diagnosing an A/C not working? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

kiteman · 08-12-2023, 11:46 AM

2012 SS M6 65k miles, one owner (me).

never had an a/c problem until recently it went hot air on me. i recharged it with a can from autozone and two weeks later it was toast again. and using the gauge on the refill canister i can see the freon has no pressure, which means it must be a leak? does that automatically mean a hose or could it be something else? i do not think it is the blend door because from what i read if the heater works and as you back off from max heat the heat gets cooler, the blend door is working. i can move the dial from cold to hot and feel the difference throughout the spectrum, the AC just is leaking freon somewhere.

local mechanics want to charge $2-300 just to diagnose it on their own, i was hoping there may be some easy steps on my end to diagnose it first and see if it's something i can fix on my own. i know firestone does a $9.99 a/c check but i'm guessing that's probably a joke and they will just say "it's not working" rather than tell me what the problem actually is lol

thanks for any help!

bsn · 08-12-2023, 08:49 PM

Take a flashlight and look over the AC system a leak is indicated by an oil film. Once you repair the leak you need to replace the accumulator and add refrigerant oil then pull a vacuum on the system. Do not just keep adding freon-eventually you will lose all the oil and it will get real expensive quick. Bottom line is your better off letting a pro fix it.

Wizard1183 · 08-13-2023, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsn

Take a flashlight and look over the AC system a leak is indicated by an oil film. Once you repair the leak you need to replace the accumulator and add refrigerant oil then pull a vacuum on the system. Do not just keep adding freon-eventually you will lose all the oil and it will get real expensive quick. Bottom line is your better off letting a pro fix it.

Run die through it to find the leak. A UV light I believe is what they use?

redcoats1976 · 08-13-2023, 05:43 AM

firestone was able to diagnose the leak in mine right away,but it was the evaporator,under the dash and big money at the dealer because of the location.firestone didnt even want to touch it...

08-12-2023, 11:46 AM	#1
kiteman Drives: 2012 45th Camaro, 2SS/M6 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: At my computer Posts: 1,318	diagnosing an A/C not working? 2012 SS M6 65k miles, one owner (me). never had an a/c problem until recently it went hot air on me. i recharged it with a can from autozone and two weeks later it was toast again. and using the gauge on the refill canister i can see the freon has no pressure, which means it must be a leak? does that automatically mean a hose or could it be something else? i do not think it is the blend door because from what i read if the heater works and as you back off from max heat the heat gets cooler, the blend door is working. i can move the dial from cold to hot and feel the difference throughout the spectrum, the AC just is leaking freon somewhere. local mechanics want to charge $2-300 just to diagnose it on their own, i was hoping there may be some easy steps on my end to diagnose it first and see if it's something i can fix on my own. i know firestone does a $9.99 a/c check but i'm guessing that's probably a joke and they will just say "it's not working" rather than tell me what the problem actually is lol thanks for any help! Last edited by kiteman; 08-12-2023 at 12:57 PM.

08-12-2023, 08:49 PM	#2
bsn Drives: 2013 ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Virginia Posts: 302	Take a flashlight and look over the AC system a leak is indicated by an oil film. Once you repair the leak you need to replace the accumulator and add refrigerant oil then pull a vacuum on the system. Do not just keep adding freon-eventually you will lose all the oil and it will get real expensive quick. Bottom line is your better off letting a pro fix it.

08-13-2023, 05:43 AM	#4
redcoats1976 Drives: LT W/2LT,blue metallic Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: central florida Posts: 4,915	firestone was able to diagnose the leak in mine right away,but it was the evaporator,under the dash and big money at the dealer because of the location.firestone didnt even want to touch it...