AC question

[Tready619]

Ok, did some searching, found very good info on the ac units on XJ's. I couldn't, however, find a direct answer to my question. I have a 2000 XJ sport, 4.0 HO. The Ac blows just fine, but the air is not cold. I thought all I had to do was go get a new bottle of the R134 and put it in. Then, I read the bottle and do what it says.

It says, turn the vehicle on, turn to MAX COOL. I did that.

Then, put the hose on the pressure fitting. I did that.

It says if the gauge reads in the " Don't Add, proper amount", don't add any of the refrigerant.

Mine read just fine. I see no evidence of any leaks or problems with the system. I just want it to blow colder air.

My question is, how do I go about getting colder air?
Add this refrigerant?
Drain and refill?

Thanks for all your help.

Tim

 

[LDeuce]

well if you go mudding alot.... mud gets stuck in the ac condensor and does not let it cool well. check out your condensor to make sure it's not caked in it (just look through front grill).

Another diagnosis would say turn the car on and ac on... watch for your compressor to click on and off. You'll be able to tell because the middle part (clutch) will engage. If it is not turning on you have a compressor problem or not enough freon.

Also on my xj there are little turn valves next to the hi side and lo side ports. you have to turn those (all the way in?) to add freon to your system or to get a proper reading.

I'm a hyundai mechanic.. but I did do some ac work on my xj like a year ago. It's pretty much all the same thing.

Hope this helps.

 

[lawsoncl]

Agree on checking the condensor. Don't dork with the valves as those are for an R12 setup. YOu have R134a and obviously have already found where to hookup. With the system on max cooling, does the compressor cycle more than 10-times per minute? If yes, you probably do need to add freon.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

I'll third the condensor (the radiator looking thing, directly infront of the radiator). Pull the grill off and clean the heck out of the condensor (a bottle of degreaser and a hard stream of water do wonders).

Also, other things to consider....outside temp, and window tint. If its really freakin hot outside, no a/c is going to blow ice cold....however it should be somewhat cold, just not the normal freeze your tail off cold.

Also, if you're XJ is like mine was, and came from the factory with zero window tint, that only makes matters much worse. My a/c had a horrible time cooling off (combo of low freon, and no window tint). After a recharge, it did better...but what really helped it was tinting the windows (50% in the back and 35% in the front). This is the first summer i've had it with the windows tinted and i'm very happy with the result.....got a lot of greenhouse effect going on with the XJ, which is why it gets so dang hot inside after it sits out in the parking lot all day.

One more also, it sounds like you bought one of those little kits that you can pick up at wally world. If so, those guages arent exactly the most accurate, but they are better than nothing. It would really be better (although not always possible) to hook it up to a professional a/c guage set, that way you can see both high and low side pressures.