I bought a recharge kit from kragen and the refrigerant check reads overcharged. if that were the case then wouln't the inside of the cabin be cool since it's overcharged? Whenever I trun on the a/c it is still hot inside and notice no cooling. I checked the compressor to see if clutch turns and it does whenever the a/c button is on. I checked fuses and relays and everything seems fine except there is no cool air coming in. I checked my sisters Rav4 and the refrigerant level is goo on that and everything works and it cools down inside her car when i turn the a/c on. Any experts in here that can help. Thanks everyone.

p.s. the blower motor work too.

 

I'm not an expert on air conditioners at all, but perhaps the compressor does not use the refrigerant because there is too much in there. It may have a safety cut-off switch. Remember, just because it is overcharged does not mean it's better. Is an overinflated tire a smart thing to do?

 

ok first of all im thinkin ur refering to the new freon. first of all if its the new Freon its called R-134a (cheaper), the old stuff R12($60+ a lb). the new freon just works at a higher pressure which is what most people dont know compared to R12 it wont last as long. now if its overcharged it wont exactly blow colder, it operated at its optimum range when freon is at its peak level no higher or lower. if its overcharge the compressor wont stay on all the time, it will go on and off repeatedly. but all i could say is the a/c u should leave alone because it done with expensive A/C machines which cost like $5-10K. those thing are what is used to perfectly charge an a/c system. i dont reley on any small guages or other things. those machines are easy to use and do a perfect job each and every time. so go to a mechanic shop would be my advice. could be a short for all u know. just hope u didnt cause a leak or anything, the a/c is something i would reccomend that no1 mess around with unless u have the proper tools because u can cause more damage then good without even knowin it, they are very ***ile. goodluck

 

You can put the AC in self diagnostic mode, which may tell you something is wrong. Just a thought. I am assuming this is auto climate control and also you have the AC turned on.

 

if its overcharged, it will not cool. Mine came from the factory overcharged. The more you cranked it up, the less it would cool.. and the air would actually blow alittle warm. They bled/captured some off and all has been good for 2 years.

 

Thanks to all who replied. What I don't understand is why would it work before? I mean I know it wasn't that cool when I turn the a/c on, heck, my moms car would get a lot cooler than the max and she has a 93 Tercel. But it is just strange to me. oh well i will have to take it to dealer to have them check it out. Thank goodness I didn't put any refrigerant in it. Thanks for everyone's advice.

 

is there some kind of a test I can do on my car w/o special tools, it takes a while for A/C to cool the car down, and the temp is not that cold.

 

There's a super-secret setting, when in diagnostic mode, which you can enter through the controls, that allows you to tweak the settings to be more cold or less cold. I know how to get in there and navigate, but the specific setting of +X or -X, X being a number, will make it less cool or more cool feeling, escapes me. I would have to look at the ESM.

 

well then when u do find the #'s ca u post them up if its not too much trouble, im more then willin to try this and see what happens and i have all the tools neccesary to mess with any part of the car i want.

 

We need the code!

 

Are you sure this setting really makes it colder? Maybe it just calibrates the temp setting so when you dial in 72 degrees, you can actually make it 65 degrees using your "secret setting". Therefore, you will actually just mess up the inside temp by using this setting just so it is colder or hotter than it really says. I can't imagine that it will magically make your a/c colder. Just turn it down to 60 and call it a day.

 

If you need to add R134 then that usually indicates that your system has a leak someplace. The system is closed and the only place that refrigerant should be able to come out of is the bleed valve. You should look for a leak before adding any R134.

 

So this could be a reason why the A/C in my old Escort was a lot colder than the A/C in my Maxima? Just wondering because it goes in the shop next week and I was wondering if I should ask them about this?

 

No, I don't have climate control and yes I had the a/c turn on. How do I put the a/c in self diagnostic mode?

 

1) With car turned off, hold the AC on/off button while starting the car. Keep holding the on/off button until a bunch of junk appears on the climate control panel. When the stuff appears on the display, let go of the on/off button. The climate control is now is diagnostic mode.

2) Turn temp dial one click clockwise and wait about a minute. A number "2" should appear and another digit will eventually show up. The second should be a "0" or a "5", like 20 or 25. This is checking the sensor circuits.

3) Turn temp dial one click more clockwise and wait about a minute. A number "3" should appear and another digit will eventually show up. The second should be a "0", like 30. THis is checking the mode door and intake door positions.

4) Turn temp dial one click more clockwise and wait about a minute. A number "41" should appear. Use the "DEF" button and press multiple times until the number changes from 42, 43, 44, etc. Each different sets of vents should blow hot or cold air. This is checking the actuators.

5) Turn temp dial one click more clockwise and wait about a minute. A number "51" should appear. Press "DEF" once and the ambient sensor value should appear. Press "DEF" second time and the in-vehicle sensor value should appear. Press "DEF" third time and the intake sensor value should appear. Press "DEF" fourth time and "51" should re-appear.

6) Press the "auto" button to exit diagnostic mode.

Above are the steps for doing basic checks. If anything does not match what was posted above, then you probably have a problem. For example, on step 1, if "20" or "25" actually reads "23", then that signifies a problem.

To set the "trimmer" feature, whereas the occupant may not feel the temperature is cool enough, you can compensate in a range of +3. Do the following to trim:

1) Do above steps, but after #5, press the fan up button. The display should change to "61".

