve a certain temp. (say 39f.)

The amount of cooling provided by a given system should be the same. (Its capacity.) The only variable would be the ambient air temp.

Also, I believe humidity decreases the effectiveness of a cooling system. If that's not the case, just correct me.

 

I can only speak from my own dealings with AC on my vehicles and the ones I see and work on at my job. I live in a hot and humid area of NW Florida. I keep a thermometer in the middle vent of my 95 KingCab to monitor the air temp. After letting my truck sit in the parking lot all day on a hot 90º day, I get in and roll the driver's window down and turn the AC on to max. After getting about 3-5 miles down the highway, I have to turn the AC to normal and reduce the fan speed because it is too cold.
It hits 39º and stays there as long as I maintain a constant speed without stopping. Ambient temp does affect some sysytems that are not always in tip top condition. It would certainly take longer to cool the cabin air if I did not expel the hot air by opening the window. Window tint also helps the AC system cool more effectively. I don't believe that humidity has a dire effect on the performance because I live in humidity much of the time.