I dont have dual zone climate control but one side is cold and the other is hot WTF?

[3 bar]

Like what I said I dont have dual zone climate control but when the A/C is on one side is cold and the other is hot. Any clues or suggestions on what to look for or fix? Thanks

[waski1]

I had this issue few days ago. Check how much cooling factor you have in your A/C system. My was almost empty. I filled up A/C system in service and now work fine.

[slvrXI]

Yes!! I have the answer. Take your car to a shop. Have them Recover, Evacuate, Recharge the AC system. Guaranteed to fix your problem. Do not buy the recharge bottles from the local parts store since that is not the proper way to do things. I could go on an endless rant about this but I will make it short and sweet for everyone that has read my posts on AC systems...

Your system has a low charge, therefore when the refrigerant (freon aka r134a) reaches the evaporator, (the part that your blower motor goes through to get to the cabin) it is cold. However when you have a low charge it can only fill the evaporator so much... Since it enters through the drivers side, the drivers side will easily get cold. But when it runs through the rest of the evaporator, it obviously does not have enough refer to cool the rest... So the passenger side remains warmish. Once you properly recover, evacuate, recharge the system... It will have enough refrigerant to cool the entire evaporator... therefor creating cool/dry blowing air across both the drivers side and passengers side vents... So go pay the 60-100 dollars to get it done.

Trust me I am an expert on this crap.

[toysmogul]

If the problem remains or returns after a while then you might have a leaky hose. Trust me I am an expert on that crap. Also, use your AC once in a while since the freon that they use has a lubricant in it which your system needs otherwise it will dry up. I learned that lesson from a $500 AC repair.

[Phillips0417]

They will find a leak if it doesn't hold vacuum; one of the first signs to a weakened a/c system is it blowing warmer on one side or the other.

[telijah]

They will find a leak if it doesn't hold vacuum; one of the first signs to a weakened a/c system is it blowing warmer on one side or the other.

Quoting because the second half of this statement is very very true. A quick search and you would have found my thread having this same problem. The first half of the quote though is not 100%. If you have a very small leak though, it's unlikely they'll sit there for 6 hours leaving the vacuum on to see if the vacuum drops. Some leaks it simply won't detect. For example, if your Schrader valve has a leaking seal, the machine would never find a leak because it won't leak with the hoses attached. However, unplug the hose and put the cap back on, and it will slowly leak out (my brother's Ford is doing this exact problem right now :) )

Short answer: get an evac and recharge. Expect to pay around $100 buck unless you got a mechain friend, which would usually end up being about $30-$40 bucks.

Edit: I'll be damned, putting a Wikipedia URL puts a little "W" logo on the link... spiffy.

[Phillips0417]

:werd: :D Well said, I should have elaborated more

[slvrXI]

Quoting because the second half of this statement is very very true. A quick search and you would have found my thread having this same problem. The first half of the quote though is not 100%. If you have a very small leak though, it's unlikely they'll sit there for 6 hours leaving the vacuum on to see if the vacuum drops. Some leaks it simply won't detect. For example, if your Schrader valve (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrader_valve) has a leaking seal, the machine would never find a leak because it won't leak with the hoses attached. However, unplug the hose and put the cap back on, and it will slowly leak out (my brother's Ford is doing this exact problem right now :) )

Short answer: get an evac and recharge. Expect to pay around $100 buck unless you got a mechain friend, which would usually end up being about $30-$40 bucks.

Edit: I'll be damned, putting a Wikipedia URL puts a little "W" logo on the link... spiffy.

Very true with the schrader valve. It is recommended that after evacuating the system you mark the vacuum gauge and come back to it in 20 minutes. This will tell you right away if you have a large or small leak. Some systems have such a tiny leak that it will not show on the vacuum test, but in a year it will need a recharge.


If the problem remains or returns after a while then you might have a leaky hose. Trust me I am an expert on that crap. Also, use your AC once in a while since the freon that they use has a lubricant in it which your system needs otherwise it will dry up. I learned that lesson from a $500 AC repair.

Don't mock me. Don't use the word freon like that. That is not what it is called. That is used in household/industrial air conditioning. It is always mistaken but it is properly called Refrigerant or R134a. And another thing, "freon" does not have any lubricant in it. Pag Oil is poured into the compressor upon manufacture. When recharging the system, you are supposed to separately inject the oil.

Once again don't mock me or I will own you.

[telijah]

I should have mentioned, just about any reputable shop, when recharging, will fill it with a UV activated fluid to help detect leaks. If it's a small leak, they'll charge you up, send you on your way. If and when the air goes warm again, bring it back to the shop, and they'll scan the system with a UV light and look for where the fluid had leaked from as it will stick to the surrounding areas of the leak source. So if they vacuum it and then riught away charge it up, make sure they filled it with the leak detector fluid.

[slvrXI]

I should have mentioned, just about any reputable shop, when recharging, will fill it with a UV activated fluid to help detect leaks. If it's a small leak, they'll charge you up, send you on your way. If and when the air goes warm again, bring it back to the shop, and they'll scan the system with a UV light and look for where the fluid had leaked from as it will stick to the surrounding areas of the leak source. So if they vacuum it and then riught away charge it up, make sure they filled it with the leak detector fluid.

Yes, just about ever bottle of PAG oil now is made with a fluorescent dye. So unless the shop forgets to put oil in... you should be set and ready for a Ultra Violet leak test. Just take a black light to every line/component at night and you will see where the leak is coming from.

[3 bar]

That wasnt it. It was full of 134 any other suggestions?

[slvrXI]

That wasnt it. It was full of 134 any other suggestions?

How many pounds were put in? And what pressure was it running on the high side and low side?

What do you mean it was "full"