XJ A/C attracting some hate

[XJCruiser]

My first 97 and my current 97 the AC blew absolutely nothing but hot air and every now and again id get a short burst of cool air. The 99 that I flopped awhile back blew ice cold air and still does to this day. Too bad my moms driving that one now.

 

[tbburg]

Kinda' harsh guys. Judging how well the AC system is by weather or not it's broken? The only thing that sucks about the AC in an XJ is the weak evap. You can't say the system sucks because the compressor clutch on a 140K mile jeep is worn out. The clutch is a service item after all.

When the system works, it works great. 110deg outside, possible over 140 inside the car, start it up, and it starts cooling down in under 2 minutes.

Just thank the automotive gods that the XJ doesn't have in car climate control! Now those systems suck!

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

I'm one of the defenders on there.

 

[RichP]

Kinda' harsh guys. Judging how well the AC system is by weather or not it's broken? The only thing that sucks about the AC in an XJ is the weak evap. You can't say the system sucks because the compressor clutch on a 140K mile jeep is worn out. The clutch is a service item after all.

When the system works, it works great. 110deg outside, possible over 140 inside the car, start it up, and it starts cooling down in under 2 minutes.

Just thank the automotive gods that the XJ doesn't have in car climate control! Now those systems suck!

If they did have climate control the design genius probably would he put it behind the heater box to.

 

[xjtrailrider]

All 5 of our XJ's blow cold, even the 20 year old '90 that still has R12 in it from the factory!

I had it on today in the '90, we hit 98 here in Roanoke with a heat index of 105 and it was chillin me out of there in city stop and go traffic. On the highway I have to put the fan on low and run it on "Normal" it it will be too cold.

I have found that on our '00 if I bypass the heater core during the summer it will blow extremely cold as well.

I made a couple of these bypasses, one for the '00 and one for the trail rig. They are made from off the shelf hardware store plumbing supplies.

 

[MT Mike]

My 89 blows ice cold, still on R12. I'm loving the 30 gal bottle of R12 sitting in my garage too! (Before some idiot tree hugger flips out, yes I'm licensed for it).

 

[crimsondragon]

My a/c leaks somewhere from what the previous owner told me. Said it'll blow cold for 1 to 2 weeks before the freon runs out. Then the compressor pulley seized and I had to get that replaced.

 

[Texas Twitch]

Normal mode is a joke.

Max mode works great when temperature is under 90*. Over 90*, it provides a somewhat lesser-than-hot breeze, but that's about it.

Problem is, when I have either mode of A/C on, and it's above 90* outside, my Jeep overheats. Which, being that it's been above 102 for the last week here in Dallas, BLOWS.

So, to summarize, when I don't need A/C it works great! When I need it the most, my Jeep hates me. In every sense of the word.

 

[OkieXJ]

Normal mode is a joke.

More like "burn more gas and raise your engine temperature without any cool air coming from the vents" mode.

 

[Glenn B]

My 89 AC blows nice and cold. In traffic or on the highway with the AC on, it stays just under 210 degrees.

 

[heyhar]

I'm loving the 30 gal bottle of R12 sitting in my garage too! (Before some idiot tree hugger flips out, yes I'm licensed for it).

Sounds like you don't need to stock up on gold, like you hear everyday on the radio. I heard about a conspiracy with members of the Federal Govt. owning stock in DuPont in the early '90s when the price or R12 shot through the roof. Made someone who lived on Pennsylvania Ave. very rich...

 

[joe_peters]

Made someone who lived on Pennsylvania Ave. very rich...

And now you know the root cause of every single piece of state or federal legislation passed in the last 77 years--making the politicians rich or giving them more power.

 

[tbburg]

Hey Tex, check you charge, bet you're a little low. Also check to see if your aux fan is coming on with the AC.

 

[BlueCuda]

The AC in my 97 is what I measure any AC system off of. It blows super cold and gets cold in a hurry. I have a 2010 F250 and it can't even come close to getting as cold as my XJ does.

 

[Matthew Currie]

The AC in my 95 didn't last worth beans and I yanked it out when I had to do the radiator anyway. On the other hand, the 99, after an initial need for filling and one bout of stuck compressor clutch has decided to keep on working for a couple of years without complaint. I've never had that good luck with any AC here in Vermont, where it's used little, and things tend to rust. The exception is my 88 Chevy truck, with some kind of aftermarket AC in it, which has blown cold for well over 20 years with zero maintenance.

 

[Wayne Sihler]

Well the AC in the 96 has worked well for years,and it has been serviced during that time. My wifes 98 wont last a week after a charge.
And Ive been thinking to Re-do the whole system in the 96--300000 miles of bugs in the condenser cant be doing anything good.

Wayne

 

[tbburg]

You know Wayne, the '96 of yours is one of those situations where the phrase; "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it." comes to mind. If it's still working good, leave it alone! Put the money in the '98.('guarantee the payback will be a lot higher if the wife's AC is working :rof: )

 

[Wayne Sihler]

You know Wayne, the '96 of yours is one of those situations where the phrase; "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it." comes to mind. If it's still working good, leave it alone! Put the money in the '98.('guarantee the payback will be a lot higher if the wife's AC is working :rof: )

The wifes AC is working--she bought another car,actually my daughters old car,05 Focus, for the gas mileage and AC. She only uses her XJ in bad weather.

I have really been in a turmoil over doing anything to the AC in the 96 ,but when the winch goes on and blocks more air flow,I dont want all the bug guts in the AC condenser to stop the air.:banghead:

Wayne

 

[muddypunk]

My 95 never worked right then a honda drove under me in the snow a few years back and bent the condensor so I put a yj a/c deleet in and made a differance with lag on the motor