AC issues

[smilenpsyco]

Hello All!
I have a ’98 Cavalier (2.2 liter) with 180,000 miles on it. This week (now that it’s summer and all hot and stuff) I noticed that when I turn on my AC it isn’t as cool as it once was. I’m thinking at first it’s all in my head. Then I read that there should be like a 40 degree temperature differential (from my Haynes Repair manual). Additionally I’ve noticed the past few times when I’ve driven with the AC on I can hear a whine in the engine. It gets higher in pitch as the RPMs climb. So I’ve got 2 symptoms that I’ve never seen before:

1) AC doesn’t work so good.
2) An odd whine only present when the ac is on and I am accelerating.

Like I said, I’ve never had any AC issues, (heater doesn’t work, but I’ve learned to enjoy that ), never had an AC charge or service. I can definitely hear the compressor kick in when I turn the AC on. I hear it, I feel it in the car when it’s moving (robs power like crazy).

Also, I don’t know if this is related, but there has been a chatter in the pulleys when idling in the past that has gone away when I turn on the AC. Now the chatter is still there but it doesn’t go away if I turn on the AC. Could this be related?

I was wondering (hoping) this would be something that would be fixed with a quick charge of R 134a or if this is something I need a professional to fix. Obviously if there is a leak I should get it fixed. But if it’s a slow leak (over 11 years) I think it’ll be ok.

As always, any information on this issue more than welcome. Also any info on the heater not working would be good, but not my primary focus here.

Thanks for your time,

[jacobbesanceney]

About the chatter issue....my cavalier does that too. Can't explain it, but it does. The engine's in the 95-98 cavalier as well as the 95-98 s-10 are made by Isuzu and they aren't very well put together it seems. About your ac issue....I'd first get a meat thermometer and insert it into one of your vents and see how cold it gets. A way to test if you have a leak without paying the outrageous price at the shops is to buy a can of R134 from an auto parts store and try putting it in there. If it doesn't last in there, then you know you have a leak, and can start saving up to take it to a repair shop. Around where I live, 70 bucks is what you'd normally pay for them to leak check it and fill it. But, then again, if the can leaks out, you will be expecting to pay alot more. My ac leaks from my compressor, and i definitely don't have the money for that right now. You can actually see the green stuff leak from around the pulley.

[jacobbesanceney]

Oh yeah, about the whining...that could be your compressor going out or just a belt that could need replacing. Good luck to you though.

[J-Ri]

You can try adding some refrigerant, but that can cause problems if you get it overcharged. I would personally take it to a shop and have them put dye in the system and charge it with the correct amount of refrigerant. It probably didn't leak out over 11 years either. It probably went 10 with no leaks and then has leaked out in the last year from an old o-ring cracking. These are small systems and it doesn't take much of a refrigerant loss to make them stop working.