Do you have a High Pressure Cut-Off and/or a Low Pressure Cut-Off switch (or a binary or trinary switch) installed? If the answer is yes, you can safely drive the vehicle regardless of whether the A/C system is turned on or off because the compressor won't engage anyway if the refrigerant is low or ...

it has 90K With 90,000 miles on the clock, the A/C system probably would benefit from a new compressor, along with a new OT and accumulator, which contains a desiccant. On a 2005 LeSabre it has poor cooling performance. At 80deg ambient, vent temp at 72deg. Low side is 55-60, high side 170. Thought...

Is it possible there to much "gas" in the system vs liquid refrigerant? It's a sanden compressor, maybe its bad yet again? thanks for any help. Was this system converted from R-12 to R-134a? I doubt that it's the compressor failing. When you hear that hissing sound, it usually means that ...

Remember that whenever you attach your Manifold Gauge Set (MGS) to a system, you lose some amount of refrigerant that (when you disconnect the MGS) remains in the hoses. How much depends on the length of the hoses, and also how much remains in the gauges and the manifold itself, if any. With a compa...

I agree with Tim.

Although the compressor might be "tired," pressures can often throw you off with a variable-displacement compressor. Best to weigh-in the OEM-specs charge first, then see how it performs.

How many miles on this car?

Thanks for the good ideas. The local Community College has an auto AC class, but only in the spring. I'll seriously consider taking it next year. It's free for seniors... Good timing that the CC offers the class in the Spring, just when people start thinking about getting their MVAC systems in shap...

Dave, Feel better and hurry back.

Thanks for your reply. The compressor was still engaging normally and the system was cooling well before the recharge. I'll try and make sure to have the system serviced on a more frequent basis. When it comes to AC systems, it seems more difficult to know when to bring it in. Some systems leak mor...

The refrigerant in my CRV was recharged last week and the AC technician mentioned the AC system only contained 8 oz and required 18 oz. At 8 oz the car was only at 45% full charge. Yes, I recall that from your previous post. Was the compressor engaging at that point? Probably not is my guess. 1. Is...

A couple of thoughts come to mind: The problem could be as simple as a low refrigerant charge. Has the A/C ever been serviced--that is, recovered, evacuated, and recharged according to the exact weight-of-charge? It could also be the control valve that's acting up. If so, and with that kind of milea...