The A/C in my 2000 isn't blowing as cold as it should. The compressor does come on and it does blow cool air, just not cool enough. I have a couple questions:

1. If it's not blowing as cold as it should, does that imply there isn't enough A/C refrigerant and that's caused by some sort of a leak in the system?

2. Does A/C refrigerant have a finite lifespan and the system must be purged and recharged on a periodic basis?

3. Can this issue be addressed at the nearby Firestone or should it be taken to the stealership?

Any other insight would be great because it's around 100° here. You can see my need to get this resolved.

Thanks.

 

Just recharge your AC.

 

go to any auto store and buy a can of 134a w/ the guage attached for like $20,
stay away from the $40 "A/C checkup" that garages start offering this time of year, b/c they give and do absolutly nothing for that $$ ... its realy just an idiot tax

 

I'd have it tested at any car place you are comfortable with to make sure there are no leaks. If you just recharge it and it has a leak then that was a waste. Have the system tested first then proceed.

 

autozone has some r-134 that has leak stop in it already, that will probably be your best bet if you ask me

 

Another option would be to purchase a leak detector kit. It adds a flouresent pigment to the refridgerent that can be seen with a blacklight. More than likely though, at five years old, it just needs to be recharged. The chemicals in refridgerents tend to be light and can leak through about anything given enough time.

 

Dont put in stop leak as a first measure. You could create more harm than good. No sense in putting a "sealant" in a system that doesnt need it.

I would work with Dr. Roys thoughts, except I will add .02.

1) DONT get the can with the gauge on it. I went through THREE of them two week agoand they were all defective in one form or another. Leaks developed quickly around the gauge and rendered it useless. Spend the extra 10-20 bucks and get the gauge kit. Trust me its WELL worth it in the long run.

2) Make sure you KNOW for SURE where the low line is. Otherwise you will a high risk of blowing the can up should you hook into the high line.

3) READ the instructions on how to properly charge the car. You want to check the charge prior to doing ANYTHING else.

The whole process is EASY...just take your time and go slow. I did this on my MR2 two weeks ago. It was so empty it was not even clutching the compressor. But about 35 bucks later I had a perfectly charged system and blowing cold.

There is a small leak somewhere on the Duece, but it only needs charged once every two years. Not worth the money to track down the leak.


Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone. I'll get this resolved this weekend.

 

My maxima's a/c sucks. On a 100 degree day I can't get cool.

I measured the temp at the vents yesterday (though it was only about 65-70 out), and it was blowing 40 degrees.

I think it has more to do with being a black car w/o tint.

 

You Can Use An Electronic Leak Detector To Sniff Out Any Leaks.

 

Good advice already on fixing the problem. Also, a piece of advice to folks who see this thread and experience the Max's less-than-arctic A/C.

My wife drives a Millenia with auto climate control, and I've noticed that above 85 degrees or so it always switches to recirc. Doing the same thing in my Max has resulted in much better cooling - it's too much work for the A/C to cool continual hot outside air, with recirc on the car stays nice and cool. And this is in Houston (it's already hit 97 here...)

 

There may be a short in your controls...I have the manual a/c controls and it was driving me crazy that my a/c wasn't cooling well enough. I thought my compressor was about to go but i was playing with the slider switch today and discovered something.....THERE IS A SHORT IN MY RECIRC BUTTON. I pushed the button to turn off the recirc and then i wiggled the slider while it was all the way to the left on cool. To my surprise my light started flashing like it was struggling to stay on...

So what has been happening to me is that while i was riding, the switch was apparently turning itself on and off (but with the light still on). What can i do to fix this? I'm still under a preferred warrenty with Nissan but if i gotta do it myself, let me know what to do please?

 

I have an 03 maxima with funky AC issues. When driving it will be on working full blast nice and cool ten seconds later shut down. 3 minutes later ice cold then warm. The compressor keeps coming on and off. My collant level is fin idk why the compressor keeps going on and off, any thoughts?

 

the compressor will "cycle" when its low on refrigerant. double check your pressure. if pressure is fine you will need a 2 gauge manifold set to diagnose further

 

Bringing back a thread from the dead...

 

This...