jami1

i already spent enough money but now seem to have more questions than answers.

I am writtin this to see if there is any in nj,pa area that knows about lexus ac systems..

i got this car in march, it worked nice and still does has 218000 miles on it now.. no check engine lights it any thing like that.

the Ac worked perfectly.. i took it to several mechanics, ac light is not blinking, an at first ac was working, but now does not seem to blow cold air. i had it filled with freon, r134a. Then the compressor started to make lots of noises and noticed the belt starting to slip.. Tach moving up and down rapidly, and the car jerking... A few mechanics told me it was the compressor clutch going. So i had the compressor changed last week..

After compressor was changed it did not kick on at first i guess cause the system was completely empty.

i added one 18 oz can of freon, and it worked.. but it was cooler out like 74 degrees.
now today it was much warmer ,and no cool air... warm air..
compressor is working though. Is one 18oz can enough?

where else can the problem be? if its not the compressor? Mechanic tells me condensor and dryer look fine.

i am trying not to spend any more money than what i have to...
please help.. willing to have you look at it if you are close..

jami1

97 Es300 218000 miles

mdbrown

Who changed the compressor and why didn't he evacuate and recharge the system properly?

jami1

he removed all the freon out and installed compressor... compressor now works, and defroster actually works... windows do not fog up any more.. but.. it does not blow cold enough air.

he told me i was going to need one 18oz.. but someone else tells me i need two 18 oz cans.

he only charged me $60 to evacuate the system and put in the compressor he said i can add freon later on.

mdbrown

Sounds like a shade tree mechanic. You need to find the exact amount for your year car. Evacuate the system and then add the proper amount. Did he even bother to measure the amount of oil that was in the old compressor so you can add only that back in? I would venture a guess that 36 oz. is probably a bit too much. Understand that this is a closed system, depending on ambient temp hi side pressure is around 250 psi and low side around 60. If you overcharge and have too much oil then it will blow the pop off valve if these have one. If they don't then it's going to find the weakest point and vacate. At the very least and overcharged system will not cool very well. Before you do anything else hook gauges up and find out what your pressure readings are and make sure you know the ambient temperature.

HomerJay

The first step would be hooking up an A/C gauges and checking high and low side pressure readings. Without doing so you are only guessing.

hypervish

You need to first recover whatever freon is in the system, then hook up a vacuum for at least 30 minutes. After that you can add freon using a refrigerant scale.

That is the proper way to add freon, not by using those cans they sell at an Auto Parts store.

jami1

So today it was almost 86 degrees here in philly. I started the car thinking it was going to blow warm air.. and to my surprise the AC started working it was blowing cool air. I went to my mechanic and added another can of freon... PRessure gauge said low side was 50-60 PSI. He added one small can. I added an 18 oz can 2 days before..

Now this is the thing, after I added the can, the compressor started to work. defroster started work , but .. no cool air.. then after the next day it started blowing cool air..

yesterday it did not work.. but today, it started working, AFter he added the can of freon it got colder.. for about 40 minutes. then .compressor stopped. and air went cool but not as cold..

I am begining to think it is the expansion valve. he thinks it might be a relay, but AC light is not flashing. He is asking me for a schematic of ES300 AC system.. to see where the problem is.

After doing a little research of my own I am thinking it could be the expansion valve.. but still not sure... He could not find any leaks any where. and AC seems to be working one day, and then another day it wil not .. regardless of what temp outside.

I am going to get someone to hook up guages on it when its stops to see what pressure readings are... Any one cloes to philly?

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Honestly, go see someone that has a real machine, you keep saying 'cans', which leads me to believe your mech. is some small time dude with a penny pinching budget for his shop.

Go see someone with this thing; and not some Fisher Price setups.


Without doing things right the first time, aka seeing a REAL mechanic with proper equipment, you'll keep playing the guessing game with the PepBoys fixes.

The electrical side seems fine, as it is kicking in. The lines should be fine otherwise a leak would kill the freon quicker than normal.

hypervish

+1, to everything!

You need to find a qualified mechanic.

R1R

It is the expansion valve. I had the same exact problem for over a year. It is a common problem on the 3rd Gen ES. I had it fixed by a local mechanic for around $600, the dealer wanted $1,200. My mechanic also changed the evaporator and dryer as well. The A/C works awesome now.

jami1

I agree, i have not had the money or time to take it to a mechanic and have them diagnose it with the machine, but.. today something happened...

i was doing a lot of research on my own... i really love the car.. it rides better than a lot of newer cars. my friends all own newer cars, and they are making payments on in it...

i was reading someone with an older es300, where his ac would work sometimes and sometimes it would not regardless of weather. when it would work it would work great. but for 10-30 minutes.. then it would blow warm air.. he also mentioned fog building up on the windows..

today this very same thing started happening.. there is rain storm here in philly, ac worked great for a while, then started blowing fog, i turned it off. i also noticed that when it was blowing fog,
the compressor was not running.

i am pretty sure now its the expansion valve. what kills me is that i am in philly and no one seems to know this car. i tell them about expansion valve and they are like what is that?

and the people that do know, want a great deal of money to get to it. my own mechanic wants a schematic of it because he does not know where it is...

So i guess i have to deal with the HEAT for a while longer ;(

BDSL

There is a pressure range in which the AC will work. You have to get a gauge.

R1R

You you have take apart the lower passenger side of the dash. People want so much money because the labor is so ridiculous. It is a very painful expense, but my car is blowing like 20 something degree's F so it was sooooooo worth it to get fixed. I live in the South too, so I had to have it repaired. Try to find a mechanic who knows about Lexus models.

mdbrown

Don't rip into the dash until you know what's going on. There are too many things that can cause the issue you have. First thing I'd recommend is that you find a real mechanic who knows what he's doing.