a/c doesn't get cold

[Rob Rangel]

the a/c on my '93 has stopped cooling the air. I live in south texas and the heat is rediculous. I need to fix this problem but am not really sure if i can just add some sort of refrigerant or if i need to replace some part. If it is the latter then what parts need to be replaced?

thanks for any help you can offer

[big_blue_chevy2006]

maybe it needs recharged? u can do it urself if u kno how im not sure how to i know mine needs it but im not to worried about it it still blows out kinda cold air, cold enough for me at least.

[2000CAYukon]

Does the compressor even kick on? On my 90 K1500, the pressure cycling switch (on the accumulator) went bad and the compressor never kicked on.

Of course, if the freon leaked out, it would act the same way.

You need to see if you have any pressure on the low side (near accumulator). If the pressure is below, 22 PSI, there is no enough freon in the system.

If the pressure is good, the pressure cycling switch is probably bad.

//2000CAYukon

[acewelderman]

Man be carefull you can damage this stuff if you overload the system.Take it to a wrench to leak test your system. It will save you guessin if its a compessor or low freon or low lubricant . Its up to you but I wouldnt risk it!

[Chevy-SS]

Go to the auto store and buy a can of refrigerant for about $12. Get the one that has the nozzle on it already. It takes about one minute to let the system suck it in. 99% of the time, that will fix your problem, altho it certainly could be something else.

[waterfowler05]

I am from South Texas also and I know how it feels not having an AC. It sucks and is pretty much unbearable. What type of refrigerant is in your system? If its R-12, then go ahead and spend the money to have your system converted to an R-134A refrigerant system. This will save you money in the long run, trust me. If you have the R-134A system, first turn your truck on with the AC on full blast. See if the compressor kicks in and out. If this is the case then your compressor is still working good. Then, you can go to the autoparts store or walmart and purchase a can of R-134A ref. to put in your truck. It's easy and you can do it yourself without any problem. Good luck.

[big_blue_chevy2006]

how can u tell which refrigerant system u have?

['97ventureowner]

There is usually a tag in the engine compartment most I've seen are located on the compressor or somewhere on the A/C system itself. 1993 was a transitional year, so you may have either one. When I purchased my truck new in 1994, I had the dealer install air conditioning, and the shop that did it used the R-134a refrigerant. If you have R12 freon, you can get retrofit kits to use the R134a at most auto parts stores. As the supply of R12 continues to get depleted, the price for recharging the system will increase dramatically, so it definitely will save you money in the long term to changeover soon.

[waterfowler05]

Yes, it will tell you which refrigerant you are running if you look on the evaporator canister. This is the black cylinder shaped object that is located next to your coolant overflow reservior. If it doesn't say there it should say on the compressor.

[2000CAYukon]

The sticker should be on the accumulator which is near the firewall on the passenger side. Looks like a silver cylinder.

I would not add anything until you are sure you have lost some. If you have R12, it is about $40 per 12 oz can. R134a is around $5. A conversion to R134a can cost upto $1000 parts and labor if brand GM parts are used.

Can you see signs of any leaks around the compresssor or lines?

When the a/c stoped working on my 90 K1500, it was just a $15 pressure cycling switch and it has been working fine since (this was 2 years ago). Truck is 15 years old and never had a recharge.

//2000CAYukon

[waterfowler05]

$1000 dollars for a retrofit? Are you serious? I think your mechanic took advantage of you. I had one of my work trucks retrofited to a r-134a system a year ago and it ran me $325. I've never hear of someone being charged that much for a retrofit job.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by waterfowler05

$1000 dollars for a retrofit? Are you serious? I think your mechanic took advantage of you. I had one of my work trucks retrofited to a r-134a system a year ago and it ran me $325. I've never hear of someone being charged that much for a retrofit job.

If you re-read his post, he says,"A conversion to R134a can cost upto $1000 parts and labor if brand GM parts are used." The key words are "brand GM parts" . Of course those are going to be more expensive. He probably was quoted that price at a GM stealership, er I mean dealership. Autoparts stores carry aftermarket retrofit kits you can purchase a heck of a lot less. Even repair shops purchase these kits cheaper than OEM.

[waterfowler05]

'97ventureowner - Sorry I was not specific enough in my last post. The conversion that was performed on my work truck used "GM Brand Name" parts. Looking back at my books, the total cost of this conversion was exactly $346.

['97ventureowner]

I purchased my '94 C1500 W/T brand new and had the dealer install a/c in it because it did not come equipped with it. I wonder how much they had to pay the shop that installed it for them, as they outsourced the job. The company did a great job with it. It looks like it was put on when the truck was being built. I didn't need a recharge until last year,( actually the truck sat unused for 3 years (2001-2004) so I figured it was time for one. Well I went to this guy in our area who has been doing recharges for over 30 years. He has thousands of satisfied customers , including me, and he works out of the back of his S-10 truck. He has 2 locations, (in the morning he works out of the back of a self serve car wash, in the afternoon, he works out of a corner of a gas station/convenience store.) He went to do my truck and told me he couldn't! He showed me where there was 2 high ports on my system, where there should be a high and a low. He didn't have any adapters that would work. I even went to Autozone and they brought out all their a/c adapters and had nothing either. They said they never saw anything like that either. This spring I am going back to the place that put the a/c system in and see what they say about it. ( I wonder if they did that so I would have to go back to them for service on the system.Has anybody else encountered a similar situation with their a/c system?