AC a little cooler?
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Teching In
Joined: May 2018
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AC a little cooler? Hi so I went back to the repair shop where I got my AC fixed. They had refilled the refrigerant because there was a small leak they fixed again. Now when I still put the **** on the AC position the ac is still the same degree as it was before (normal cool-not cool enough) when I put the **** to the max position the ac is cooler than before and a little better. They have told me everything is fine and the degree temperature they hooked the guages is 55 degrees. Im not sure why the air is still the same on AC position and a little better on MAX? Has anyone have any recommendations. Thank you
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
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From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
RockinWs6 is correct - go find a different shop! The normal temperature for air at the vent with A/C on should be 40 to 45 degrees. Yours is ten degrees higher yet they are calling it normal so obviously they either don't know what they're doing or they're ripping you off. Max A/C will feel a little cooler because it is recirculating inside air which is already cooler than outside air.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 39
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RockinWs6 is correct - go find a different shop! The normal temperature for air at the vent with A/C on should be 40 to 45 degrees. Yours is ten degrees higher yet they are calling it normal so obviously they either don't know what they're doing or they're ripping you off. Max A/C will feel a little cooler because it is recirculating inside air which is already cooler than outside air.
If the car is left outside in hot weather around 97 degrees for couple of hours 3-4 what should be the temperature when on AC mode and MAX mode? How long does it typically take for the AC to become ice cold when it is left outside in the hot weather for 3-4 hours?
AC mode should be 40 to 45 degrees and max ac should be cooler then ac mode? I will have to contact the company who franchise this business and get a resolution.
Thank you for your help
11 Second Club
Joined: Mar 2012
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From: South Florida
Actually thought of the same thing. If the car has been sitting in heat/sunlight for whatever amount of time. Is the car black lol. A heat shade for the windshield helps some. Put the A/C on max & on low fan speed. Let system run for awhile. What temp. is the air coming out of the vents? Put it on high & check. The faster/higher the fan speed the air will not be as cold. It doesn't have as much time to cool in the evaporator. Check the difference day vs. night. The car driving down the road with some air flow help through condenser, & revs, is better than idling at a stoplight too.
Last edited by SoFla01SSLookinstok; Jun 11, 2018 at 05:18 PM.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,328
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
There is a difference between the temperature of the air at the vent and the overall temperature inside the car. It should take less than a minute for the A/C to start blowing cold air from the vent but it can take quite some time to cool down the car. That's regardless of how long the car has been sitting in the heat. Of course, there will be a slight variance of the vent temperature depending on how hot it is outside but it should still be in the 40-45 degree range.
Max A/C will cool the car faster because it is recirculating the interior air so each pass removes more heat from the already somewhat cooled air. However, on a properly functioning system, it won't actually produce air colder than 40 degrees at the vent. My comment about it feeling cooler was based on your system not functioning properly so recirculated air would tend to feel a little cooler. Under normal conditions, the vent temperature will be about the same on Normal or Max A/C but Max A/C will cool the interior quicker overall.
Max A/C will cool the car faster because it is recirculating the interior air so each pass removes more heat from the already somewhat cooled air. However, on a properly functioning system, it won't actually produce air colder than 40 degrees at the vent. My comment about it feeling cooler was based on your system not functioning properly so recirculated air would tend to feel a little cooler. Under normal conditions, the vent temperature will be about the same on Normal or Max A/C but Max A/C will cool the interior quicker overall.
TECH Addict
Joined: Mar 2013
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Mike I understand your frustration but with your limited knowledge of how AC operates I hate to give advice and make your trouble worse. These systems are fairly simple but to get max cold out of the system everything needs to be right. Without having your car to look at its very hard to say whats wrong. Basic stuff but I want you to try something quick and see if it helps, take the temp control **** up to mid way then quickly bring it back to cold so HEAR the air control door "THUMP" closed. You should hear it. Then see if it feels colder. Sometimes the control door doesn't close all the way and will let some hot air bleed into the cold air.
Next I want you to go for a quick ride around the block with the ac on max fan on high. When you get back shut off the engine, pop the hood and look at the ac lines coming off the firewall. Do they look all wet and sweated? Report back and maybe I can steer you to the North Pole soon.
Next I want you to go for a quick ride around the block with the ac on max fan on high. When you get back shut off the engine, pop the hood and look at the ac lines coming off the firewall. Do they look all wet and sweated? Report back and maybe I can steer you to the North Pole soon.
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Strange, the best Ive ever gotten with any car is 55*. Then again, this is in Florida in 90*+ heat most of the year. Down here, I consider anything below 58* acceptable. (That includes the new cars at the dealer I work at.)
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All Mine are in the 40-45 range I don't care how hot it gets outside. If you look at the temp-pressure chart for 134a there is no good reason you shouldn't be getting those temps at the vents shortly after starting the system. PSIGR-134A
pres/temp 32/37 34/39 36/41
pres/temp 32/37 34/39 36/41
Last edited by RockinWs6; Jun 11, 2018 at 07:18 PM.
A/C is tested with all windows/doors open and the system set to draw in fresh outside air. This way you can see the max the system can change the temp of the air in a single pass as the most it can do is like 30 degree (think that is right as it's been a while) and humidity can affect it. If you have a normal low side pressure, but the high side is to high. You could need to clean the condenser or it could have a clog, those will reduce the system efficiency. If you have the system running you can run your (with care and maybe with a glove as it can get hot) hand along the condenser from inlet to the outlet and it should slowly drop in temp along the way, but if you find a spot where it drops more or even a lot more to the point it's cold then you have a clog and that reduces what the system can do. This doesn't always mean you have to fix it. My first truck had a medium clog toward the end of the condenser and it didn't cool as quick, but it worked well enough that I lived with it for about 5 years.
Sometimes the space between the AC condenser and the radiator can get leaves and trash in it. This blocks some of the air flow and AC doesn't cool as well as it normally would. It's pretty easy to check and clean out if needed.