ac cycling issues
03-08-2017, 04:03 PM
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Car: 88 firebird convertible
Engine: 305 tbi v8
ac cycling issues
Ok guys so, here's what he's doing:
compressor Was cycling on and off, 2 sec on, 2 off. And so on.
Check freon level, as per the gauge from the r134 retro kit that comes with a bottle, it would bounce between safe and warning .
So, I took some out, unplugged compressor, level said safe. Plugged compressor back in, now it won't click on.
I over fill purposely (slightly) and it starts to do the cycling.
Still blowing warm.
Idk how super accurate these gauges are, but I've had this one for years and have used it on many cars, so I do trust it's reading.
My ac use to work til I parked him and didn't activate the ac for a long wHile. (It was winterish in Miami)
Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!
compressor Was cycling on and off, 2 sec on, 2 off. And so on.
Check freon level, as per the gauge from the r134 retro kit that comes with a bottle, it would bounce between safe and warning .
So, I took some out, unplugged compressor, level said safe. Plugged compressor back in, now it won't click on.
I over fill purposely (slightly) and it starts to do the cycling.
Still blowing warm.
Idk how super accurate these gauges are, but I've had this one for years and have used it on many cars, so I do trust it's reading.
My ac use to work til I parked him and didn't activate the ac for a long wHile. (It was winterish in Miami)
Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!
03-08-2017, 07:54 PM
#2
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Car: Yes
Engine: Usually
Transmission: Sometimes
Axle/Gears: Behind me somewhere
Re: ac cycling issues
EFFF the gauge.
Put refrigerant in until it quits cycling. Then put in a little more. Since it doesn't materialize out of nowhere, i.e. however much you put in there NOW, there'll be less tomorrow, still less the day after, etc., until some day in the measurable future, it'll be down to the point it'll start cycling again. Or not working at all as the case may be. Always fill a leaking A/C system a bit past "ideal" for this reason. The operative concept being, A BIT... don't go overboard. You still gotta maintain it somewhat every so often.
Put refrigerant in until it quits cycling. Then put in a little more. Since it doesn't materialize out of nowhere, i.e. however much you put in there NOW, there'll be less tomorrow, still less the day after, etc., until some day in the measurable future, it'll be down to the point it'll start cycling again. Or not working at all as the case may be. Always fill a leaking A/C system a bit past "ideal" for this reason. The operative concept being, A BIT... don't go overboard. You still gotta maintain it somewhat every so often.
03-11-2017, 05:10 PM
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Re: ac cycling issues
There's no such thing as a "cycle sensor".
There IS however, a low pressure cutoff switch, which, when the pressure on the cold / suction / low pressure / gas side of the system goes TOO low, usually as a direct result of too little refrigerant, it cuts the power to the compressor to prevent damage.
It CAN go bad, but it doesn't require any particular effort to change it. It's on the side of the accumulator/dryer (big aluminum can thing) with 2 green wires on its plug. Unplug it, unscrew it, installation is the reverse of removal. Takes less than 15 seconds if you're slow like me, but since you're obviously faster, you can probably do it quicker. No refrigerant is lost (well, not more than a handful of molecules... let's say, not enough to make any detectable difference) during the process.
But it VIRTUALLY NEVER fails. Note that I said VIRTUALLY; I do recall I heard somewhere about somebody that had one that went bad, specifically by leaking, but out of all the thousands of others I've ever come into contact with, ... no.
Put refrigerant in your system. Don't worry about that ... other.
Fill it until it quits cycling, and then however much is left in your last can, then put that in too. Run the engine at relatively high speed (2500 - 3000 RPM) for a few seconds at the end, to empty that last can as much as it can be emptied. 99.99999% chance that'll fix your "cycling" issue.
There IS however, a low pressure cutoff switch, which, when the pressure on the cold / suction / low pressure / gas side of the system goes TOO low, usually as a direct result of too little refrigerant, it cuts the power to the compressor to prevent damage.
It CAN go bad, but it doesn't require any particular effort to change it. It's on the side of the accumulator/dryer (big aluminum can thing) with 2 green wires on its plug. Unplug it, unscrew it, installation is the reverse of removal. Takes less than 15 seconds if you're slow like me, but since you're obviously faster, you can probably do it quicker. No refrigerant is lost (well, not more than a handful of molecules... let's say, not enough to make any detectable difference) during the process.
But it VIRTUALLY NEVER fails. Note that I said VIRTUALLY; I do recall I heard somewhere about somebody that had one that went bad, specifically by leaking, but out of all the thousands of others I've ever come into contact with, ... no.
Put refrigerant in your system. Don't worry about that ... other.
Fill it until it quits cycling, and then however much is left in your last can, then put that in too. Run the engine at relatively high speed (2500 - 3000 RPM) for a few seconds at the end, to empty that last can as much as it can be emptied. 99.99999% chance that'll fix your "cycling" issue.
