AC is not cooling?

Hello,

It sounds like you have a mode door actuator that is not working. Here is a guide to help you see what you are in for when doing the job and diagrams below to help you find the location for your car:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-blend-door-motor

Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.

Cheers, Ken

My car does not have an blend door actuator. It has a rod that slides from one side to the other. When it is all the way to the left it is in the AC mode when it is slide all the way to the right it is in the heat mode. It has some kind of band that moves it from one side to the other. I am guessing that the band, cable are what ever it is has broken or came loose. It use to slide from one side to the other without a problem, But now it is on the left side and will not move to the right side. I am thinking that it is not always to the left in AC mode and is allowing heat in , and I believe this is why the AC is not working right. What I need to know is how to remove instrument cover over it , so I can put the band back on or replace it Please send me something to help me see how to do this. Thanks.

You have a common issue with that vintage. There are two clamps that hold the cable outer housing in place so the inner core can move the mix/blend door. Those clips loosen and fall off or they break the tabs that they snap over and the cable gets loose. You move the lever and the inner core moves the outer housing instead of the blend door.
You can see the clamps in the images attached. The common culprit is the one on the blend door end, but I have seen both ends come loose at one time or another.
There are a couple versions used, one had the lever the other used a dial that moved the lever behind it, the cable set up is the same for both.

You should be able to see the heater end of the cable looking up under the dash. (first picture) That is the end the clamps like to fail on. If the clamp is missing you can get them from a dealer, but check that the tab it goes on is there first. If it is broke you can do the common crossed zip tie repair to hold the cable in place. I do both myself, and have been known to apply some double sided tape as well.

If you need to remove the control head, you need to remove the radio, cruise/moonroof switches, dash/dimmer switch, rear defrost. Then the 6? (I think, may be 8 depending on dash version) screws that hold the trim and heater controls in place. Remove the connectors and the control can be accessed.

I fixed the mix blend problem. I replaced the condenser, compressor and dryer with new ones. It is still blowing warm air. What is the problem now?

What was the blend door problem? Bad clip bad cable or? When you repaired it did you adjust it to fully close on cold? What are your pressures on the system?

It had bad cable, it seems to be closing fully. As for as the pressures go I do not have pro meters, I used meter that came from Walmart that says not to fill past the green zone do not go into red zone. So I filled it as close to red zone as possible without going into it. This made my car run rough so I used a screwdriver to push the valve in and release pressure until the car was running normal again and the line was still cold to the touch.

See if you can borrow a set of gauges, some of the parts stores have them as loaner tools. That way you can actually see what the low and high sides are. Did you vacuum the system down after you replaced the parts? If not the air and moisture in the system will cause problems as it will compress. They sometimes have vacuum pumps as loaner tools as well.
Did you also add oil to the system? The "it made the car run rough" may mean that the compressor is damaged if it got slugged with R134A or oil. The pressures would at least show if the charge is correct and if the compressor is working.

Here is a guide that can help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/re-charge-an-air-conditioner-system

You can get a set from Amazon for $36.00

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079GP1YM1/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=2carprcom-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B079GP1YM1&linkId=36f5c311d82fc4facc6c3ca69295cebe

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken

I had the compressor, condenser and dryer installed by a mechanic. I watched him do the work. He never vacuum the system down. I noticed he had a problem with the line that connects to the compressor. He used a long steel rod to reach the connection and kelp beating on the rod with a hammer, I though maybe he was having a hard time getting it to seal. When he was through he told me it had 45 pounds of pressure an was good to go. I checked to see how cool it was getting and I told him it is no cooling very well. He told me not to worry that was normal and would start cooling after it ran for awhile. Well, it never got any better that is the reason I went to Walmart's and bought some Freon that came with a meter to add more Freon to see if that would help, and you know the rest of the story. Did I over do it or do you think that the mechanic not vacuum system is the problem ? P.S. The compressor came with a bottle of oil and o-ring seals the mechanic put the whole bottle of oil in the compressor. I had read instructions and they said put part of oil in compressor the rest in lines.

Sounds like the "mechanic" does not know AC work. If he did not vacuum the system down that is one problem, then the way he added the oil is a good way to destroy the compressor the first time it starts is another. The line issue is another.
As for the "well it will get better once it runs a while" nope. The only part of that which is true would be that it will not be at its coldest output until the duct work is cooled down, which may take a few minutes if the vehicle is setting in the sun. The easy way to measure that is to use a simple thermometer. You put it in the center outlet, AC on high and max output. The temperature should be between 20 and 30 degrees colder than the ambient temperature. Larger the drop is the better the system is working.

Why were those parts changed out? If it was due to a compressor internal failure and the system was not flushed and tested it may have material from the failure blocking parts of the evaporator core or the expansion valve. The good thing about this car is those parts are easy to remove. See the two later images.

