2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission a/c,s goe out-how many miles

[Tractorat]

Had to have it recharged in 04, again in 09, and again this year.

 

[Hitec.Redneck]

Just had mine fixed after 205K miles. Evaporator was leaking. I had them go ahead and replace the heater core while they were in there. Got lucky the dash came out and went back in without any cracks.

 

[madmanmanick]

There are a couple of things you can do to see where the problem with your system is. The first is to have someone else turn your A/C on while you are under your truck near the compressor. If you don't hear it clicking and engaging than the clutch is gone. If the pulley doesn't spin the clutch or compressor is frozen. The second thing you can do is turn on the A/C and smell around in the inside of the cab where the air comes out near the floor. If it smells sweet under there you have a refrigerant leak. The next thing to check is to feel the line going into the cab(near the air filter). If it isn't cold or condensate is not developing on it there isn't enough charge. The best way to test the charge is to attach a manifold set on high and low side. With A/C at full you should have a low side reading of 32-40 and a high side reading of 190-220. If they don't indicate this than there may be big problems. You could add cans of refrigerant and it will get cold for a while. That is a band aid fix though. I think you may have to bring it in to get fixed or if you have a friend that is an A/C & R Tech have them look at it. Hope this helps, and hope it isn't something to big.

 

[madmanmanick]

Mine's starting to get finicky, I have to turn on/off the top dial on the dash unit for it to kick in, makes no difference if I turn the a/c fan switch on/off. Makes me think that it's the dash controller, I hear that's a $300. 00 part. Anyone have ideas on how to check it?

take the controller out and use a multimeter to check the voltage when you shift modes, if you don't have voltage when you turn the A/C on than the controller is bad. And also, try to find it on Ebay, they have a lot of parts for cheap prices. Hope this helps.

 

[madmanmanick]

ok. this is a heavy hitter. i paid 125. 00 to hacve mine recharged. lasted maybee 3 monthes. what the specific repairs?i wasx qouted 750. 00 bucks to rebuild the system. did my own vp44 and wondering if i can fix. what parts?at 80k mine went out. buddys chevys and fords still going,but they have there own problems...

there are so many things that can go wrong with a system, if you check my previous two posts you will see some of the simple things to check. One thing that I recommend to everyone is to turn your A/C on once every 2 weeks(even in the winter). If you don't use the system for a long time the oil gathers in the accumulator or the compressor. If it gathers in the compressor it will gum it up and the clutch or compressor may be damaged. If the oil is in the accumulator the compressor will be started with no oil and will burn up. If this happens than you are likely to have it leak refrigerant there. Additionally if you have a evaporator leak you will have a sweet smell inside the cab. One of the ways to find a leak is to buy the die kit and put that into the system. Then use the goggles and special light to find the leak. Hope this helps and good luck. If anybody else has A/C questions go ahead and ask.

 

[DCorbett]

My compressor died at 150K. The mech I used said my heavy bumper I got isn't allowing enough air thru to the grill. I really don't think that was an issue because I have never had an issue with over heating even on the hottest days in Kansas hauling hay for days on end. I just run my compressor a lot, so I know I just wore it out. I hardly ever run it on high and I always try to turn it off a few mins before I shut the engine down. (The time I allow the turbo to cool) I was told once to do this to help the compressor to cool as well. Don't really know if it does, but I do it any way.

 

[barryg41]

my 99 needs 1-2 cans every year. not sure where the leak is, but my luck would have it be the evap coil

Same for me as is for Paveman. I havent had to add this year yet, but the summer is not even here yet either. :-laf

 

[madmanmanick]

My compressor died at 150K. The mech I used said my heavy bumper I got isn't allowing enough air thru to the grill. I really don't think that was an issue because I have never had an issue with over heating even on the hottest days in Kansas hauling hay for days on end. I just run my compressor a lot, so I know I just wore it out. I hardly ever run it on high and I always try to turn it off a few mins before I shut the engine down. (The time I allow the turbo to cool) I was told once to do this to help the compressor to cool as well. Don't really know if it does, but I do it any way.

Check how much of the A/C condenser is covered by the heavier bumper. The truck may not be overheating because the radiator for the trucks are very large so the amount that may be covered by the bumper may be minimum. But the A/C condenser is small and depending on how much of it is covered up will determine how much heat transfer is occuring. Hope this is helpful.

 

[madmanmanick]

Check how much of the A/C condenser is covered by the heavier bumper. The truck may not be overheating because the radiator for the trucks are very large so the amount that may be covered by the bumper may be minimum. But the A/C condenser is small and depending on how much of it is covered up will determine how much heat transfer is occuring. Hope this is helpful.

the other reason that you are supposed to turn the A/C off before you shut the truck off is that the compressor will still be engaged and the starter for the truck will have to work harder when you start the engine and that will possibly lead to premature replacement of the starter.