2004 Buick Century: AC barely cools

[Ichinisan]

I'm told you can change to freon yourself in *some* cars and I've seen the kits at Walmart. How do I know if this car can have a DIY coolant change?

Also, is there anything else I should check first?

/not-a-car-guy

 

[PottedMeat]

does it actually cool or is it just the fast air blowing on you?
did it use to cool then gradually get worse?

one thing to check:
find the ac compressor
there is a electric clutch that lets the belt turn the compressor when you turn on the ac
when you turn on the ac you should hear a click
also the radiator fans should turn on eventually

 

[monkeydelmagico]

/not-a-car-guy

Take it in to be serviced. AC service is not the time to suddenly become motivated and start a DIY project on your car.

 

[gpse]

most likely the condenser is bad, they rust out near the edges. The condenser is in front of the radiator.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Easy thing a DIY guy can do is make sure the condenser coils and stuff aren't all filled with leaves, dirt, and crud. Little/no airflow over that coil will make the AC not work.

 

[boomerang]

most likely the condenser is bad, they rust out near the edges. The condenser is in front of the radiator.

Sorry, but the knowledge you feel you posses has no value. I hate to see people who know nothing about a mechanical subject interject their thoughts into a thread where a person has legitimate questions. If you feel that's harsh, deal with it.

You have no clue what is wrong with the OP's AC and condensers don't rust as they are made from aluminum.

 

[boomerang]

I'm told you can change to freon yourself in *some* cars and I've seen the kits at Walmart. How do I know if this car can have a DIY coolant change?

Also, is there anything else I should check first?

/not-a-car-guy

PottedMeat asks two important questions. The answers to those will help in you getting advice that has value.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I'm told you can change to freon yourself in *some* cars and I've seen the kits at Walmart. How do I know if this car can have a DIY coolant change?

Also, is there anything else I should check first?

/not-a-car-guy

First, you know the car can have a "DIY coolant (refrigerant, technically) charge because it's a car. I've never seen one that couldn't, although it wouldn't surprise me if there was one, but nearly every car made can have this done.

Second, if you are "not a car guy", don't do it. This type of "DIY" is for people who already have at least a medium skill level with mechanical work.

Third: If you insist on doing it anyway, buy the kit that has a gauge on it. Watch a video on Youtube and you should be able to get it done. And hopefully you won't screw up anything.
Honestly...worst thing you can do is over charge it, and there's a pop-off valve that'll let the excess out if the pressure gets to high because of that.

Fourth: Answer the questions asked here first. Might not be low on refrigerant.

 

[gpse]

Sorry, but the knowledge you feel you posses has no value. I hate to see people who know nothing about a mechanical subject interject their thoughts into a thread where a person has legitimate questions. If you feel that's harsh, deal with it.

You have no clue what is wrong with the OP's AC and condensers don't rust as they are made from aluminum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjEf_JHzqe8

My post does have value, and Condensers can leak. I had a 1999 Grand Prix which is the same W-Body platform as the OP's Buick. I had to replace the condenser on it because it leaked, the leak was caused because the Condenser rusted and formed a hole for the refrigerant to leak out. This is very common on W-Body cars, just check online forums like ClubGP, RegalGS.org or GPONA. This is why I posted the condenser as a possible cause, because it's COMMON on the OP's car to leak.

Hope my knowledge helps

 

[Knavish]

I'm told you can change to freon yourself in *some* cars and I've seen the kits at Walmart. How do I know if this car can have a DIY coolant change?

Also, is there anything else I should check first?

/not-a-car-guy

If the AC compressor spins when the AC is turned on (if it is *barely* cooling then this is the case!) then you've got a 95% chance of fixing your A/C easily at home with something like this:

http://acprocold.com/ac-pro-instructions/

...just check out their Youtube video. It's really that easy. If you got a slow leak, this could last for more than a year. If you have a faster leak then you will probably need a mechanic to find and repair the leak.

 

[TridenT]

Possible causes are many. But the most notable would be that you have a leak in your system (the freon is leaking out somewhere, either quickly or slowly) OR your AC compressor is broken. Both require you to fully evacuate the system and replace the parts causing the leak or that are broken. This cannot be done safely at home for your typical DIYer.

Either way, take it to a reputable shop. You shouldn't fiddle with this on your own. You won't SOLVE the issue. At best, you'll just relieve the symptoms for a few weeks while ruining the environment.

FYI, my last car had the AC compressor break. It kept spinning with the clutch engaged and all. It slowly lost cooling ability over time and then just full stopped working. Some internal mechanism inside of it failed regardless. Luckily, I never had to fix it. The car got totaled by an idiot running a stop sign. Freon went straight into the atmosphere after that incident.

 

[Ichinisan]

does it actually cool or is it just the fast air blowing on you?