My suggestion would be to use a gauge set to check the pressures first, that will tell you if the compressor is still okay or not. Then recover the R134A that is in the system and vacuum it down. Hold it at full vacuum for at least an hour to pull the moisture and air out of the system, then close the valves and be sure it will hold vacuum. If it holds great, if it leaks the first place I would check would be the line he had trouble with. Then vacuum again if you had to do any repairs. If it holds vacuum. Recharge the system by weight, in this case 22 ounces of R134A while watching the pressures.
If the system is functioning properly it should be showing the 20-30 degree drop.

The first step in all cases will be to use a gauge set to see if the compressor is still okay. You would connect the gauge set to the high and low ports. Then with the AC on max you look at what the pressures are and compare them. Ideally you want to see pressures as shown in the attached image.

This does give a lot of good information on how the system works and using the gauges.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/re-charge-an-air-conditioner-system

You asked why all these AC parts were replaced. The answer to that is that the AC was not cooling and I decided to just go ahead and replace everything so I could be sure it would be fixed. But I thought this mechanic knew what he was doing. I was concerned when he took and poured this whole container of oil in the new compressor, since I knew that was not what the instructions said to do, but I told myself it would be alright after all he was the mechanic and knew what he was doing. I was having some doubts about that when I saw him beating on a fitting with a hammer. He did use some pro looking gauges when he checked the pressure and said it was at 45% But like I said he did not vacuum system. Do you think I should confront him about not doing a proper job or not ? Are do you think I should I should get someone else to redo the job that does AC work. Since I am a little afraid that if I try it , I might make it worse.

The correct amount of oil is crucial to the operation of the system too much oil will cause non cooling issues. Also, the system must be vacuumed down to remove all moisture. I would take it to a different shop to have them look at it or you can follow this guide.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/re-charge-an-air-conditioner-system

Please run down this guide and report back.

Cheers, Ken

Okay, that should rule out crud in the system. As Ken says pulling a vacuum is a crucial step for a couple reasons. One is that air in the system will compress differently than R134A and it will greatly reduce the cooling ability because of that. Second is that air contains moisture and drawing a vacuum will cause that to boil off and leave the system and lastly drawing a vacuum allows you to check if the system is actually sealed.
I would say to find a different shop, explain to them what was done and what and why things were replaced.

I know now the mechanic never vacuum it down, and put too much oil in the compressor. I never realized how much there is to this kind of work. This is really over my head, so I will find a pro and let him get all this figured out. Thank you very much for all your help.

P.S. I have another new compressor in case he has messed this one up.

Good to have an extra. Please let us know what happens. :)

Someone told me that the cabin air filter can cause it not to cool. Is this true ?

Well it would need to be seriously dirty to have much effect because it would need to block the air a lot. In your case I doubt this is the problem.

I think you are right because it blows to strong.

ever since my car stereo was ripped out of dash...air conditioner only blows hot air....as well as fan set on circulate outside air....blows air hotter than outside temp...What should i check first...well besides fuse?

Is your a/c compressor clutch spinning while vehicle is running and a/c switched to on?

I do not know...What I do know is only one of those sm.ac.fans are working...ive watched video of how to replace the ac...Blower Motor Switch...(..seems workable for me...and since its in the same area...where the kids ripped not only my Bumpg stereo out of my dash...i'm thinkg they disconnected..cut....fried or..disabled ...that Blwr Mtr Swtch...i know the cig lighter didn't wrkr after that....also...could a blown ac fuse ..cause one fan not to work....are they connected by a fan belt of sorts
..

When blower motor turned on does any type of air blows out of the vent hot or cold?

I've taken my 96 accord to my honda dealer a few times now because it seems like the air just isn't cold enough but they tell me everything is fine with it and the air is blowing cold "within range" whatever that means. However, my 97 4runner gets ice cold no matter how hot it is outside so why can't this Honda get at least colder? I had a friend who has a Pontiac vibe and he found out that his lever on his dash thermostat as another adjust below near the floor and when he adjusted that the air immediately blew colder, the cold low end setting was just off. I'm wondering if Honda's have the same type of adjustment I could do? Thanks for the advice in advance! - ChristopherJ

Hi Christopher.

If the heater air mix door is not closed fully, the A/C cooling owuld be affected.

AIR MIX CABLE
At air mix door linkage (bottom right side of heater case), disengage cable housing from clamp and disconnect cable wire from control arm. At heater control panel, select maximum cool position and hold it in this position. At air mix door linkage, reconnect cable wire to control arm. Gently slide cable housing back to eliminate slack, then snap cable housing into clamp. Adjust heater valve cable.

HEATER (COOLANT) VALVE CABLE
1.At heater valve (center of engine compartment firewall), disengage cable housing from clamp and disconnect cable wire from heater valve. At air mix door linkage (bottom right side of heater case), disengage cable housing from clamp and disconnect heater valve cable wire from control arm.

2.At control panel, set temperature control to maximum cool position and hold it in this position. At air mix door linkage, connect cable wire to control arm. Gently slide cable housing back from control arm to eliminate slack, then snap cable housing into clamp.

3.At engine compartment firewall, keep heater valve closed. Connect cable wire to heater valve, gently slide cable housing back from heater valve to eliminate slack, and then snap cable housing into clamp.

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