AC blowing hot air after different attempts of trying to fix it
 

hello i am new to the forums but have been a memeber for quite some time.


I am having ac problems where my ac only blows hot air.

i have tried recharging with ez-chill r134-a
i have replaced the ac clutch
i replaced the whole compressor
i then replaced the blend door actuator
i also replaced the cds relay and the fan relay


i don't think i have a leak, but i have not tested for it yet. although i do not smell the freyon anywhere, the ez chill is supposed to help with the leaks, and i have not seen a drastic psi drop. i will check in the future any ways to double check.

So i have no idea what else it could be causing my ac to blow hot air...

i do have some mods, but i don't think that is causing it.

if you have any idea what it could be. it would be greatly appreciated.

Well time to take it to someone that has knowledge of vapor cycle cooling. From you list of parts it appears you do not and do not have the correct tools to diagnose. Do you have a real set a gauges to read the high side and the low side? When you replaced the compressor did you replace the receiver drier and evacuate the systems? Without those tools you will never be able to fix the system.

no i have not, i am a big nerd so learning it and diy is what i usually go to.

i probably will,

what tools do you recommend to diagnose? granted i will probably take it to someone, but if i can also get the knowledge of what to look out for and how to fix it; that would be dope haha.

First thing is go buy a set of gauges.

https://www.amazon.com/OrionMotorTec...dDbGljaz10cnVl

Congratulations, you've contaminated your system with leak sealer. Modern condensor cores have way smaller passages than the good 'ol stuff and get clogged by sealer. Now that you've made a mess of it, any pro you bring it to will need to solvent flush the system, increasing your costs significantly. Nevermind that any pro you bring it to will be weary of it since leak sealer can gum up the delicate valves in automatic machines or if your condenser is ever the same again.



You do not want to DIY A/C unless your idea of fun if buying expensive equipment. Do you have a gauge manifold? a refrigerant scale? a vacuum pump? now that you've contaminated the system, flushing equipment? and that's just for servicing. To find out what's wrong with it do you have a scan tool? contact thermometers, UV leak detection equipment? A nitrogen bottle?

thank you very much! lol gotta fuck up to learn right?

i just got a obd2 scanner and ordered the gauge that was recommended by the prior post. i was unaware of a sealant gumming out the ports. i dont mind buying expensive gear as long as it will help me further down the road and possibly others.

what procedures and results should i be wary of?

If the car was empty before you put that over-the-counter junk into it you could have charged it with nitrogen to look for leaks but now that it's full of junk you're SOL. You didn't even need to touch the refrigerant side to start diagnosis, a scan tool with OEM level data and a test light would have worked. Peek at the AC pressure, A/C request and clutch enable PIDs (those are not always available over generic EOBD) with the scan tool, that would have been 80% of the diagnosis work without even unscrewing the port caps.

But now you've touched it too much and IMO you're at an impass: You've got leak sealer and an unknown amount of oil in the system (from the compressor replacement if you didn't balance the oil quantity) and unknown system integrity. You can't empty it out to flush it for a lack of equipment and you can't dump it out to atmosphere because that's very illegal and very very bad, 1400x worse than CO2-bad.

Take it to a pro, at this point it needs it.

all the over-the-counter stuff has that leak crap in it. it needs to be taken to a shop to use their specialty machine to pull vacuum and refill with the standard stuff.

i don't even think the machines can be rented.

a/c stuff is really highly regulated. i was going to attempt to replace my own furnace and a/c on my house, but after looking into it, a self-install even with a/c certification voids all the equipment warranties, as well as potentially homeowners insurance, and mortgage policies, if they ever find out...

it's simply not worth the legal hassle they've made it to DIY

Hi ya, jomikeee and welcome to our forum - :clap:

I see where you have been schooled by a few of our members.

I can appreciate you wanting to DIY. HOWEVER, I have found that with some things, it's just better left up to the professionals. Messing with the refrigerated things (like, auto A/C, home A/C, freezers, refrigerators and the like) are examples.

Yep, back in the day, I did it all when it came to cars. However, that was before all that electronic, injected and computerized crap (and A/C) they started using to make them.

I suggest you stick to checking tire air pressure, checking and replacing fluids and maybe changing spark plugs (if you want some pain) :eyebulge:.

Enjoy your car.

;)

I've just suffered a condenser / heat exchanger damage to my AC system and potentially you could have that too as I can see no other logical part left unless the seals are leaking. It's an expensive fix, so be ready for it and take it to the professionals . You are lucky to not have R1234YF in it.

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Well in this case, it's not really a case of modern AC being harder to fix than old AC. Yes passages in components have gotten smaller, but AC has always been hard to repair correctly and the chemicals have always been bad. In 2022 someone should have no excuse for venting 134a DIYing their AC system, we're supposed to be smarter than that, just like we don't dump old oil on the ground anymore.

And you know, for an oil change, all you need is a bucket and a plastic funnel. For AC, you're looking at $1K of stuff buying the cheapest shit on amazon for the absolute most basic AC service, and in that pile of stuff you don't even have the refrigerant, for that you'll have to consider a 30 pound cylinder, which is what the good (unadulterated) stuff comes in.

I had the same issue - AC blowing hot air on my 2013 BRZ last year. Took it to an AC shop, and the guy said I just needed a refrigerant recharge. No leaks were found, but I don't use my AC often. He said to use it more often to circulate the coolant in the system. It took about half an hour and cost me about $100 total.

2013 to 2021, checks out. That's about the time frame where I see most cars with R134a lose enough charge from natural means (SAE fittings are designed to a 1/4oz per fitting per year loss tolerance) to stop working. I usually get these cars in, suck out the last 0.1 pound of gas, put 200PSI of nitrogen in 'em, and look for the pressure to drop while I go over the system with the UV light, Big Blu and a Snap-On Sonic Check over areas of concern. On that vintage of a car everything usually checks out and it's good to go for a recharge.

... Not when it's been messed with though lol