'97 Taurus GL, 131K: A/C Not Cold Enough

[Colt Hero]

'97 Taurus GL 131K:

A/C doesn't seem as cold as it should be. After I verify that my blend door is tightly in the correct position (the actuator broke and I had the door tied up for the winter and now it's jammed down for the summer - but it might not be positively down), what are the A/C components most likely to be a problem. Is it just a matter of a shot of FREON? Should I consider completely bypassing the heater core for the summer? Hot coolant runs through it at all time which has to hurt my cooling capability...

[way2old]

Place a small thermometer in the dash vent and see what the duct temperature is before you go replacing parts. Might just be the blend door you mentioned.

[shorod]

Well, since you have a '97, you won't want to add a shot of "Freon," but possibly R134a. Sorry, getting picky here.

Without knowing more about your situation, determining what the problem is is very difficult. Could be low on refrigerant, but you'd really need to know the pressures to determine that. It could also be a faulty compressor or compressor clutch. You could have debris restricting airflow through the condensor, or a cooling fan that is not turning on or with a bad blade that is not pulling enough air through the condensor and radiator. You might have a pressure switch that is out of calibration and not engaging the compressor for the proper duration. Or, it could be a combination of any of these.

Of course, you will need to remedy the blend door issue before troubleshooting much further.

-Rod