GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I did browse under "Interior & A/C" but didn't found what I'm looking for, so here it is:I own a 2005 Vibe, it has 158,000 km for almost 7 years on the road.I remember that I was impress by the cold air coming out on a very hot day, when the car was brand new.Now, 7 years later, it seems that the air is never really cold, just barely cooler than outside.It is my first car with A/C, so I'm not an expert.I will get it service at the dealership, but I would like to know (up front) from you:1- Is the A/C a close circuit?2- Unless it leak, does it need to have the refrigerant added or replaced?3- Usually after several years, what goes wrong (compressor or A/C fluid/leak)?4- What kind of $$$ are we taking about (from minor thing, just the A/C verification to full blown major A/C work????).Thanks in adcance.

can't answer your questions but I hope your problem is as simple and easy as the one discussed in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1315

R134a does not evaporate if you are low you have a leak.Most common problem is a leak the seals go bad and can be replaced. Finding what seals is a little harder, remember always replace your accumulator drier every time you open your system. R134a ranges in price if you find anything with ice32 in it buy it it really helps your system work a lot better.hope this helps.

my ac was weak, so i ripped my cabin filter out. it was COVERED with trash. left it out and my ac is a champ now

Quote, originally posted by DJ_Losch_411 »my ac was weak, so i ripped my cabin filter out. it was COVERED with trash. left it out and my ac is a champ nowUntil all of that crap that was on your air filter builds up on the evaporator inside of the dash.What is easier and / or cheaper? 5 minutes replacing a $20 air filter behind the glove box or investing about 16 hours in ripping apart your dash to clean out the vanes of the evaporator buried inside of your dash because all of that dirt and those leaves that were previously captured by the now non-existent cabin air filter blocked it up and stopped the AC from working?? Also the Heater function will be affected as well.Hint, this is really BAD Advice to remove and leave out the cabin air filter.(the cabin air filter may indeed be dirty but be sure to install a new one)Another thought is the level of R134a in your system. As mentioned seals do indeed leak but not always in a fatal and horrible way. The very process of the metal compressor shaft of the AC compression spinning at high speed against a pressurized rubber seal will lose a little refrigerant over time. There are other areas that may slowly seep refrigerant as well but the compressor is your prime loss area.The seal may be absolutely fine and no replacement is needed. The entire system doesn't hold a huge volume of gas, memory says about 1 1/2 lbs or so and the loss of a quarter or half pound will negatively affect the cooling ability of the system.Have a shop add the missing refrigerant and you'll be good to go! Have them make it a dye refrigerant and the next time you lose gas you'll be able to see it with the use of a black light.You've probably heard about evacuating an AC system which is the process used to remove all atmospheric moisture by creating as near a perfect vacuum in the system as is practically possible here on Earth. If you've only lost a small amount of refrigerant the system was never breached and moisture laden air never entered the system that you need to worry about.Find a good shop, have them add as needed. IF you are inclined to do it yourself recognize that without gauges you are very prone to over charge your system which will make it work about as badly as an under charged system works. If you do it yourself, add only very small doses and evaluate the results before adding another small dose. The natural tendency is to sock in a can, a can is a pound, a pound will indeed be WAY TOO MUCH R134a!!!! RESIST THAT URGE!!!I've got the gauges and know how. My 07 Vibe with 90,000 miles on it needed about 1/8 lb this Spring. The difference in cooing was DRAMATIC!!!Good Luck, keep us posted of what you do and the results of it.Be wary of those who want to sell you a discharge, evacuation and recharge of the unit. If it works your system hasn't been breached. It is my personal feeling that a simple adding of gas will get you on your way. IF it leaks out again quickly, you've got problems bigger than a simply seepage.Dave

cars have gone for years and years and years without ever having a cabin air filter. now companies just want to add them to coerce the buyer that their car significantly reduces allergens and so forth... basically, its a new addition to the car world, that i dont care about at all. ive had plenty of vehicles, my parents have had them too, cars without including a cabin air filter from the factory.

