Hey guys:

I posted up a question about an air conditioner issue I'm having with my '02 over on the old board, and got some good advice, but things have gotten worse:

When I started using the A/C this year for the first time since I bought the car, the air worked well at low speeds and stopped, but warmed up the faster I drove.

That went on for a while, then the air coming from the left side vents stopped ever getting cool, followed a week later by the air from the right side vents as well.This car has manual single-zone HVAC.

Here are the facts:

First, I dug in and checked the blend door motor and it works fine.I removed it and worked the lever by hand while the car was running and it changes temps from lukewarm to hot and back, so there's not an obvious problem there.

On this car there is no other blend door motor.The motor on the driver side is the diverter motor.

Next, the compressor runs..but it runs ALL THE TIME.It does not cycle.

The low pressure line back to the fire wall area gets very cold and drips water off it..the same line forward of I assume the orifice tube is about ambient temperature.

So..can anyone figure out what's going on here? Is the system stopped up somewhere?

My options from here are to either buy a set of AC gauges to simply see what the pressures are, or bite the bullet and take it in to have it diagnosed.

As an aside..I'm getting really disappointed with the amount of problems this car has given...

Coming out of the orifice tube and leading to the evaporator, the refrigerant should be cold. Then between the compressor and the condenser, it should be hot. At least that's how I understand it. It picks up heat (into the very cold refrigerant) in the evaporator, and then dumps heat from the hot refrigerant through the condenser.
So I don't know a ton about a/c systems, but is your compressor engaged even when the a/c is turned off? That would be a sign of either a bad compressor clutch or an electronic problem leading to the clutch I think. If it turns off, and is only permanently engaged when the a/c is turned on, then it could still be an electronic problem with some switch or relay causing the a/c not to cycle.
But the first thing that came to my mind, and maybe you've already checked this out, is a low charge. The other things is an air mix actuator, which you said you've checked out, or a clogged orifice tube (or some other component). Are you sure there's only the one? I thought there was another one behind the dash.

Maybe someone else could chime in... is the compressor ever supposed to stay engaged all the time? I guess if a temperature sensor inside the car was showing that it wasn't cooling, it could keep it electronically engaged all the time? I'm interested to find out people's ideas on this as well. I'd like to learn more about a/c systems.

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Driving a 2000 SE since 2006

The compressor not cycling is normal for the newer cars. It should be engaged any time that a/c is called for.

The first step in trouble shooting this problem would be to be certain that the refrigerant is at the proper level. Check the pressures, and we'll go on from there, if they are proper.

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*Gone, but not forgotten* - Black 2000 SSEi, HIR Headlights, Angel Eyes fogs, 3rd brake light overlay, hi-flo cat, 180 degree thermostat, HS 1.9 rockers, LSx yellow springs, Intense FWI, PCM, shift kit, push rods, and 3.4 Pulley. ZZP Power Log.

You can buy a set of manifold pressure gauges from Harbor Freight for something like $30 when they are on sale. $42 normal price. Can't have a shop work for long for that much $.

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1998 3.8 Dodge Caravan 214K
2000 3.3 Dodge Caravan 175K
1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe 4-dr sedan 25K (needs some work!)

An alternative is to buy the gauge from the shelf at Walmart and then a can of 134a plain freon. You connect the gauge to the low pressure line. And run the car and read the single gauge for the pressure on the low line. It has colors in bands to direct you as to how much freon to add by pressing the switch.

I added a fan in front of the condensor to try to get the car into the equilibrium it might have to 25-30 mph.

Your symptoms could be from low freon. The little bit of cooling that works at first as temps here made it into the low 80s but wasn't really cold after driving 10 minutes like it used to be was a symptom. Then it seemed to lose freon from running under pressure.

I added one can before I was done. I think the low side pressure was up to 50, the maximum in the green or blue area. kA neighbor who recycles older cars by repairing and reselling, said just put a can in it before I started--since the car was 10 years old, he had experience. I ended up with one can in her! He was right. This was a 1998.

I'd shop for the quality of the manifold sets. I believe the cheapest last year was plastic. I wouldn't buy the cheapest. I can't recall where I saw several models a few dollars apart. I've been in AdvanceAuto and PepBoys and Harbor Freight lately. It may have been AdvanceAuto.

hi, I have a 2000 SSEi and when I park in bright sun in hot weather the a/c compressor works for quite a while but then goes off when it cools down inside and then turns on and off while I drive-- I have never noticed it running all the time.

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poverty forces one to do unorthodox things

2000 SSEi
past rides:
1996 SSEi
1992 GTP
1987 Grand Am

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Ryan

2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one