only recently my truck has begun blowing warmer air at idle than when driving ... used to be a steady coooooold ... now ... not so much

since i do a lot of city driving and i'm typically sitting at a light ... this is a problem ... ideas on what the culprit is?

 

has it gotten hotter there lately?

 

At idle, the A/C compressor is turning more slowly....

also check to make sure the condenser fan isrunning with the a/c on and thecondenser coilisn't overly restricted by dead bugs, paper, grit, etc...

 

Mine is not very good at idle either. Make sure you have it on recycle inside air and not pull from outside.

 

yes it's gotten hotter here ... south texas heat [:'(]... but last summer it would run so cold that i found myself actually not having to constantly drive around with it on max

condenser fan??? no it's not overly clogged with bugs and what not

yes i have it on recycle

 

You probably have the same problem that most of us have here in South Florida. Since we run our AC year round we have to charge it more frequently. I have been down here getting my vehicles taken care of every 2 - 3 years.

Take your truck to a shop and I will bet that you are a little lite on frion.

 

dont just ad refrigerant, check the level, and clean your condenser anyway. You wouldnt believe how crucial that actually is.

 

Hi HansonHVAC.
Can you please give me a heads up on where the condenser coil is please and how to check the freon level?
Thanks.
Al.

 

The coil looks like a small radiator in the front of the truck. Follow the lines from the compressor to it. On my truck it just to theright of the radiator if you are looking at the front. Not sure where it is on yours, but it will be in front near your radiator somewhere. To check the freon level you will need the an HVAC guage to hook up to your schrader valves. Find out how many pounds you should have in you truck to compare to and check the guages. If you don't have these guages, or you don't really understand what I am talking about, most AC shops will do a free inspection then charge you like $40 to charge you freon and clean your coils. Also, unless you have an EPA certification card for HVAC, most places will not even sell you a set of guages. On top of that, they can get pricey and not really worth it unless you plan on taking care of several cars, houses, and coolers. Mine is hanging on the wall and I have only used them maybe 3 times.

 

Hmm - they sell a nice looking set of gauges at the local Auto Zone for around $65. I tried the all-in-one can + tube last weekend to see if my AC was charged properly. The fitting (like the connection on air tools) would never seal so I just ended up losing freon in the attempt. I tried it on my truck and my car - both wouldn't work. And yes, I was on the low side!

A friend said it was just the crappy cheap setup and the "real" gauge setup would work fine. The cost of the gauges and a can of freon is still cheaper than paying a shop to add a couple of pounds, and I can do it myself any time in the future. I'm still thinking about trying it.