2) Turn the temp dial plus or minus. The temp will change in .5 increments.

3) Press "auto" button to exit diagnostic mode.

Note: At any time, you can turn the power off to the car or press the "auto" button to exit diagnostic mode.

 

Thanks for going through all the trouble of posting this. I wish I had climate control. Is there any kind of diagnostic check that I can do for a regular a/c system? A fellow org member by the name of Draco posted a similar thread a few weeks ago. I e-mailed him and asked him what the outcome of his situation was. he said that a few days later his a/c was working again. He didn't do anything to it. Today I decided to do another test with kit I had because the last two checks that I did had diffrent results. So I was currious as to the results of this third test would be. Oddly the test showed that the amount of refrigerant was normal to just a bit on the yellow zone which means "no need to add any more refrigerant." Puzzled by all this I got in the car and it was nice and cool inside. So now everything is fine again, well at least for today. Wonder what cause this to go back to normal as things once were. Anyone have any ideas on this. Same thing happen to the blower motor. It wouln't work and a minutes later it started working again. This car is weird.

 

There is no real check for a manual AC setup, except for traditional hookups of all that AC equipment. In other words, you'll probably need to see the dealer or an AC specialist.

 

Thanks Mdeal. I guess my A/c worked fine for one day then...it doesn't seem to work again. Maybe it's just too hot out here for the a/c to have any effect.

 

Ran through the procedure last night and set the AC to a lower 'trim' setting. Feels like it is blowing somewhat colder this morning, but I will know for sure this afternoon when it should be over 90 degrees again here.

 

 

My problem is this: i bought my 2k2 in November 2001 i've never turn my a/c because i never need it now i noticed that it blows cool air but not like my friends 2k2 and i talked to the dealer and they say that if i had 12,000 miles or less it will be free to fill it up but i have 14,000 on it now he said that if is a leak is covered in the waranty is there a place i can take it that i dont have to deal with so much ****!! because he said is going to cost me around $150 to 200 bucks!!!! thats crazy! please help!!?

 

I do not know if the procedure works on a 2k2 since I have a 2k. I would think the procedure would be the same. It won't hurt anything to try it and it won't blow up.

The auto AC does not cool like you think it would if you hit the auto button then started messing with the fan speed. Best thing to do to see if it is working is to get out into the sunlight (hot outside), press "auto" and make sure the word "manual" is not displaying (this would mean you pressed "auto" then started jerking with the fan speed), then turn the dial down to 65 (or whatever the lowest setting is). If it does not cool down, and you hear the blower racing, then you have a problem. Messing with the fan speed alters the way the compressor works (I think).

 

The 2k2 Maxima's a/c seems fairly weak to me. It has a powerful blower, but the compressor seems like it is just not very strong. My best advice is to make sure the option that looks like a car with an arrow circling around it (Recirculating button) is on. I think the 2k2s have that option. It keeps recycling the air inside your car and since it will probably be less humid and cooler than the air outside, the a/c will have a much easier time to condition it even more. In Texas, it's a lifesaver...100 degrees and humid. Yeck. Every once in a while though you should bring in some outside air so it doesn't get too stale inside.

 

Strange how some A/C's work better then others. In my friends 98 I30 the A/C cools the car just ok. In my 99 Maxima with BLACK LEATHER, It gets down right cold with the A/C on. My cabin cools off really quick. I just hit AUTO and set 70 or 69 and let it rip! Any lower then that and I can see my breath it's so cold. Guess I'm lucky!

 

Be careful not to overcharge your a/c or it won't cool for diddly either

 

The recirculate button according to the owners manual is only for when you first start to cool the car, then you need to switch back to normal mode. I do notice that my cars a/c never really worked either, the dealer said that its fine, but i'm on at least 2 and it still blows just a little cold air out. I still end up sweating my a** off even on recirculate mode. Then other times the a/c is so cold that i need to shut it off. Whats the deal, guess I need to go to an independent company to have the system tested.

 

Make sure you're testing pressure wth the AC running and at the low pressure port(as opposed to a high pressure port) I think port covers say H and L on the accordingly, see if your High pressure port checks out low or exactly the same as low presssure - that would indicate a non-working compressor.

 

My 1993 SE's Air conditioning worked so well that on humid days MIST would blow out of the four vents, in streams at least 4" long!!!!

I guess the air was so cold it was condensing humidity in the cabin right before my eyes. Never saw this happen in any other car.

 

Easiest way to check AC is to get 1 of those small round AC thermometers, put it in center dashboard AC duct. Run AC with fan on low, run engine at about 1500 RPMS, temperature should be at least 35 degrees cooler than ambient outside temperature. My Maxes usually run 40 to 42 degrees cooler than ambient temperature. You can find the thermometers for under $10 at most car part places. I've had my thermometer over 20 years so it is not a bad investment.
Be well!!!!

 

My 98 Prelude SI would do this too. Every time the compressor cycled off and back on again, the fine mist just like when you open a freezer on a humid day would come from the vents.

That was an R12 system. ICE COLD....

 

I had an Audi that put 34 degree air out when the air outside was 90+ outside with 75% humidity. It too was R12. Don't think will see it with R134A Systems as they are less efficient. Sometimes when we make "progress" we go Backwards.