A/C issue (warm air)

[neko11]

HI all,

The A/C on my 2002 Protege ES seemed to go down over the last years.
This year I tried to charge it a bit.

But here is what I noticed:
- before charging: the low pressure line was warm; the high pressure line was hot (not burning though);
- at the charge, I used the gauge on the can and initially got a high pressure, but when the A/C was
on the pressure went down (in the green area, ca 25psi);
- I charged the system a bit (from the low port), then the low pressure line was cool but not cold,
colder than before; the high pressure line was still hot, but cooler than before;
- the air is noticeably cooler than before.

Also, at idle the compressor makes a grinding/chattering noise; if the idle is higher, either when driving or
if I push the gas pedal to 1000 rpm the noise goes away.

Any ideas? Is there a thread or doc that specifies in more details the troubleshooting.
I have the manuals but the 07-03 section does not cover the symptoms above.

I would appreciate any ideas and would be happy to provide more info.
Thanks, Neko

 

[kamesama980]

for proper diagnosis, the right tools help. IE a proper manifold gauge set to get low and high side pressure. Need to know: resting pressure and temperature (best to do before starting the car when everythings cool) and running high and low side pressure. Without that thorugh, sounds more or less normal for a system that leaked all the refrigerant out.

It's normal for it to cycle on/off periodically.

the noise might be the compresser itself or the pulley bearing.