2003 Vibe Air Conditioning Help

[btolley13]

Hello, long time lurker and first time poster.
I have a classic 2003 Vibe and I do not get any cold air with the air conditioner. I took it to a shop to get the A/C gassed up and they told me they gassed it up, but there is a problem somewhere in the dash and that is why I do not get any cold air.
The RPMs go up when I turn on the A/C and the clutch engages. The high pressure line does not get cold. Where should I go from here?
Thanks!

[ehoff121]

Welcome!

I took it to a shop to get the A/C gassed up and they told me they gassed it up, but there is a problem somewhere in the dash and that is why I do not get any cold air.

This part doesn't make a lot of sense.

Did the shop try to diagnose the system (e.g., check for leaks, verify A/C compressor is working) or simply add more refrigerant to it? "Somewhere in the dash" is a pretty vague diagnosis...

I'd take it somewhere else and tell the shop that the A/C isn't getting cold. Let them find the cause.

[btolley13]

I took it to the shop a few months back and have since moved out of the area. I do not think they were much of an A/C repair shop as I was getting tires put on at the same time.
I would like to diagnose and repair the problem myself if anyone could help point me in the right direction I would be grateful.

[ehoff121]

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=33482

[bluneon]

high side line gets hot.
low side line gets cold.

if the shoppe is saying something is wrong in the dash, they might be referring to the evaporator core which is balls deep inside the dash.

if you're claiming the that the line that is supposed to get cold doesn't BUT the clutch engages, then the shoppe might be referring to the expansion valve...

[btolley13]

ok seems I was checking the wrong line, the low pressure side (bottom) feels very slightly cool while the high side feels like the ambient temperature.

[lannvouivre]

bluneon, that's the best description of the evaporator's location I have ever read. And it's totally true.

It sounds kinda like you may be low on refrigerant or something else is preventing the A/C from efficiently exchanging heat. Things that can cause this besides sufficient amounts of the r-134a are clogged condenser or not enough airflow (as in the radiator fan isn't engaging or you're just sitting and not moving). Probably in theory the evap core could be clogged, but I have no idea how the hell that would happen...spiders, maybe.

You can check for leaks in the A/C lines by looking for oil spots wherever they connect. A typical spot is where the fittings attach to the condenser, or the compressor can go out, or the input valves where you service the system could be leaking.

One last thing you can check is the viewport that lets you see the condition of the refrigerant. I think that it's on one of the condenser fittings but I don't remember. It shouldn't have bubbles, cloudiness, or debris floating around. The viewing glass is like a centimeter in diameter. I'm too lazy to look up where it's located unless someone can tell me what Toyota and GM call it so I don't have to look too hard in prodemand.

[lannvouivre]

I ended up looking for it anyway. I think the viewing glass is actually on the box-shaped part on the metal line that I think is the high side but it's 11:30 and my HVAC class was last year.

[btolley13]

I took it in to a shop and they found it was low on refrigerant. Seems I have a slow leak? They put dye in it to find the leak, but it didn't leak out. They guy said sometimes the dye and conditioner he puts in it can fix leaks.
This is a bit confusing since the other shop supposedly filled up it up and said there was a problem in the dash.
thanks for all the help

[gtv237]

I took it in to a shop and they found it was low on refrigerant. Seems I have a slow leak? They put dye in it to find the leak, but it didn't leak out. They guy said sometimes the dye and conditioner he puts in it can fix leaks.
This is a bit confusing since the other shop supposedly filled up it up and said there was a problem in the dash.
thanks for all the help

The leak is probably very slow. Was it cold when they charged it?

[kumquat]

It sounds like the guys you took it to were clowns and have no idea what they're doing.

Take it to an actual mechanic.

[btolley13]

Right now it is cold, not super cold, but it is 100 F outside.

[gtv237]

Right now it is cold, not super cold, but it is 100 F outside.

If its cold then everything is working alright. You probably have a slow leak. It should be easy to find though if they put dye in it.

[trb]

Good that it is working for now. It is possible there is a leak somewhere, even inside the dash, but hopefully it will not all leak out right away. Did the shop use an electronic freon detector? A Mustang buddy that taught me how to work on AC has one and once he got new tips for it (apparently they need to be replaced occasionally, as it did not find any leaks at first) he found the last leak right away on my car. Missing O ring on the pressure switch.

At least with the leak detector - usually an ultraviolet dye - you should be able to find the leak easily if it is on a visible part of the car using the right light bulb. If it is in the dash, that's another story and the reason for the electonic leak detector. Before I replaced the whole AC system, once he stuck the detector under the dash, it went off. So I replaced everything on the AC system only to have the O ring leak! But at least that was a cheap fix!

[bluneon]

that first shoppe sounded like they knew what they were doing. it sounded like they were trying to take advantage of you.

claiming that something inside the dash is wrong as the bait. you bite and have them do it. they switch and only do a recharge....and you're out of alot of money.

years ago i had a dodge neon that had a/c stop working. took it in for extended warranty service. the dealership told me i needed a condenser AND an evaporator, all covered under my extended warranty.

knowing what i know now, needing the evaporator is nearly IMPOSSIBLE. the condenser, yes, i might have hit a rock. but the evaporator?