Hypothetical A/C quesiton

[yippee]

Okay, this is just a hypothetical question, and i know the only definite answer is to get it looked at/diagnosed. But I am looking at a festiva that they say the a/c is blowing but it isn't cold. Does this sound like something as simple as needing new freon/being low, or should i expect there to be more wrong with it? Any self diagnosis tips i can use to help determine what may be causing it before jumping off and buying?

[gottafesty]

Does the compressor kick on? If so, it could be several things such as low refrigerant, plugged expansion valve, bad pressure switch. If the compressor doesn't come, remove the plug from the pressure switch and jump the wires across the switch connector. If this causes the compressor to come on then it needs refrigerant or possibly a pressure switch. If it needs refrigerant, there could be a large leak that needs found and fixed, or it could have a very small one that you wouldn't have to necessarily worry about. I believe a pressure switch is cheap and it doesn't require breaking the system seal to replace. If it's been converted to 134 then a can of refrigerant isn't that expensive of a fix either.

Hope this helps.

[yippee]

I don't own the Festiva yet. The lot that has it says that it blows, just not cold. Heat still works. He said (this is assuming he is telling the truth) that it blows, just not cold, and if you wire direct to the compressor that it blows cold like it's supposed to. He is saying that it is probably a plug or wire somewhere. I don't know a lot about a/c, as i have always owned cars without a/c, so i don't know how logical this is. I have looked at the car in person (saw it at night on the lot), but have not been over to test drive/look at more thoroughly yet. So if i go look at it what are the options here?

Compressor doesn't kick on = bad compressor?
Compressor kicks on, jump across wires, compressor kicks on = refrigerant/pressure switch?
Compressor kicks on, jump wires, compressor doesn't kick on = ?

Where is this pressure switch at? Sorry for the noob question, like i said, a/c is foreign to me..

So, all in all, worst case scenario, am i looking at replacing EVERYTHING a/c related or just the compressor?

Thanks so much for the help. I'm hoping I finally found my festiva, i just don't want to get in over my head.

[gottafesty]

Compressor doesn't kick on = bad compressor?

Not necessarily. The pressure switch is what cycles the compressor. And the compressor has a clutch pulley. So, low refrigerant, bad pressure switch or bad clutch will keep the compressor from kicking on.

Compressor kicks on, jump across wires, compressor kicks on = refrigerant/pressure switch?

Yes. If the compressor comes on when jumpered at the pressure switch, then it's either low refrigerant or the pressure switch.

Compressor kicks on, jump wires, compressor doesn't kick on = ?

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. If you jump the wires at the pressure switch and the compressor doesn't kick on then it's probably the compressor clutch. What you should notice when you jump the pressure switch wires is that the engine rpm's change because of the added compressor load and more importantly you also should be able to see the pulley clutch on the compressor engage.

I don't think it has anything to do with the compressor. If he is correct in saying that when he jumps the compressor that it blows cold then it can't be the compressor that's bad. I would venture to guess that it has a bad pressure switch. There are a couple of other things I suppose that could keep it from coming on such as a bad deicing switch I maybe. However, not all years had the deicing switch and some auto trannies and manual trannies were wired a little different such as the auto's having a condenser fan on at least some years. Are you good with wiring diragrams? If so, look at the a/c diagram for that year and see what circuits can interrupt the compressor cycle.

Also, if the issue is low refrigerant, it's possible that there is a leak to fix. Not necessarily a given but still a good possibility. Do a visual check on all of the hoses, the condenser, all refrigerant line connections, etc. for an accumulation of oil and dirt that might indicate that it's leaking there.

The blowing air whether hot or cold is a separate system in a way. The heater, defrost, vent, a/c etc. all use the same blower fan and it sits under the dash and is strictly controlled by the fan speed position switch on the climate control console. It is completely independent of whether or not the heater or the a/c is producing the right temperature of air.

And the pressure switch is found on one of the lines that connects to the evaporator. Under the hood and the passenger side you should see two aluminum lines passing through the firewall. On one of these, near the strut mount is the pressure switch with an electrical connection. Disconnect and jumper the wires you just pulled off. A little U-shaped wire or big paper clip out to do it. The car has to be running with the a/c turned on to check this. If you don't feel up to doing this yourself, I would just have them demonstrate for you that they can get the compressor to kick on and that it does indeed produce cold air.

Nothing wrong with "noob questions" as you say. This is a great place to ask for assistance. I'm far from the top expert on a/c. The only reason I know anything about the a/c system is because I jumped in and did it and had some good advice from a couple of people. I installed one system in my festiva, converted a couple others, trouble shot a custom system in an old Volvo for my Uncle and on and on. I learn something new each time I mess with one.

