AC woes... Any Advice?

[H3ALPHA]

2010 Hummer H3 Alpha.

The issue I am having is with the AC.

The blower blows, etc. but the air is not cool. It is not hot, but certainly not enough to cool the cabin.

Brought it into my mechanic, they topped off the freon and cleared the valves.

Still the issue remains.

In fact, in the past, the air comes out cooler when the AC is not engaged, which is quite odd.

Any idea what needs to be done to get this working?

Thanks.

 

[Mb30sdl]

Looks like I have a leak


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[H3ALPHA]

So I should have them check for a leak?

 

[650Hawk]

Take it to a mechanic that will actually diagnose the problem rather than simply throwing stuff at it.

 

[lowtrac]

Does your AC compressor cycle correctly? You can pick up a can of R134a with a pressure gauge on it so you can at least see what the charge is.




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[Mb30sdl]

Does your AC compressor cycle correctly? You can pick up a can of R134a with a pressure gauge on it so you can at least see what the charge is.




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Get $20 can of Freon with gauge if it’s low compressor will cycle on/off every couple of seconds
If almost empty compressor won’t common at all
On gauge it will show when compressor is on there will be some pressure

If empty add some and see if compressor will kick on
If yes then adjust(add) to green part on gauge when compressor is on

If it’s empty I have a leak, take it to someone that can trace it and hopefully fix it


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[Hunner]

You need them to use the dye detection method. When mine quit I could smell the gas or lube oil in the cabin. So I figure it was the core under the dash. That did not get back to the person working on it. They replaced all the seals under the hood and of course it did it again. I figure that needed to be done anyway but the finally put a sniffer under the dash and that core was leaking, DUH stupid owner. Chillin

 

[bull5]

Check the expansion valve

 

[H3ALPHA]

Just got the word back that the compressor is bad.

Need to replace it. Cost for the compressor alone is $500, but if I go with replacing it all, would be $800 + labor. Comes with a lifetime warranty.

So, $1500 plus tax. Wow.

 

[Mb30sdl]

$1500 is a bs

I swapped mine for ~120 (from autozone AC delco) for compressor and I do ac so rest was free

Took about 2hr

Also did mine H2 on campground site same way ( not exactly what i wanted but it was hot)

 

[alrock]

What is "replacing it all" and why does everything need to be replaced?

 

[Reloader]

If the compressor took a crap you are gonna need a new oe compressor, a condenser/drier assembly and a new expansion valve at minimum. You cannot properly flush out the condenser no matter what any one tells you. Lines can be flushed out though.
Dont waste any money on an aftermarket compressor. You can get the genuine oe one on Rock Auto for less than $200. Rock usually has all the original GM components availability. When mine took a dump I replaced everything but evaporator with all GM. Only cost about $650 in parts and works perfectly. Got it blowing 39 degree air when it's 105 out. Be sure your installer knows that the system only holds 4 oz. of pag oil. This is critical on these. I learned the hard way.

 

[Reloader]

Just looked. An AC Delco listed as new original equipment with clutch for $218. My cost at dealer is probably $150 more for same thing.
But then a new condensor was $10 cheaper at dealer than Rock auto was. Same condensor fits them all.

 

[Somethingbigandorange]

+1 what Reloader said. And for all those parts through a shop (marked up) and with current labor rates 1500 is about right. If the compressor crapped out it may have thrown crap into the system, so just a compressor swap and you could end up with a plugged condenser, which could cause the new compressor to fail, and you are right back where you started. Now if money is a serious issue buy the parts yourself and find someone with the right equipment who works on the side. As for the Autozone cans...they will add Freon and give a general pressure reading; but to properly diagnose, evacuate, vacuum test, and recharge you need professional equipment.

 

[alrock]

As for the Autozone cans...they will add Freon and give a general pressure reading; but to properly diagnose, evacuate, vacuum test, and recharge you need professional equipment.

And what I learned, the hard way, is that those cans can easily throw off the amount of oil in the system. Which means you then got to do a vacuum dump and recharge of the system anyway. The H3 is definitely sensitive to the amount of oil in the a/c system.

 

[Ghostbuster]

Is there anything that we can do to maintain the AC system to prolong its life before we have to replace everything?

Mine hasn’t had any issues but I know it is only a matter of time until it goes out.



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