General Maintenance & Repairs - Any upgrades for the AC?

Anything to make it blow colder, make it blow harder, make it cool off faster? I'm gonna break out the factory service manual and did through the AC diagnostics. I think they reference specialized Kent Moore tools that a normal tech wouldn't likely have.

Well the blower motor controls how hard it blows, tinted windows & a windshield shade can help it cool faster after sitting & colder is all about the charge. Maybe yours needs a fresh vac/charge to get it colder.

Mine sat for a few years without working, took it to a shop & vac/charged it up, was blowing 40* out the center vents & good enough to cool the inside of the car in maybe 5 minutes tops. Too bad I didnt know the compressor seals were shot & it lost its charge in about 2 days, lol.

Damn man! My 96 did the exact same thing! It sat, compressor seals shot, cooled great for about 2 days. Now its gone!

OP I dont think there is anything you can do to "sup up" the AC system. They sell some shit at Vatozone that claims to make it more efficient but it looks about as effective as octane booster to me.

Just make sure it's sealed and holds the proper amount of freon and pressure and you'll be good. The only other things are what Mike said. Tint is about your best bet for "helping" the AC.

My stock a/c freezes my ass out....doesn't matter how hot it is outside or what kind of driving I do........just get the entire system working as it should and it will be perfect.

BUT....the #1 thing that people DO NOT do....and MUST DO if they want a very cold a/c system.....remove the condensor and clean the outside of it....or just put in a new one. The outside of the condensor gets covered with layers of grime and crammed full of debris.......makes it useless at shedding heat.

LOOK:
http://ls1tech.com/forums/general-maintenance-repairs/1036302-if-you-run-hotter-when-you-turn-c-city-driving-probably-why.html?highlight=a%2Fc+condensor

.

Yeah thats a REALLY good point as well.

My stock a/c freezes my ass out....doesn't matter how hot it is outside or what kind of driving I do........just get the entire system working as it should and it will be perfect.

BUT....the #1 thing that people DO NOT do....and MUST DO if they want a very cold a/c system.....remove the condensor and clean the outside of it....or just put in a new one. The outside of the condensor gets covered with layers of grime and crammed full of debris.......makes it useless at shedding heat.

LOOK:
http://ls1tech.com/forums/general-maintenance-repairs/1036302-if-you-run-hotter-when-you-turn-c-city-driving-probably-why.html?highlight=a%2Fc+condensor

.

The only thing i could add is if all the above checks out then clean the evaporator which is basically just like a radiator or condensor, the cold freon passes through and your fan blows air across and that is how you get cold air. I took one out of a 86 model truck and it was completly full of seeds, feathers, and cigarettes...

I have the legal max llumar tint on the windows. I bought a window shade locally but I don't use it because it doesn't fit very well. I also replaced my dash pad last year, will a pad cover be of benefit?

I'm pretty sure we blew out both the radiator and the AC condenser in the summer of 2010 while the new motor was out. I'm wondering if the passages behind the dash and/or the flaps might need to be reviewed also.

Check/replace the orfice tube, clean blower motor or replace if necessary, clean condensor regardless of if you did it in 2010 ( thats 2 yrs ago, prolly needs it again), make sure compressor is sealed and working properly, install a cut off valve for the heater core to keep it from raising temps a couple of degrees, replace the accumulator, and vacuum, lubricate, and recharge the system to proper specs. If its still not cold enough for you then insulate the whole interior or buy another car. Got mine down to 32 last summer but the system was only designed to do so much.

Idiot checklist:
Make sure max a/c is on.
Close passenger vent if no passengers and angle vents to your liking.
High to cool hot car, low for optimum cooling.
Windows down doesnt help long term cooling.
Idling/stop go will cool slower so dont gauge performance by that.
If you disregard any of the above and arent happy then you probly wont have optimum cooling until you fix your weak link.

/end a/c rant ha

I have the legal max llumar tint on the windows. I bought a window shade locally but I don't use it because it doesn't fit very well. I also replaced my dash pad last year, will a pad cover be of benefit?

I'm pretty sure we blew out both the radiator and the AC condenser in the summer of 2010 while the new motor was out. I'm wondering if the passages behind the dash and/or the flaps might need to be reviewed also.

You can order a good windshield shade from Summit made by covercraft specifically for our cars. Its $50 shipped but seems to be the best one on the market. I'm gonna bite the price & grab one as all the Vatozone ones I buy seem to start turning into dust after a few weeks & then I have glitter all on my interior & fuzz from the outer binding. Plus $50 is a good investment to protect our dash/dash pads.

I had a similar problem with my blower motor. It was packed full of leave pieces and just junk. I pulled it out easy to do an rigged up a hose on the shop vac and vacuumed out the evap duct work. Bunch of junk then I put a vacuum hose on a blow gun and blew out the evap man it was raining junk out on the floor. Vacuum and blow a bunch guess what ice cold air and real good air flow now.