My wife has a 2016 chevy traverse the diver side blows cooler air than the passenger side and rear, but if it close to 80 or hotter outside it all blows warm air, any ideas on a solution
Sounds like it’s running on a low charge. You can add a little using a bottle from an auto store. Don’t let the pressure go above 40 psi with the AC running. See if that fixes your issue. Now here’s the kicker. If the system leaked freon, even a small amount over a period of time then it possibly got air and humidity into the system as well. Running an AC system like that long term will destroy the compressor. If adding a little fixes the issue plan on having the system evacuated and re-charged professionally.
I would definitely start by recharging the system. If it goes back to similar behavior, you'll want to check for leaks. But recharge it first and see if that fixes the issue.
Auto AC always seems like one of the most enigmatic systems in the entire car. Maybe second only to hybrid systems. I’d feel comfortable tinkering on just about any other part. Maybe because so much of it is under the dash where it’s a major chore just to get access.
Maybe one day I’ll see if the community college offers a course in it
If you don't know exactly what you are doing, you can really mess up some things working on HVAC. Even when you do know exactly what you are doing, as you said, most of the time you're pretty much disassembling the entire dash to get at the issue. Not my idea of a good time.
If you try to recharge the system, be extremely careful when you do. The system's designed to use only a specific weight of refrigerant, and it must be that amount. This is somewhat difficult when there's still refrigerant inside, so you need to know the exact ambient temperature and an R-134a pressure vs temperature chart to tell when it's full. Overcharging can blow things up at worst, or cause the system to not cool properly at best. Get a full set of manifold gauges, they're about $60 at Harbor Freight, or you could rent a set. Don't get one of those cans at the auto parts store with the low side gauge on it and just add R134a, the hose will put moisture and air into the system and moisture can corrode stuff. You need to know the high side pressure, that's where most of the pressure danger comes from.
When you get refrigerant, get just straight refrigerant, or some with UV leak dye. Rubber seal conditioners are fine, but don't put any kind of stop leak in. Those can destroy the whole system, and most shops won't touch it if it's been used. If you think there's a leak in the dash, you can easily find it by purchasing or renting a refrigerant sniffer instead of guessing on dash work. They beep when they detect refrigerant in the vents. Pretty neat tech.
I overhauled the non-functional air conditioning system in my 22 year old Ranger last year after studying up for two weeks and combining knowledge from engineering school, Scotty taught this subject very well from a practicality standpoint. I bought my own vacuum pump and manifold gauges when I did mine. I had a lot of fun doing it, normally this kind of thing should be done by professionals, but if you have a good head for technicalities and paying attention, you should be good to go. I enjoyed doing it so much, sometimes I consider doing it as a business, haha.
i put a squirt of refrigerant in a beater corolla yesterday, AC Pro, worked
just a squirt to get it into the green, i dont think that it has had any added in 16 years, which is amazing, toyota rocks
