A/C problems
06-09-2014, 01:48 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: California
Posts: 5
A/C problems
Hello fellow members, I've been a long time Mustang fan, but this is my first post so please bear with me. I have a 2001 Mustang GT mostly stock.
So let me start from the beginning, like the title says I'm having A/C problems. I recently took my car in to the shop to get a refill on refrigerant. Last year it was blowing hot air on full blast so I recharged it myself. This year I had the same issue again so I decided to take it in to see if there was a leak somewhere. The mechanic said the schrader valves were bad because when he removed the caps they were wet and that was causing the leak. He replaced the valves then recharged the A/C and tested it out.
Then another problem came up. He showed me that while my car was idling with the A/C on full blast the pressure on the high side was hovering around 250 psi. Then when he would rev the engine up to about 2000 rpm the pressure would jump up to 350 or 450 psi, I can't remember which exact number.
He said the A/C condenser was dirty and/or clogged from the inside. He also said that my car has a certain type of filter about half the size of a no. 2 pencil and that could also be clogged and needed replacement. He gave me an estimate of $160 to clean up the condenser and replace that filter.
My car currently has 140,000 miles on it and i don't think i have ever messed with the condenser so I'm pretty sure its dirty on the outside. I also noticed slight damage to the fins on the front, about the size of a thumb print impression. My question is, is this guy full of it? Or can he be trusted? Thanks for the help.
So let me start from the beginning, like the title says I'm having A/C problems. I recently took my car in to the shop to get a refill on refrigerant. Last year it was blowing hot air on full blast so I recharged it myself. This year I had the same issue again so I decided to take it in to see if there was a leak somewhere. The mechanic said the schrader valves were bad because when he removed the caps they were wet and that was causing the leak. He replaced the valves then recharged the A/C and tested it out.
Then another problem came up. He showed me that while my car was idling with the A/C on full blast the pressure on the high side was hovering around 250 psi. Then when he would rev the engine up to about 2000 rpm the pressure would jump up to 350 or 450 psi, I can't remember which exact number.
He said the A/C condenser was dirty and/or clogged from the inside. He also said that my car has a certain type of filter about half the size of a no. 2 pencil and that could also be clogged and needed replacement. He gave me an estimate of $160 to clean up the condenser and replace that filter.
My car currently has 140,000 miles on it and i don't think i have ever messed with the condenser so I'm pretty sure its dirty on the outside. I also noticed slight damage to the fins on the front, about the size of a thumb print impression. My question is, is this guy full of it? Or can he be trusted? Thanks for the help.
06-09-2014, 07:17 PM
#4
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: South Florida
Posts: 114
There are a few things that could cause higher than normal high side pressures:
-Dirty Condenser coil or damaged fins on condenser
-Low air flow across the condenser coil (defective fan motor or relay)
-Refrigerant restriction on the high side of the system (possibly the filter drier or metering device)
-Refrigerant Overcharge (too much freon in the system)
Sometimes you can identify a restriction in the high side filter/drier by checking for a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the drier, if it is restricted the outlet will be cooler than the inlet.
Be careful when a mechanic says the Schraders were leaking, I used to own an A/C company and that was what my mechanics used to say when they couldn't find a leak. They would blame it on the Schraders but we would be always be back to find the "real" leak when the system stopped cooling again.
Sounds like he is on the right track and although I was not in the automotive a/c business $160 to clean the condenser and replace the filter/drier sounds reasonable to me.
-Dirty Condenser coil or damaged fins on condenser
-Low air flow across the condenser coil (defective fan motor or relay)
-Refrigerant restriction on the high side of the system (possibly the filter drier or metering device)
-Refrigerant Overcharge (too much freon in the system)
Sometimes you can identify a restriction in the high side filter/drier by checking for a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the drier, if it is restricted the outlet will be cooler than the inlet.
Be careful when a mechanic says the Schraders were leaking, I used to own an A/C company and that was what my mechanics used to say when they couldn't find a leak. They would blame it on the Schraders but we would be always be back to find the "real" leak when the system stopped cooling again.
Sounds like he is on the right track and although I was not in the automotive a/c business $160 to clean the condenser and replace the filter/drier sounds reasonable to me.
06-10-2014, 01:20 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: California
Posts: 5
Thanks for the response guys. I've been doing a little more research and that small filter I mentioned, it's actually called the orifice tube and it's located in the A/C Liquid Line From Evaporator To Condenser hose. I was also reading up on my Chilton manual and it looks like it's a pain to work on. I also need some special tools if I'm going to do it myself. I'm kind of leaning towards just taking it back to the shop and have them work on it. When the mechanic recharged the system, I believe it took in 29oz. I will check again if I see any more leaks.
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