A/C blows warm air

[greasyhog]

My A/C is blowing warm air (3.5). Check freon level, was high, so i had some released. Ended up being released to the add level. Started car for few minutes check again and was in alert level (i assume would be normal since car was running). Let sit over night and checked again and now it is above the add level (according to my gauge). A/C clutch engages and compressor turns. Both blend doors seem to be working properly. any ideas? and how do i check for a problem?

[brcidd]

Look for the nearest trash can and put your Walmart death kit in it--as you have already seen, the gage on it is useless depending on your interpretation of the readings-- you can only determine how much refrigerant is in a system when the compressor is running and you are monitoring both high and low sides-- other than that the only good way is to recover the refrigerant and weigh it- to know your status.

I will tell you this- 65% of all a/c "blows hot air" complaints are due to a loss of refrigerant due to a leak-- so you need to determine if your car fits this scenario. I never saw the year of your intrigue- but with a 3.5L engine you have a V-7 compressor- and those are known to trash their inside when they run low on refrigerant for any length of time-- so knowing your high side pressure will tell you if your compressor is any good.

[harmankardon35]

Theres been a few reports of bad compressors on here over the summer, it would not surprise me if that's your problem. Many people top-up refrigerant, neglecting to add compressor oil and the compressor burns out. Are the lines under the hood getting cold? If the compressor is spinning and those lines are not cold (even frosty), i would suspect a bad compressor....

[greasyhog]

Thanks for the replies. The year is 2000 and no the lines do not feel cold/cool/frosty. I'm trying to get to find a gauge but might just have to go buy a set to test my pressure.

[greasyhog]

ok. i know im way late on replying on this post but i finally got fed to mess with it. I ended up recharging the system and the passenger side is cold and the drivers side is cool but not cold. I got the manifold gauge and it looks like the low side pressure is high (30 + will go to max and drop down to maybe 25/30 then go back up) and the high side pressure is low (like 30 to 40). Any help is appreciated.

[greasyhog]

Follow-up: Recharged the ac and held up for a lil over a month. then the ac clutch wouldn't engage. checked pressure and there was nothing. Had system tested and there is a leak in the condenser. Can the condenser be fixed? If not would you look for a used one or is new the way to go with this part?

[brcidd]

condensers are not fixable---

I would go with new-- unless I was going to sell car