Quote, originally posted by DJ_Losch_411 »cars have gone for years and years and years without ever having a cabin air filter. now companies just want to add them to coerce the buyer that their car significantly reduces allergens and so forth... basically, its a new addition to the car world, that i dont care about at all. ive had plenty of vehicles, my parents have had them too, cars without including a cabin air filter from the factory.Not going to get into a pissing match with you but having been a mechanic for many many many years, you can really see the actual benefit these filters make to keeping your air flowing through the car.Do as you wish, just don't go preaching that what you do is correct and making the car better, that this is simply some giant corporate BS to make money for the companies involved with the fitlers.It would actually be a lot CHEAPER NOT TO INSTALL this filter in new cars. There is no price pop for an in cabin air filter option. Auto makers rarely add items onto a car that have no benefit or that they cannot charge extra for.I believe that you are very sincere in your feelings about this filter, but sadly, you are sincerely wrong.Dave

okay you can tell that to my 1973 Nova, the ac has been ice cold and powerful for 35 years. No filter.

Quote, originally posted by DJ_Losch_411 »okay you can tell that to my 1973 Nova, the ac has been ice cold and powerful for 35 years. No filter.Ok, you win! That darn cabin air filter was designed by and installed by trained engineers at a substantial cost to both Toyota and GM just to irritate YOU and cost YOU money. Tired of posting about this, you (removed) longest. Enjoy the leaves and stems in your blower fan.Dave

we're waiting to see if Popeye checked his cabin air filter and air flap control, then we'll move on with the topicbut while we wait ...fwiw, I also have been running for about five years with no cabin filter in the car. I do park it in a garage though, so what gets in is dust, nothing of significant size. I have had other cars that did not support a filter, and used to get leaves work into the ductwork, making an annoying sound. I should put a filter in there, just keep not getting around to it.

djkeev,Thanks for the commentary on leaking seals and topping off only a little. My AC stopped cooling. My mechanic verified it was totally empty. He pulled a vacuum and let it sit for 30min and not evidence of leaking. So he filled the system and tested for leaks with his sniffer. No evidence. But 2 weeks later I think the coolant has leaked out again. What's your recommendation? Add refrigerant with dye? Or change the compressor? Can seals in a compressor be changed without a complete compressor change out?Thanks!PS: I agree about the AC filter. I was a skeptic at first, but there's a reason they are adding those, and it's not for filter aftermarket sales.

whitfiel Im have the same prob as you ive tryed the evac and held vacume for 6 hours no prob filled it up. 3 weeks later a bit low and not cooling that well. Ive tryed thoes canadian tire refills on a fue cars work in a pinch. I am going to get my hvac guy at work to go thru my system now tho.

Quote, originally posted by whitfiel »djkeev,Thanks for the commentary on leaking seals and topping off only a little. My AC stopped cooling. My mechanic verified it was totally empty. He pulled a vacuum and let it sit for 30min and not evidence of leaking. So he filled the system and tested for leaks with his sniffer. No evidence. But 2 weeks later I think the coolant has leaked out again. What's your recommendation? Add refrigerant with dye? Or change the compressor? Can seals in a compressor be changed without a complete compressor change out?Thanks!PS: I agree about the AC filter. I was a skeptic at first, but there's a reason they are adding those, and it's not for filter aftermarket sales.Your shop should have added refrigerant with dye as part of the normal charging routine. To have a system be absolutely empty, pull a vacuum and then shrug it off as a non problem and charge it up is just ridiculous and poor practice. Where the Heck does this "mechanic" think all of that gas went?? The gas fairies came and took it at night!?!?? You can't have an empty system and say that was a fluke, I'll go ahead and charge it!First suspect on almost all systems in the Compressor seal. It is the only wear point on the system.The dye works almost everywhere on the system except in the evaporator buried in the dash where you cannot and will not see. Any other leak shows up easily with the dye and the black light. Foolish foolish man to not put dye in!Yes, a front seal CAN be done in the car but the question begs to be asked WHY? You need to discharge and the level of difficulty working while on the car is high. Just remove it and do it easily on the bench. An AC clutch, sure, do it on the car.Good luck, find a new AC guy for the one you have isn't competent.DavePS, a fact you can take to the bank, an AC system with no gas has a leak!

So I went to my dealership.The A/C was inspected, missing refrigerant were added (with colored dye), it is cold as new. Just have to monitor in the coming weeks if it hold.The sweat in very hot weather is over (I hope).Thanks for your help.

My mechanic *did* use the refrigerant with the dye. I didn't know this when I wrote the post. And no, he never said there was no leak - he said let's see how this behaves since it passed a 30min vacuum test and after filling passed a sniffer probe test. So the only omission from my mechanic is he did not tell me about the dye. I just presumed he did not use any since he said nothing about it. After returning to my mechanic for phase2, he quickly found the leak. He replaced the condenser/dryer (they came together) and my car is nicely cooled.