Hi Guys,

I searched the posts but didn't find a similar problem and am wondering if anyone else is encountering this and hopefully what you did to fix.

It is over 100 degrees daily here in Texas now. I noticed that my a/c wasn't cooling like I thought it should so had the freon topped off. Since them (and maybe before as well) it seems to cool really well in the morning and at the end of the day when I'm driving home it starts off ok but then the cold air becomes intermittent eventually becoming more like recirculated air rather than chilled. The fan is running full blast and periodically I'll get cool air for 20-30 seconds and then back to non-cooled.

This is over a drive of about 30 minutes mostly at highway speeds. I don't hear any difference when it starts to cool but I do notice a faint odor that for lack of a better description smells damp.

Also should mention it is a 2004.

Any thoughts?

 

Who topped it off?

 

Your compressor is not kicking off correctly or there is too much pressure in the system. If you put in more Freon I would take it to a mechanic and have them vacuum out all the system and put the freon back. I have destroyed a condenser by overfilling the freon.

 

Top off was done at my local lube shop. Sounds like it was overfilled. I'll ask them to take another look at it.

 

One other note. The mechanic indicated that the system had 8 oz. when I came in he increased it to 1.25 lb. Does that sound like the right capacity?

 

I would start with the pressure test and take it from there. You can have a faulty electrical (One G20 I had, the compressor would not turn on at all due to a short in the electrical), but before going to electrical and parts, I reccomend that you start with pressure. Get a second opinion if this guy cant fix it.

 

mitral has it right. (your screen name keeps reminding me of the mitril valve in your heart!!) you overfilled your system. You have too much lubricant and not enough coolant. Liquids have a harder time condensing because they carry more mass. so when you get too much liquid lubricant in your condenser, it isn't able to condense the refrigerant and your systems blows hot. you do need to vacuum out your system. you can get what you need at autozone, manifold gauge set will do the trick.

 

had the same issue not long ago, my compressor was on its way out. freon level was checked and refilled back to factory levels, but the problem still lingered. i had 134k miles at the time. new compressor is in and my AC is blowing cold once again.

and yes, it's been WAY too hot in texas. what part of the state are you in?

 

I had a similar problem. My ac just didnot feel cold enough on hot days after getting it charged.
Luckily they put dye system and after 3 days, it showed I
Had a leak on the low pressure ac hose. After getting the hose replaced and the system vacuumed and recharged, it is back ice cold.
From what I hear this is pretty common with the 6th gens. My car is a 06 with 101k miles

 

Well it can be hand full of things my problem with the ac was that the condenser was leaking, i almost replace my low pressure ac hose lol, just take to the mechanic let him put it on the machine , see if it whole the pressure if it dont , tell mim to put those yellow glasses and bring the sniffer out , if you dont know what it is , is a machine that point you to where the leak is, thats what my mechanic did and it took him to the condenser go me a new one for like 130 and replace it vacum and recharge for 265 not bad but i am sure your mechanic will charge you more.

 

The worst thing to do is top-off! You need to have the system recycled, or have your cooling system checked. It could also be a compressor starting to go bad or receiver/dryer problem or a bad filter in the orfice tube or even something blocking the condenser. The other thing to think about the hotter it is outside the less colder your A/C will blow. To get the MAX out of your A/C is to put your fan to the lowest setting & recycle not vent the air, It may take a while to cool the cabin or if need be turn up the fan speed for a few min then drop it to low to cool off the cabin. This works your A/C the best....And Yes I'm a certified mechanic