Compressor problem or leaky ECU caps?
09-25-15, 11:55 AM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Compressor problem or leaky ECU caps?
1995 LS400, 252K miles. Suffers from PTSD due to trauma inflicted by prior owner.
I got the air conditioning working again after installing a new condenser (old one had a hole in it), pulling a vacuum for 30 minutes and recharging with the required amount of oil and refrigerant. The compressor is working, and the cabin cools appropriately. There's a slight whine when the compressor is operating, but it's not noticeable in the cabin--just outside the car, especially with the hood open.
But when that thing kicks on, the idle doubles. My tach is sitting at around 5-600 after warmup, but the compressor takes it to 1000 or even a little more. The idle is lower at a stop in gear, but still close to double what it is with the compressor off. No other car I've ever owned has had such a pronounced idle response to the compressor, and it makes me wonder if there's something wrong with it. Pressures are all in range. I overcharged it initially but brought it back down into the green.
The car is 20 years old and shows signs of neglect. I would highly doubt that the ECU capacitors folks have been posting about have ever been changed. I've been planning on doing that anyway, if for no other reason than people rave about what it does, but I was wondering if the caps could be part of this problem. On a side note, although I complain about the prior owner my dumb @ss connected my battery charger in reverse a few weeks ago, which blew an alternator, a battery and a bunch of fuses.
Other than the ECU caps, are there any other culprits I should be looking for? Is the compressor itself maybe on its last legs?
I got the air conditioning working again after installing a new condenser (old one had a hole in it), pulling a vacuum for 30 minutes and recharging with the required amount of oil and refrigerant. The compressor is working, and the cabin cools appropriately. There's a slight whine when the compressor is operating, but it's not noticeable in the cabin--just outside the car, especially with the hood open.
But when that thing kicks on, the idle doubles. My tach is sitting at around 5-600 after warmup, but the compressor takes it to 1000 or even a little more. The idle is lower at a stop in gear, but still close to double what it is with the compressor off. No other car I've ever owned has had such a pronounced idle response to the compressor, and it makes me wonder if there's something wrong with it. Pressures are all in range. I overcharged it initially but brought it back down into the green.
The car is 20 years old and shows signs of neglect. I would highly doubt that the ECU capacitors folks have been posting about have ever been changed. I've been planning on doing that anyway, if for no other reason than people rave about what it does, but I was wondering if the caps could be part of this problem. On a side note, although I complain about the prior owner my dumb @ss connected my battery charger in reverse a few weeks ago, which blew an alternator, a battery and a bunch of fuses.
Other than the ECU caps, are there any other culprits I should be looking for? Is the compressor itself maybe on its last legs?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
