Help, no AC!

[gmhitec]

[SIZE="4"]Ok so I by/passed the heater core because of blend door, have not drove the car for a couple of weeks.
Now today NO (&^%$#@$%^) AC!
Compressor and belt are fine turns on and off like it should, but no cooling at all. I thought the compressor would not run if it was low? Clogged orifice vale?
Any ideas? Blower works on all speeds but no cold air on floor, dash vents, or defrost?

[lemontwist]

if the blend door is broken and laying in the hot position then you won't have ac. i suggest you do the blend door hack fix.the blend door is less than 20 bucks
https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-15-51...2165825&sr=8-1

[gmhitec]

Originally Posted by lemontwist

if the blend door is broken and laying in the hot position then you won't have ac. i suggest you do the blend door hack fix.the blend door is less than 20 bucks
https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-15-51...2165825&sr=8-1

It will block all AC cool air on both sides?
Oh great, I was hoping to get through the summer before tacking that nasty job.

[lemontwist]

IMO it's not that hard to fix. i took my dash out to do my heater core.now that was a JOB!
i know it's HOT in fla. good luck with the repair.

[InFiD3ViL]

Nah, if bypassed you should be getting cold(er) air, assuming refrigerant levels are correct. With the lines bypassed you are getting no hot coolant through that core at all.

These cars use an expansion valve system, so it is possible yours is clogged or has malfunctioned. They are rather easy to change IF that is your issue. It is located to the left of your brake booster behind the main AC lines/low pressure port in the firewall.

I would first suggest you get a pressure gauge/manifold onto your low/high side ports and check your pressures before you start throwing parts and money at it.

For my car, low side is usually between 30-45 psi and high side between 170-260 (highly dependent on ambient temp and humidity), with AC set to MAX and Recirculate. There are charts you can Google for that will tell you approximately where your high side pressure should be based on temp/humidity.

[lemontwist]

i hate to armchair mechanic. i have had that whole setup apart while my blend door didn't break i replaced it while i was doing my heater-core.no matter what if the door is broke on the hot side it is not going to cool,with the bypass he won't have heat but he will hardly have cool. one way or the other the blend door is going to have to be fixed just bite the bullet and fix it..... i can attest to no A/C SUCKS! i did my condenser this weekend and just driving 20 minutes to my friends to use his a/c machine was not a joyful ride.the ride back as SWEET!

[gmhitec]

Thx for all the education, I thought with the heater core by/pass I would be ok through the summer. I have access to the equipment to check high and low pressure, will ck that and order the blend door.

[Camaro2ss2010]

As previously stated google T/P (temperature/pressure) chart for r-134a and you will be able to see what your pressures should be based on the ambient temperature.

[lemontwist]

Originally Posted by gmhitec

Thx for all the education, I thought with the heater core by/pass I would be ok through the summer. I have access to the equipment to check high and low pressure, will ck that and order the blend door.

[joekono]

This blend door thing is just terrifying!!!!

[Dogmeat]

Originally Posted by joekono

This blend door thing is just terrifying!!!!

Not if you take time to review all the pointers on this site, and check wif youtube, etc...UNLESS you're NOT mechanically inclinded, and don't have tools or a place to do it, then it probby is terrifying....for YOU!!

[joekono]

Originally Posted by Dogmeat

Not if you take time to review all the pointers on this site, and check wif youtube, etc...UNLESS you're NOT mechanically inclinded, and don't have tools or a place to do it, then it probby is terrifying....for YOU!!

That's what's so terrifying about it. I AM mechanically inclined!.

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by lemontwist

i hate to armchair mechanic. i have had that whole setup apart while my blend door didn't break i replaced it while i was doing my heater-core.no matter what if the door is broke on the hot side it is not going to cool,with the bypass he won't have heat but he will hardly have cool. one way or the other the blend door is going to have to be fixed just bite the bullet and fix it..... i can attest to no A/C SUCKS! i did my condenser this weekend and just driving 20 minutes to my friends to use his a/c machine was not a joyful ride.the ride back as SWEET!

He had stated it was working after he had bypassed it. I just figured that it is very unlikely to move into fully closed position, especially with the way these blend doors break. But obviously it's not out of the realm of possibility, and after some of the nightmares we deal with on these cars I have learned not to discount anything lol.

But I agree especially with just biting the bullet and fixing it. It took me around 2 hours total doing the hack n slash method. I used a multi tool and cut nice clean lines and then sealed it with Flex Tape. While I absolutely hated doing that to my car, I can take comfort knowing it will never be seen unless looking for it, and also that I can now change out a blend door in a half hour if it happens again.

But I would still check pressures first just in case.

Edit: Is your low pressure side port/tube getting cold?