Ac is cool Summer is HOT question

[xaeniac]

I was wondering my ac is blowing pretty cool and I have a gauge that tells me the freon level. I think it's so HOT the a/c can not keep up. The freon level is good, but if I was to get the refrigerant changed at an AC shop would this help by having new refrigerant put in there?

 

[boomerang]

An automotive A/C system can only cool the air x number of degrees below ambient temperature. I'm sorry, but I don't remember the figure any longer. It's a physics thing.

So yes, it's entirely possible that you are getting as much cooling as is possible. Changing your refrigerant is neither needed or required. It may however be low. Whatever gauge you have will show a different value depending on the outdoor temperature.

Your car will have a recirculate position on the A/C controls. When set on recirculate, a far greater percentage of cabin air will be recirculated through the A/C evaporator in comparison to the intake of outside air. It's easier to cool already cooled air that air at outside temperature. This will allow for a lower output temp than during normal operation.

Only a shop will be able to tell you if you need more refrigerant by using a set of gauges.

Hope this helps.

 

[RU482]

what maintenance is required for AC?

Do you have to replace/refresh the R134a or the lubricant at a certain interval?

 

[bruceb]

None under normal conditions. Only things you can do to improve the performance is be sure both the car radiator and the ac condenser fins are clean of any leaves or debris. And be sure your cars engine fan is coming on when it should be. Most cars are electric fans now and the computer should turn them ON when the AC is on and also when coolant temp gets to a specific spot, usually around 200 to 210 degrees.
You can add an extra fan in front of the AC condenser with it set to Push air towards the condenser. That will improve the cooling somewhat.
And most ac systems can not reduce the temp by more than about 20 degrees. This is true even in a home ac unit.

 

[Ronstang]

The refrigerant does not go bad. As long as your system is sealed and does not leak it should be fine. If your charge level is adequate but the temperature at the vents is not correct then you have a different issue. You really need to have the proper set of gauges, not just one of those quick fill type you buy at the auto parts store, if you are going to do any real diagnosis. Like boomerang said with every AC system there is only so much delta T it is going to be able to achieve which means it will be able to cool only x degrees below ambient. If your delta T is 30 degress then you can only get 70 degrees when it is 100 degrees outside. Even if your vents are blowing at 40 degrees it does not necessarily mean it will cool the car down sufficiently if the heat penetration is faster than the system can cool. Tinting the windows makes a huge difference in this situation.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Tinting the windows makes a huge difference in this situation.

Be aware that some tinting is better than others at preventing heat penetration. The better it is at blocking/reflecting IR, the cooler the car will be. Darker tints are necessarily better at blocking IR.

 

[cheesehead]

Have a mechanic poke at it. You might just have a bad gauge.

 

[xaeniac]

Ok I went out when it was like a 100 degrees and it was low about 20-25, plus upon further investigating @ 100 degrees it should be between 40 - 45 on the gauge. I added some more and it is blowing colder and you can notice a huge increase.