Blavatsky

Last year my A/C was not working so I got it charged...had a leak so I had to take it back, get that fixed, charge again...hundreds of dollars later but car was cool.
This year, as soon as the temps hit 85+ it conked out again. I tried to charge with no luck...took it to a shop, said my schrader valve was messed up; replaced that , evac, recharge......seemed ok.
Problem is ..... it seems to take a long time (10+ minutes) to cool down, and when it does it's just not as cold as I think it should be. In comparing it to a 93 Acura Legend, 2000 Tacoma and a 96 Nissan minivan, it seems to be the weakest A/C. What gives? Anyone else have this problem? Maybe something else is still wrong?

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

on my 93, my a/c takes like 10-20 seconds or so and it just comes out cold. but im starting to hear a whine when i accelerate at low speeds, so i think my compressor is starting to go.

omarg

I heard whining is normal. I hope it is. here's what mine sounds like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Ub_Wa9CMA

My AC is still Ice cold. But i do feel quite a drain on power when its on compared to off. But thats true with alot of older cars.

I think my AC will be fine. Its been doin this for almost as long as i've owned it.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

yea i seen ur video before lol, i dunno if its that loud since im inside the cabin. but i hope its normal, did u ever get urs fixed?

Iansaltes

Mine just started to do that and I hate the noise!! Haha oh well... I'll see how much life this compressor has left

Omar, how long has yours been making that noise?

EastWind

my AC is not working, and it needs to be charged, but I was told it needs to be converted. Is it hard or/and expensive to do?

jdmacken

I have a 1990 LS400 and I also had AC problems. I converted to 134a and I wish I did not. R12 is much colder.

omarg

my ac has been whining for about a year and a half. My car has the most mileage of all our LS400's. its also the loudest!

I really do hope its ok and not dying. I'll ask a my mechanic to recharge my system. I'm just gonna pray for the best.

Besides the obvious, are there any other symptoms of a failing compressor?

Blavatsky

Does it get that cold when it's really hot, like 85 plus? I've noticed the temp outside making a big difference...was 80 the other day and the A/C got really cold fast, but other days seems weak. This is on a 99 btw...I don't think it's the compressor...maybe that relatively cheap evaporator/dryer that is like $50 and is behind the headlight?

savanna13

<<has 226k. I just charged mine and replaced some o-rings and fittings, and it's ICE cold.

The only problem is that when I first turn the car on, the AC green light flashes and it does not blow cold. I turn the AC off completely, wait a few, and turn it back on: Steady light and cold AC.

What gives?

Blavatsky

^ Weird...don't know about the flashing light.
Yeah, I just had it charged with a couple new fittings so something else may be up.

jmblimo

iTrader: (1)

The flashing light is telling you there is a problem with the system. Mine did that when the compressor locked up and wasn't turning.

REELhybrid

does it mean anything if the defroster light blinks when the battery is reconnected?

Nohawk Lex

iTrader: (5)

my A/C works fine but it smells like sneeze...I have a 90 and I thought converting to R134 would fix it but its still the same. It only has that smell when I have the A/C on. also I noticed that my car does not leave drops of water like a normal A/C would do.

jdmacken

There is a rubber tube drain that goes from the ac evaporator to outside under the front passenger side of the car. Look for it under the passenger feet area under the car. Try unclogging it with a 6" to 8" piece of something. Once onclogged there is a product called Frigi Fresh that kills the bacteria that has formed in there (the smell). The pros use it and it works.

http://www.bgprod.com/products/climatecontrol.html

I also have a 1990 Ls400. Sometimes you have to hit with frigifresh a couple of times. There is a technique where you drill a little hole into the fan compartment just in font of the evaporator to apply the frigifresh to circulate through then it drains out the condensation drain (I did this). My evaporator went bad because of the build up and then corrosion set in giving me my ac leak. I replaced my AC evaporator , O rings, dryer etc. I would first try to get the drain to work then use the frigifresh. Once mine was cleaned I didn't have to use since.