[amullane]

I saw the thread about the transistor replacement but in those cases I think that the fan only worked at high speed. Mine is fine as it goes through the range of speed/volume as it always has, just no cold air.

As an aside the battery died a few weeks back (weather wasn't cold) and it had to be jump started. Since then the van has started fine. Is the lack of AC related to that issue as shortly after that my wife mentioned the no AC?

thanks.

 

[amullane]

any ideas? I hear a lot about rocks hitting the condenser. maybe I should check that.
screw the Ody. my 98 accord has been a lot less trouble.

 

[kbh]

Did it blow cold up until the battery event? If it has been gradually losing cooling capacity, you are likely low on refrigerant. You can get R134 at most auto stores and they come with a pressure gauge. There is a table on the can that tells you the appropriate pressure at a given ambient temperature. You attach the can to the LOW PRESSURE line under the hood (the bigger diameter metal hose) to read the pressure. Also check the condition of your cabin air filter. If it is severely clogged, the climate control temp sensor will not read well. My 2002 was low on refrigerant three years ago and I recharged it and it has been blowing cold since. If the cooling loss was sudden, check your fuses

Generally speaking, you should not leak refrigerant, and if you are low, there is likely a leak in the system. If the above doesn't make sense to you, get it checked by a mechanic. You can seriously injure yourself if you attach the refrigerant to the wrong (high pressure) line - refrigerant canister can explode

 

[amullane]

thanks kbh. not sure I want to try recharge the system if there's danger involved. I should check the cabin filter though as that's never been changed as far as I know.

 

[rdmchone]

wanted to follow up on this as I have a similar problem. We bought our 01 last July and it blew frigid cold air. they did tell us they had it topped off at the a few months prior. the other day i turned it on and it wouldnt get cold at all. think I need a top off? maybe a leak? should I spend the 200 bucks to have it dye tested for a leak and topped off? If there is a leak how much might that cost? I need to change the cabin filter as i do not think it ever has with 146,000 miles.

 

[mjody]

thanks kbh. not sure I want to try recharge the system if there's danger involved. I should check the cabin filter though as that's never been changed as far as I know.

Keep it simple. Check the cabin filter first, if plugged solid, you won't get cold air out the vents.
When you hit the a.c button, do you hear the compressor cutting in?
Check the coolant valve on the firewall to see if it moves.

 

[William Wiles]

A blocked cabin filter will not stop cold air, It stops all air. Lacking the knowledge of how it works and the dangers involved I suggest you take it to a good AC shop and let them diagnose the problem. Adding coolant without a good understanding of what you are doing is dangerous.

 

[mjody]

A blocked cabin filter will not stop cold air, It stops all air. Lacking the knowledge of how it works and the dangers involved I suggest you take it to a good AC shop and let them diagnose the problem. Adding coolant without a good understanding of what you are doing is dangerous.

Out of respect to you as a long timer here WW, I will refrain from being a smart azz.
An extremely dirty cabin filter will cause teh air out the vents to feel warm. I bought a used CRV a few years back and thought the a/c was inop. Compressor worked, but luke warm vent temps. Found the filter nearly plugged, changed it and ice cold a/c.
Think of being outside at temps near or slightly above freezing. Tolerable. Now add a 25 mprh wind, same ambient temp but you will feel much colder.
Also, check the coolant valve under the hood as I mentioned. If it sticks in the "hot" position, then it is not an a/c problem and does not require an "expert" a/c repair shop.

 

[rdmchone]

just got my air filter out. used a dremel to cut the plastic so it made easy work of it. 146,000 miles and never replaced so its nasty. hope this helps my problem. will report back. not putting a new one in yet as the stealership isnt open. but hope this saves a trip to the a/c shop!

 

[tnachamp]

rdmchone did you ever find out if changing the cabin filter was the problem? I too have an issue with the ac blowing warm air with all the low and high fans working. I tried replacing the transistor assembly with info i got from searching other posts. Unfortunately i was not of the lucky ones that succeeded with such an easy fix. I'm boggled and do not want to go to the shop and get ripped off. If anyone has any suggestions i would very much appreciate and kind of advice! Thanks in advance!!!

 

[rdmchone]

it did help A LITTLE it felt a little cooler but not cool enough. I ended up taking it to my mechanic who did an tune up on the AC cost about 171 with tax and everything. No leaks can be seen yet. I think it helped a little and was worth the work to change it regardless of the outcome of the AC.

 

[rdmchone]

Oh and they did find 2 motor mounts were bad. knew that from the feeling in shifting out of park. going to change them next month. oh joys.