Aurora air conditioning not cold

[dgrinsh]

Why is my air conditioner not getting cold enuf. Blower working OK but air coming out (set to 60F) is only semi-cold and takes about 20 min. to even reach this. What is wrong?

[Indy8]

Sounds like a leak in the system. It only holds about a pound of refrigerant so even being a little low makes a big difference. You can either buy a kit with the premix oil/r-134 and keep topping it off(not recommended), or have it serviced. A/C repair stations are required by law to detect and fix the leak prior to evacuation and recharge. It could be as simple as a new o-ring with refill, about $100, or a major component failure,$$$$$$$.

[tmcnall]

Originally Posted by dgrinsh

Why is my air conditioner not getting cold enuf. Blower working OK but air coming out (set to 60F) is only semi-cold and takes about 20 min. to even reach this. What is wrong?

Mine isn't too good either - I recharged about a year ago and it was better, but a Taurus A/C blows it away.

[jim56]

My 97 was like that. I had a small leak in one of the lines and a bad compressor. Now I can set it on 75 even in the heat of summer ( florida )
and it gets nice and cold fast.............

[mrbob]

I have a '97 that blows very cold air out of all vents on passenger's side, but just slightly cooled air out of all vents on the driver's side. Dealer topped off refrigerant last summer and driver's side seemed better (sides were still not cooling the same, though). Turned on A/C for the first time after this winter's cold weather and I have the same problem. Independent mechanic told me on the phone it might be a temperature sensor problem.

I have a warranty through the dealer that would cover repairs, but there is $100 deduct. So I am reluctant to take it back unless they have an idea of what is wrong. Any guesses? (fan is strong on both sides)

[semisendiz]

My system was the same as yours last year. When taken to the A/C technician, he showed me physically were it was leaking from an O-ring. You can actually see remnants of systems lubricant around were the leak is, specially if there has been some dust adhered to it. Might help to look along a/c system lines. It also happens around the compressor itself sometimes.

[jessb45]

Originally Posted by mrbob

I have a '97 that blows very cold air out of all vents on passenger's side, but just slightly cooled air out of all vents on the driver's side. Dealer topped off refrigerant last summer and driver's side seemed better (sides were still not cooling the same, though). Turned on A/C for the first time after this winter's cold weather and I have the same problem. Independent mechanic told me on the phone it might be a temperature sensor problem.

I have a warranty through the dealer that would cover repairs, but there is $100 deduct. So I am reluctant to take it back unless they have an idea of what is wrong. Any guesses? (fan is strong on both sides)

I have the same exact problem. Any ideas would be great.

[RobertHammen]

I've read on other forums that this "passenger cool, driver hot" symptom is an A/C system in need of a recharge. It's probably a good idea to check your Aurora's A/C system frequently, as the compressor is underpowered/underengineered and prone to failure if pushed too hard.

You might also want to check your blend box (under the dash, where the hot and cold air are mixed).On some cars (early '95's seem prevalent) this tends to "stick" (happened on my wife's GTP)...

[DeepFlorida]

What am I looking for when I find this "Blend Box"? Do you have a description of what this looks like? I took the panel off under my dash directly under the radio from the passenger side, and I see a black chamber leading to the vents. Is this where I would find the "blend box"?

I have the same problem with hot air - driver's side and cold air - passenger side and I would like to figure this out as well...

[OEM Only]

The system is complicated with many parts acting together to deliver the desired results. Looking past the obvious(refrigerant leaks, etc.), I would say that since the system is automatically controlled with an A/C mix door actuator in the heating/cooling unit that directs the heated/or cooled air, and this is controlled by the HVAC programmer, it could be the HVAC programmer malfunctioning, but I would doubt that. However, on both the passenger and driver side ductwork there is an actuator, controlled by the programmer, that allows either heated or cooled air to enter the diffusers(vents) depending on the temperature control setting, inside temperature setting. If you take the knee bolster out from under the steering wheel, you will be able to see if the actuator is functioning(look for a small black rounded box object fastened to the ductwork. It opens or closes the flap directing air as needed. The actuator on the passenger side can be accessed by removing the glove box,the HVAC programmer computer, then the PCM computer. You can see it work when you turn the system on. Hope this helps. I tell everyone, buy the GM shop service manuals, they will save lots of money in the long run if you are mechanically inclinced and can interpret the technical data.

[DeepFlorida]

Thanks, this helps alot. I will try to look at the system, as you described it, tonight.

[ckpaas]

I'm having a problem with my AC now. It started to diminish in blowing cold air over a short period of time. There is a sound like a deep tone of a motor running all the time except when I turn off the ac in the cabin. I also checked the pressure on the line which I think is the low pressure line and it reads over 100. ???? Anyone encoutered a silmilar condition?

[ttrlover]

Originally Posted by ckpaas

I'm having a problem with my AC now. It started to diminish in blowing cold air over a short period of time. There is a sound like a deep tone of a motor running all the time except when I turn off the ac in the cabin. I also checked the pressure on the line which I think is the low pressure line and it reads over 100. ???? Anyone encoutered a silmilar condition?

I encountered this. Also, noticing the clutch is not engaging on the compressor. I'm going to recheck the pressure with the manifold gauges then if still over 100 take it in for service...I think.

[zephram22]

Has the system been re-charged at all since this started? That may help. If the system has been charged but it still blows cold, you may have a leak. I'd put in refrigerant that has a UV dye in it so you can look for leaks if this is the case.

[ttrlover]

Thanks, A friend told me this morning that the reading on the low pressure side was high because of a cutoff switch. He also said the probably now needs to be evacuated before recharging.