A/C acting up

[someday31]

03 1500 5.3 My a/c seems to be acting up. I have had in the past month where it works intermittenly, or wrks but then blows warm when I park outside/non driving but keep the motor runs, it literally feels like air temperature out of the ducts.
So today 88 air temp, I get 41 and 205 AT 2000RPM on the gauges and the duct air temp is 49.5 deg and about 47 at 2000rpm. I dont really see a difference in pressures when I rev the car. I have about 135,000 miles on the truck.
Time for a new compressor??

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

03 1500 5.3 My a/c seems to be acting up. I have had in the past month where it works intermittenly, or wrks but then blows warm when I park outside/non driving but keep the motor runs, it literally feels like air temperature out of the ducts.
So today 88 air temp, I get 41 and 205 AT 2000RPM on the gauges and the duct air temp is 49.5 deg and about 47 at 2000rpm. I dont really see a difference in pressures when I rev the car. I have about 135,000 miles on the truck.
Time for a new compressor??

I think you need slightly more refrigerent. 205 is low ..should be up around 280 psi when its 90 deg f air temp..

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

I think you need slightly more refrigerent. 205 is low ..should be up around 280 psi when its 90 deg f air temp..

Should I be ok with just adding a full can and see what that does? How can I tell from just being low or a real compressor problem?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

Should I be ok with just adding a full can and see what that does? How can I tell from just being low or a real compressor problem?

you add with the 85-90 deg f air temp until the high side rises to the 280 psi area..as long as you are below 325psi with doors open blower on max you will be in the safe range...don't use the whole can if it is not necessary.. could be close to full 12 oz but my guess is slightly less..

post back how it went..

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

you add with the 85-90 deg f air temp until the high side rises to the 280 psi area..as long as you are below 325psi with doors open blower on max you will be in the safe range...don't use the whole can if it is not necessary.. could be close to full 12 oz but my guess is slightly less..

post back how it went..

I added a full can that didnt help to raise my pressures. So I spent the day changing the compressor/drier/accumulator, orifice tube and flushing the lines and refill. I am back where I started, 34low 220-235 high at 88 deg. Vent temp is 48 at idle and whats weird is that my vent temp gets cooler at lower rpms it appears, coldest I can get for a split second is 45 degrees. Now what.... when I flushed the lines everything seemed good and clear, orifice tube had one small spec of black rubber so I dont think the old compressor was even bad. Could the condensor just be real dirty? Could my lights in the front of the truck be blocking the air at the condensor?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

I added a full can that didnt help to raise my pressures. So I spent the day changing the compressor/drier/accumulator, orifice tube and flushing the lines and refill. I am back where I started, 34low 220-235 high at 88 deg. Vent temp is 48 at idle and whats weird is that my vent temp gets cooler at lower rpms it appears, coldest I can get for a split second is 45 degrees. Now what.... when I flushed the lines everything seemed good and clear, orifice tube had one small spec of black rubber so I dont think the old compressor was even bad. Could the condensor just be real dirty? Could my lights in the front of the truck be blocking the air at the condensor?

220 psi/235 psi is more than the 205 psi you stated earlier. add more refrigerent until it gets to the 300psi area at 90 degf with the doors open and the engine at 1500-2000rpm..

running at engine idle rpm of 500, doors closed is a useless test with these ac units..

if the condenser was dirty you would have high pressures on the high side///.//could be the evap is plugged with dirt you have a cabin filter replaced lately ?????

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

220 psi/235 psi is more than the 205 psi you stated earlier. add more refrigerent until it gets to the 300psi area at 90 degf with the doors open and the engine at 1500-2000rpm..

running at engine idle rpm of 500, doors closed is a useless test with these ac units..

if the condenser was dirty you would have high pressures on the high side///.//could be the evap is plugged with dirt you have a cabin filter replaced lately ?????

