Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum (Archives)

Turbo_Boss on Thu November 14, 2013 9:40 PM

Year: 2002
Make: VW
Model: Jetta
Engine Size: 2.0
Country of Origin: Panama

Hello Guys,

Hope you can help me resolve my problem that I fill my AC air is not cool enough.

Car is a 2002 VW Jetta MK4 2.0 with Climatronic AC

One month ago the air conditioner was no throwing cold air. I open the hood and the compressor magnetic pulley was engaging, so the system has gas. Took the car to a AC Tech that always has fix my other cars and he connect his refrigeration gauges and it was needing gas.

I ask him why if the system need gas the compressor never stop working since I know it have a safety pressure valve. He toll me that it only need a small amount of gas. I am pretty sure when he hook the refrigeration gauges, I saw it was reading 40lbs and he toll me the system needs 45lbs.......... He put gas and the AC was cooling like when the car was new.

Using the car during the next month, I was filing that the AC was gradually decreasing on cooling.

Took the car again to the same AC Tech and he begin to check all the AC parts in the engine compartment in order to look for leak with oil residues. He check the Compressor area, front Condenser and all the rubber hoses and don't find any leak or oil residue.

I leave the car since he was going to check the evaporator. Later he call me and toll me that he need to change the evaporator since it have a crack and it leaking there.

Today I pick up the car and he replace the Evaporator, Dryer Bottle, some O rings, put compressor oil, make vacuum, fill the system with gas and put new foam to the flap doors that mix hot air with cold air. He show me pics of the new foam he put to the flap doors.

I enter my car, start it and set the AC temperature in 22º (I always use it in 22º) and the air was not cold. I need to set the air in 19º or 18º to fill that the air is cold and I don't think the air is cold enough. So I complaint with him that the air is not cold enough. He hook again his refrigeration gauges and check it again and put some more gas and toll me to use the car for some days.

I drive it to my house and it was raining and the outside temperature was 28º and I need to put the AC in 18º to fill some cold air. I park the car in the garage with the engine running and AC on and under the car I can see that water was coming out from the side were the evaporator it is.

I think when the outside temperature will be hot with a sunny day the AC will not cold :-(

My question is: What can be the problem that I need to put the AC temperature in 19 o 18 to get some cool air?

When the first time I was filling that the AC was not cooling anymore, I open the hood and the compressor magnetic pulley was engaging, so the system has gas but there was not cool air. Do this mean something to you? because I saw that it have 40lbs and he put a little more and then the AC begin to cool.

Can all these symptoms can be that the expansion valve need replacement?

I really appreciated you time and help,

THX,

Isaac


Edited: Thu November 14, 2013 at 9:44 PM by Turbo_Boss

mk378 on Fri November 15, 2013 9:01 AM

He should be charging by weight not pressure. This is especially important on a car with a variable displacement compressor such as yours. The operation of a variable compressor makes it hard to tell much at all about the charge level just by looking at pressures.

After replacing parts, the system must be pumped down to a good vacuum to remove all air from the lines, then filled with refrigerant by weight to the manufacturer's specification (which should be printed on a sticker under the hood.) If your guy does not have the equipment to do that, find someone who does. The only way to be sure it's properly charged is to start from empty (vacuum) and install the specified weight. Then if performance problems continue, diagnose them further knowing that the charge is not the problem.

The correct amount of oil is also important for good performance of a modern small system. Find out if he added or removed any oil.

Water draining from the evaporator is actually a good sign. It means that the evaporator is getting at least cold enough to condense water out of the air, though on a rainy day in Panama that's really not very cold.

Edited: Fri November 15, 2013 at 9:18 AM by mk378

mollygomez on Thu January 09, 2014 4:03 AM

Why don't you take it to the care manufacturers as the technicians there would have better understand about the A/c components and how to fix the particular problem that your car is having.