[gottafesty]

It actually could still be low refrigerant even if it blows cold air when the compressor kicks on when jumpered at the pressure switch. If it's not a very hot day it may blow cool enough air to notice but not cool enough to keep up on a warm sunny day. That would indicate low refrigerant also.

The more I think about it, the more I think the odds are greatly in favor of low refrigerant with a bad pressure switch coming second and everything else a distant third. But that's just my opinion.

[yippee]

Awesome. Thank you SO much for your time and effort to help me out. I'm new to a/c systems, but like you, I will learn more as I go by info from others as well as hands on experience. It's not that I'm scared of it, i just haven't gotten my hands on a system to learn from yet so i have to ask for the advice of others who have more experience for now. Sounds like the problem is either low refrigerant or the pressure switch based off of his description and what you are saying. I made a jumper wire/harness (really just a wire with ends on it) tonight to take with me when I go to look at the car. Hopefully I'll go look at the car within the next few days. I'm off work on Thursday, so i'll be going to look for sure that day hoping they still have it. If my dad has a chance to stop by tomorrow or the next day he's going to check it out for me and see about putting a deposit on it to hold it for me until Thursday when i can get by there. Now I just have to hope nobody else swoops in and takes it before I have a chance to buy it. I feel a lot more confident about the a/c system now, going into it, because it doesn't sound like there is too much wrong with it. At first, I was just afraid it would be an overhaul on the whole system or something crazy like that since I didn't know the first thing about the a/c system. Sounds like they're more simple than i thought. I'm no stranger to working on a car, I've just never had an a/c system to work on. Between the carb and the a/c I'll get to learn a few new things with the Festiva.

I'm equally looking forward to the Festiva as well as becoming a part of this awesome, helpful community. :-) Everyone keep their fingers crossed that the car doesn't sell before I get there to buy it.

[old yellow]

hey may I ask while we're on the topic of A/C will the complete system from the Aspire work in the Festiva? I got about 90% aspire engine parts and the a/c pully looks like it doesn't come off for one....

[yippee]

Well, good news/bad news..

Good news is the a/c is an easy fix. Bad news is the car wouldn't start, after they finally got it started, it ran for a couple minutes and died. It has some nice traces of rats under the hood (droppings). While it was running the gauges weren't working (it does have a tach btw), so I'm thinking maybe the rats did a number on the wire harness somewhere? All in all, probably not too bad but i feel like they're probably asking twice as much as it's worth (hope I'm not wrong in that assumption).

I thought i found my unicorn, but I'll keep watching it and see if they come down on the price at all. If not I'll keep looking for the next one. I've been looking since 2006, eventually I'll find the one.

[Twistiva]

Well, good news/bad news..

Good news is the a/c is an easy fix. Bad news is the car wouldn't start, after they finally got it started, it ran for a couple minutes and died. It has some nice traces of rats under the hood (droppings). While it was running the gauges weren't working (it does have a tach btw), so I'm thinking maybe the rats did a number on the wire harness somewhere? All in all, probably not too bad but i feel like they're probably asking twice as much as it's worth (hope I'm not wrong in that assumption).

I thought i found my unicorn, but I'll keep watching it and see if they come down on the price at all. If not I'll keep looking for the next one. I've been looking since 2006, eventually I'll find the one.

2006???

Where in the heck do you live? Africa? I live in Oklahoma and could have found one nearby in decent in 9 years. You're might patient. Good luck!

[gottafesty]

Too bad about the problems with the car running right. You're probably right about the wiring being chewed up.

@old yellow. It tried to do that once. My opinion, based on the limited space under the dash, is that you really need the festiva evaporator housing which of course would require the festiva evaporator. But the aspire a/c hoses don't connect to the festiva evaporator. (At least with the aspire parts I had) The aspire condenser is also very much bigger than the festiva condenser and would prove difficult to mount. I won't say it's impossible. However, I decided I didn't have time to make it work and waited until I could get the proper a/c parts for a festiva. A lot of the items can be purchased new, such as the evaporator, condenser, drier/accumulator, etc. Some of the parts you need off a festiva are the evaporator housing and a/c button along with the tensioner and the compressor mounting bracket. A festiva a/c wiring harness is nice to have, but not too difficult to make if you have the wiring diagram.

[gottafesty]

Actually, the compressor mount might be the same on the aspire and festiva. It seems to me like it is, I just don't remember.