a/c & tune up questions

[sickcallawayc12]

so 2 weeks have gone by after picking up my blazer and after 1000 miles of driver seat time i absolutely love it. i have been able to really try this thing out in various conditions including an all day road trip, stop & go traffic as well as regular driving in small and large cities as well as on the highway, quick errands, hot & dry and rainy weather as well as a few off road trails/campground areas (didn't need to use the 4wd though). I have to drive to mississippi in the beginning of august however, so i will need to get a tune up before i go. my first question is regarding the a/c. My ac only blows hot air, but this doesn't bother me really since i very very seldom use cold ac (like the windows down) in my vehicles as i prefer them warm. I checked the coolant level in the reservoir today and it was a little less than the add mark (engine was cold). the fact that it is a little low, can this cause this, eh, issue? the ac was fully charged and it didn't solve it (although it was charged at grease monkey ) so i'm assuming the compressor is fine and the fuse was good too. this would mean that it was low when i first got it but the coolant temp seemed fine from day one, it usually stays in the middle of 100-210. the second thing is about the tune-up itself. I am a little low on funds for this so i think all i'll be able to do is change fluids. what should i tell the shop to use when i bring it in? regular? synthetic? specific brand names that work well on these vehicles? Also, what fluids should i service (oil, coolant flush, power steering for sure) before i take this long journey (putting a good 2300 miles on that week.) i probably can't spend more than 250-300 bucks(labor at 70/hr) if my grandma doesn't help me with gas.

[rlith]

Well, the coolant level does not really affect the AC.... Even if the coolant level was a little below the line, it doesn't hurt. Your radiator is filled and that's what counts to keep your engine cool.

For your AC, you need to have a professional take a look at it and check the system for leaks. They will either run dye through the system or a detection wand. The fact that your AC had nothing in it shows that there is a leak somewhere and "Grease Monkey" should not have tried to charge it without 1st discovering where the leak was. Basically you paid them for nothing.

So get your AC checked by someone who actually knows what they are doing and who can fix it right.

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by sickcallawayc12

so 2 weeks have gone by after picking up my blazer and after 1000 miles of driver seat time i absolutely love it. i have been able to really try this thing out in various conditions including an all day road trip, stop & go traffic as well as regular driving in small and large cities as well as on the highway, quick errands, hot & dry and rainy weather as well as a few off road trails/campground areas (didn't need to use the 4wd though). I have to drive to mississippi in the beginning of august however, so i will need to get a tune up before i go. my first question is regarding the a/c. My ac only blows hot air, but this doesn't bother me really since i very very seldom use cold ac (like the windows down) in my vehicles as i prefer them warm. I checked the coolant level in the reservoir today and it was a little less than the add mark (engine was cold). the fact that it is a little low, can this cause this, eh, issue? the ac was fully charged and it didn't solve it (although it was charged at grease monkey ) so i'm assuming the compressor is fine and the fuse was good too. this would mean that it was low when i first got it but the coolant temp seemed fine from day one, it usually stays in the middle of 100-210. the second thing is about the tune-up itself. I am a little low on funds for this so i think all i'll be able to do is change fluids. what should i tell the shop to use when i bring it in? regular? synthetic? specific brand names that work well on these vehicles? Also, what fluids should i service (oil, coolant flush, power steering for sure) before i take this long journey (putting a good 2300 miles on that week.) i probably can't spend more than 250-300 bucks(labor at 70/hr) if my grandma doesn't help me with gas.

Did grease monkey do a death kit recharge?

Wal Mart DEATH KITS

You cannot properly and safely recharge an air condition system with them.

The one side stop and go gauge does not tell you what your system is doing or is over charged or undercharged.
A overcharged or malfunction air condition system can reach over 500 lbs of pressure.
Enough to blow up that can or system and freeze you at first and the burn you or blind you and if any propane /butane in there blow and light you up.

The stop leak crap and who knows what kind of oil in the kits there will stop your system for sure.
Just like pouring super glue in it.
And some kits even contain freon with a butane mixer.
Good for a big blast.

If you are going to do it do it right and safe.
Here is what you need to start with.
http://www.ackits.com/merchant2/merc...uct_Code=66773

In the older days you could just throw in a can and go.
But over the years just adding freon is getting harder to do.
Newer systems have to have the correct amount of freon down to the ounces.
Most will need pumped down and vacuumed down and the right and amount of oil and a set amount freon charge installed to get the air to cool right and the system to last.
If an air condition is low there is usually a leak that needs fixed and also a lose of lubricating oil from system.
Also air and moisture enters a low system
If you are going to try to do it get the proper type air condition gauge set with the low and high side gauges.
Hook up the gauges and get a reading with compressor running at idle and at 2000 rpm on the high and low side.
Post back pressure reading and we can help you.
MT

[rlith]

Don't forget, that to properly run an AC system, a vaccume has to be present

[magnum3456]

as far as oil goes...go with mobil1 synthetic....good stuff...I used to have a small leak and i used castrol sytec blend....also good...but i tried a can of "restore"...and that took care of the leak...might wanna give it a try if u suspect u have a leak. check all your vacuum lines...make sure they arent cracked or sucked flat while the engine is running...does your limate control knob work right? does it direct air where its supposed to? if not you might have a bad "mode door actuator"...thats what they called it on mine...ir causes the engine to loose vacuum which creates rough idle.

[sickcallawayc12]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't pay them shit, I hate grease monkey. The dealer took it there when i was there and had it recharged to see if it was the problem (before i signed the papers yada yada yada) so it wasn't my decision really nor did i really care at the time. I don't care about actually fixing it let alone doing it myself (thanks for the link though MT-2005), i was just curious if low coolant would make it act like this and if it was a possible easy/cheap fix and not an expensive one. i won't even worry about my ac until spring probably where i will take it to my usual place that i took my saturn to get worked on (definitely trustworthy guys). I like my SUV warm and driving it without a shirt on anyway . everything works on it and all, it is the automatic climate control or whatever that name is the LT models have, it just blows hot air and not cold. so anyway, i guess i need help with the tune up then. i guess i gotta go with synthetics, i'll do an oil change for sure and have the fluids checked out to make sure they're okay. anything else i should do before i drive 2000+ miles besides buy some sun block?