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AC doesn't feel very cold, but no leaks detected?

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Old Sep 14, 2024 | 03:39 PM
  #11  
firemangeorge's Avatar
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Nope. Still won’t work for me. I’m no techie so not going to mess with my browser. Works fine for me with everything else.
Still would like to know the high and low side readings. That static charge of 99 tells me it’s full of Freon.
Old Sep 14, 2024 | 03:50 PM
  #12  
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Ok, the full screen button worked just like you said.

Perhaps the belt loses some tension under hard acceleration?
Old Sep 14, 2024 | 05:19 PM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by RJ_RS_SS_350
Perhaps the belt loses some tension under hard acceleration?
I suppose it's possible

Now that I think about it, the serpentine belt is still the original one @ the current odometer of about 101k miles... but I haven't noticed any obvious symptoms such as belt squealing/belt squeeking or a battery light, so I hadn't thought about it possibly being bad

Maybe it's the serpentine belt tensioner? That's the only other component I can think of that is involved in the mechanical process of actually spinning the AC compressor:

1. AC compressor clutch
2. serpentine belt
3. serpentine belt tensioner

Just wondering, what is the "rule of thumb" for checking slack on a serpentine belt? Is it 1 inch slack? 2 inches? Other? Maybe I'll stick my hand under there tomorrow to try to feel how much slack/movement is in the belt

Tomorrow because it's football night and I'm already in pajamas/don't feel like going outside again 🍿
Old Sep 15, 2024 | 09:07 AM
  #14  
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Always replace the serpentine belt and belt tensioner as a set. I’ve learned the hard way , the belt tore up when the tensioner idler pulley seized. A long walk .
Old Sep 15, 2024 | 09:40 AM
  #15  
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Son had a cavalier that would overheat occasionally. ended up being a locked up water pump and the serpentine belt was slipping and never made any noise until I replaced it. then we found the locked up water pump.
Old Sep 18, 2024 | 05:36 PM
  #16  
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it just might be low on freon... it happens even if a shop does it. Might need to have it checked again. I had a truck that did that, I added some myself and it was gold again.
Old Sep 18, 2024 | 05:39 PM
  #17  
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question, did you install a new orifice? They get clogged especially old ones when the system is vac'd down and messed with and the new stuff kinda loosens everything that finally kills it. Its wise to replace the orifice when you open the system.
Old Sep 18, 2024 | 06:40 PM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by Bonez
question, did you install a new orifice? They get clogged especially old ones when the system is vac'd down and messed with and the new stuff kinda loosens everything that finally kills it. Its wise to replace the orifice when you open the system.
Hmmmmm, the shop didn't say anything about an orifice tube last time I was there. They just evacuated and recharged, and of course checked for leaks while it was running there in their service bay. After they were done working on it the guy just came out to the waiting room to tell me it passed their tests and they didn't see any leaks
​​
​​​​​​But the cooling seems fine when the car is stopped/idling at a red light, it only gets weak when the car starts gaining speed. I imagine if there was some kind of clog (such as the orifice tube) then the AC would be weak all the time instead of just sometimes

I imagine they missed this detail since the car was just sitting there idling in the service bay while the tech worked on it, and of course the cooling performance was fine... in that specific scenario (car sitting still/idling). Once I actually started driving it around in real-world scenarios (...which include bursts of acceleration/speeding up) during the rest of the week is when I noticed that the AC seemed to get weak when the vehicle accelerates
Old Sep 19, 2024 | 09:02 AM
  #19  
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Indicative of a possible loose and slipping serpentine belt
Old Sep 19, 2024 | 10:12 AM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by Oldblue
Indicative of a possible loose and slipping serpentine belt
Which would point to a bad serpentine belt tensioner. Replace both the tensioner and the belt together.

I’m still wondering about the high and low pressure readings. Need to rule out a system problem.



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