The air coming out always feels slightly cool. I think it's barely working. Not enough to counter the heat from the southern sun, unfortunately.

did it use to cool then gradually get worse?

Yes.

one thing to check:
find the ac compressor
there is a electric clutch that lets the belt turn the compressor when you turn on the ac
when you turn on the ac you should hear a click
also the radiator fans should turn on eventually

I'm Googling now to identify the compressor.

I guess a refrigerant change is out of the question. There's a warning label that says:

R-134a REFRIGERANT UNDER HIGH PRESSURE
System to be serviced by qualified personnel only.
Improper service methods may cause personal
injury.
​

 

[Ichinisan]

Sitting in the car with the hood and door opened, I do hear a click when I turn the AC on.

 

[Ichinisan]

Found this guy's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQXfgMYuV0

Then found this:
https://vimeo.com/176933292

Yes. You hear feral chickens around my mother's place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[boomerang]

The air coming out always feels slightly cool. I think it's barely working. Not enough to counter the heat from the southern sun, unfortunately.

I guess a refrigerant change is out of the question. There's a warning label that says:

R-134a REFRIGERANT UNDER HIGH PRESSURE
System to be serviced by qualified personnel only.
Improper service methods may cause personal
injury.
​

*****Read my next post. This post does not apply.*****

Regardless of what refrigerant a system uses you will see a label like that. The good news is that the compressor is working and it is cooling. As was said, buy an R-134a kit with a gauge on it and follow the directions.

But, it's only a temporary fix. You have a leak. The refrigerant you add will eventually leak out and the problem will return. A simplified explanation of a long term fix entails finding the leak, replacing the component, evacuating the system and recharging. You don't have the equipment to do that and very, very few of us garage mechanics do.

 

[boomerang]

Found this guy's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQXfgMYuV0

Then found this:
https://vimeo.com/176933292

Yes. You hear feral chickens around my mother's place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, well, well, shame on me because I didn't read this post before making my previous post.

You have the exact same problem as the guy in the first video has with an additional twist. The twist is that the vacuum line is actually unplugged on the other end as well as broken in the vicinity of the battery.

Do the repair that was shown in the first video and find where that vacuum line should be connected and deal with that. Your car may have a vacuum line diagram under the hood that hopefully will help you.

Your problem appears to be entirely vacuum related. No recharging should be necessary would be my guess.

Good work!! :thumbsup:

 

[Pacfanweb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjEf_JHzqe8

My post does have value, and Condensers can leak. I had a 1999 Grand Prix which is the same W-Body platform as the OP's Buick. I had to replace the condenser on it because it leaked, the leak was caused because the Condenser rusted and formed a hole for the refrigerant to leak out. This is very common on W-Body cars, just check online forums like ClubGP, RegalGS.org or GPONA. This is why I posted the condenser as a possible cause, because it's COMMON on the OP's car to leak.

Hope my knowledge helps

Condensers can certainly leak, but they can't rust, which is the reason you gave for them leaking.

 

[Ichinisan]

Well, well, well, shame on me because I didn't read this post before making my previous post.

You have the exact same problem as the guy in the first video has with an additional twist. The twist is that the vacuum line is actually unplugged on the other end as well as broken in the vicinity of the battery.

Do the repair that was shown in the first video and find where that vacuum line should be connected and deal with that. Your car may have a vacuum line diagram under the hood that hopefully will help you.

Your problem appears to be entirely vacuum related. No recharging should be necessary would be my guess.

Good work!! :thumbsup:

Just got back to the thread.

In the engine compartment, I could see that someone had already bypassed the broken part with a rubber hose. My friend and I followed that and discovered that the other end (in the passenger floorboard) was disconnected.

After reconnecting it, it's definitely blowing stronger. The blower seems to speed up and slow down, like it's reacting to some kind of sensor / threshold. The passenger side cools well now and the driver side feels only slightly cool. Still, it's an improvement. I'll try it out during the day tomorrow.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

After reconnecting it, it's definitely blowing stronger. The blower seems to speed up and slow down, like it's reacting to some kind of sensor / threshold. The passenger side cools well now and the driver side feels only slightly cool. Still, it's an improvement. I'll try it out during the day tomorrow.

Well done! I would not have thought that anything AC related would be shade tree mechanic serviceable. I learned something new today, thank you.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Just got back to the thread.

In the engine compartment, I could see that someone had already bypassed the broken part with a rubber hose. My friend and I followed that and discovered that the other end (in the passenger floorboard) was disconnected.

After reconnecting it, it's definitely blowing stronger. The blower seems to speed up and slow down, like it's reacting to some kind of sensor / threshold. The passenger side cools well now and the driver side feels only slightly cool. Still, it's an improvement. I'll try it out during the day tomorrow.

http://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/sh...sembly=806490&ukey_make=1084&ukey_model=15727

Here's the diagram and replacement parts here....not that you should spend money, but you can see what parts make up the bigger picture.