I thought my truck doesnt have a cabin filter? Where is it? I looked once and thought I read that the 03 didnt have a filter. I actually probably have more refrigerant than the truck calls for, I put in almost 4 cans trying to get the pressure up! Whats weird is sometimes, even today I turn the air on and get nothing, blows hot air. Turn it off and back on and then it works again. Could this intermittent workng be related to my pressure issue?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

I thought my truck doesnt have a cabin filter? Where is it? I looked once and thought I read that the 03 didnt have a filter. I actually probably have more refrigerant than the truck calls for, I put in almost 4 cans trying to get the pressure up! Whats weird is sometimes, even today I turn the air on and get nothing, blows hot air. Turn it off and back on and then it works again. Could this intermittent workng be related to my pressure issue?

the slippage of the compressor clutch could explain this. check the gap ..could be it needs to be pushed closer to the pully..or it may need cleaning because of oil and /or dirt on the surface of the clutch pulley face..

I have a cabin air filter[2000 silv] ..you should have one also ..these usually in our region need replacing or cleaning every 2 yrs max...sometimes more often..

this is a 2 piece filter side by side under and behind the glove box next to those blower resistors that fail..

remove the cover of the air box passengerside. you will see a 1 inch vertical slot/cover with a screw holding that will be hard to get ..remove the srew and pop off the cover..if you see no filters then you will most likely have to remove the dash to get at those evap coils to clean..you can try to vac out the mess with small made up vac hoses that will fit.

throwing out these filters rather than replacing is done to save the 20.oo for replaCements then you get your type issue ..

if the evap can not pick up the heat the high side pressures will be low..also poor cooling..

DIRT BLOCKING THE EVAP COIL !

if this is what you find recheck the pressures if you find the high side is to high then slowly bleed off excess refrigerent so at 90 deg f you have no more than 325 psi with the proper testing operations I have described earlier..

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

the slippage of the compressor clutch could explain this. check the gap ..could be it needs to be pushed closer to the pully..or it may need cleaning because of oil and /or dirt on the surface of the clutch pulley face..

I have a cabin air filter[2000 silv] ..you should have one also ..these usually in our region need replacing or cleaning every 2 yrs max...sometimes more often..

this is a 2 piece filter side by side under and behind the glove box next to those blower resistors that fail..

remove the cover of the air box passengerside. you will see a 1 inch vertical slot/cover with a screw holding that will be hard to get ..remove the srew and pop off the cover..if you see no filters then you will most likely have to remove the dash to get at those evap coils to clean..you can try to vac out the mess with small made up vac hoses that will fit.

throwing out these filters rather than replacing is done to save the 20.oo for replaCements then you get your type issue ..

if the evap can not pick up the heat the high side pressures will be low..also poor cooling..

DIRT BLOCKING THE EVAP COIL !

if this is what you find recheck the pressures if you find the high side is to high then slowly bleed off excess refrigerent so at 90 deg f you have no more than 325 psi with the proper testing operations I have described earlier..

I know I have checked for a filter once and didnt find one! I bought the truck with 65000 miles on it. Maybe someone took it out and never replaced it? But the filter I got at the time didnt fit the slot. Do you have any pics of the location?

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

I know I have checked for a filter once and didnt find one! I bought the truck with 65000 miles on it. Maybe someone took it out and never replaced it? But the filter I got at the time didnt fit the slot. Do you have any pics of the location?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L37x4b35L8U

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

I know I have checked for a filter once and didnt find one! I bought the truck with 65000 miles on it. Maybe someone took it out and never replaced it? But the filter I got at the time didnt fit the slot. Do you have any pics of the location?

I think yours is a one piece filter..my vehicle is two pieces...

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

I think yours is a one piece filter..my vehicle is two pieces...

I checked, my box is sealed, no screws...pics attached....

[someday31]

Originally Posted by someday31

I checked, my box is sealed, no screws...pics attached....

Here are more pics

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by someday31

Here are more pics

I see your filter cover is horizontal about 8 inches long 1 inch wide right next to the connector to the resistor assy...drop the resistor assy and see how the filter cover is then fastened to the box unit..

[someday31]

Originally Posted by j cAT

I see your filter cover is horizontal about 8 inches long 1 inch wide right next to the connector to the resistor assy...drop the resistor assy and see how the filter cover is then fastened to the box unit..

I dont have the brass screws that others have, mine is a sealed unit it looks like. I thought I read somewhere that the 03s didnt have a cabin filter? I took the blower out and reached up in there and cant feel a filter, or see the evap coil to see how it is.