Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting A/C Question related to coolant

Hello all, my 2000 V6 'Tour isn't putting out near the amount of cool air that I'm used to, and I'm thinking it's a lack of coolant. I see two different things under the hood that look like the low/high measuring/filling.. umm I guess you'd say receptacles : ) One is just behind the battery, the other is just behind the coolant overflow tank. Which one is the low? And is pathetically uncool air likely related to a lack of refrigerant?

Coolant, no.
Refrigerant, yes.
If the fan doesn't seem to be blowing as hard, change the cabin air filter.

So don't fill it at the plug behind the coolant tank? (Thanks btw!)

Hopefully this will help:

Link

I've never charged the A/C system since its illegal in WI. You can't even buy R134a in the state

Low side refrigerant pressure should be measured at the valve with the black cap behind the A/C compressor. It's kind of hard to picture right now but a metal tube sticks straight up with a larger metal fitting and a black screw-on cap. It looks like a large ball bearing is trapped in the hole in the center. Get a refill kit and read the instructions. If the freon is low on the guage, fill with 134a wile A/C is on high.

Thank you sirs!

There can be lot's of reasons you aren't getting cold air. It could be fuses, belts, dirty filter, bad a/c copressor clutch, bad low pressure or high pressure swiitch, bad switch on dashcontrols, vacuum leak, etc.

If the refrigerant leaked out, though, you need to fix the leak.

Also, you don't just fill the system up with refrigerant. Overfilling can cause a burst hose or damage to the car. A burst hose will spray liquid refrigerant which will freeze anything it touches. We recently had a technician lose 2 fingers to a refrigerant leak incident. Freezing is similar in damage and pain to a burn from heat.

If liquid refrigerant gets in your eyes, it will blind you.

Damage to the car is easily fixed though.

Please be careful. Since you were unsure of how to tell the High Pressure side from the low pressure side, I assume you are not familiar with A/C systems.

I work for Carrier Air Conditioning as a Zone Engineer and have seen enough incidents when people who supposedly know what they are doing get seriously hurt.

it is easy to add refrigerant, but it can go wrong very quickly with serious consequences.

FWIW

So, if you insist on doing something dangerous, at least wear protective eye wear and insulated, nitrile gloves.

Good friend who's been in the A/C and radiator business for 40 years. Just related this to me today.

Seems that someone got the bright idea to add sealer (alias miracle stop-leak) along with the 134a. Bad BAD idea.
He's had to rebuild his charging/evacuate equipment because of it. Major expense for him and A/C system on the car.
This one area most definitely left to the folks who work with this everyday.

Just like 134a has been found to causing more problems than R-12. DUH
Nothing more than big business lobbying politicians all in the disguise of ozone layer. This is one of bigger rip-offs for the American consumer. Why else has the EPA required the A/C shops recover 134a and return the old stuff for safe disposal? But the public been allowed to vent it???? Sounds like Wisconsin's wiser than DC.
134a will be pulled off the market in the future.
Remember all the noise about converting your R-12 system to 134a,all big rip-off to keep money moving in the economy for the greedy rich (that covers the majority that's behind the scam.) R-12 is still available, it never was removed as far as the repair shops (EPA discourage them for using it),just more expensive $600-$1000 for a 30lb can vs. $34 15 years ago.
Chlorine's the component in Freon that causes the supposed problem. Nature produces 99% of chlorine that's supposedly damaging the ozone, Freon equipment less than approx 1/10th of a %.
And one other tid-bit R-12 and the HVAC R-22 The new refrigerants are not as good as the old refrigerants and attack the equipment and require special oils. The old refrigerants will last indefinitely. And I can't find it now, but if Freon is placed in water it will decompose naturally. I think I worded that correctly?
That's gist of it.
End one of many Rants. The more inside stuff I learn about the more greed and corruption I find that's slowly coming to the surface.
Paul

Yeah, apparently (I think) the Japanese have perfected using CO2 as a coolant! Now why didn't the chemical companies think of that in the first place? The answer, of course, is a simple as this... $

After the dire warning, I'm thinking of taking my car to the shop now... How much does a regular A/C checkup and servicing cost?

On the topic of R12, you can actually buy it in the stores still, it's just under a different name. I can't remember it right now,, not that it matters since we use R134a,,, or ya'll do. I use nothing.