Low A/C charge noise

[Gus_Mahn]

It's not that warm here yet, but when the A/C is on there's an intermitent whooshing sound in the dash. It did this last year before I recharged the A/C on my '03 LS8. I've never heard A/C make this sound. Anybody else notice this?

 

[joegr]

Yeah, that's the sound that the expansion valve makes when the refrigerant level is low. If it's only been a year, you must have a leak.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

Yeah, that's the sound that the expansion valve makes when the refrigerant level is low. If it's only been a year, you must have a leak.

Yep, but R134 is pretty cheap, and I have a 30lb cylinder. I can live with it if it's seasonal. It went 9 years before it need any. I will look for obvious signs of a leak, but it may be too small to find.

 

[joegr]

Yep, but R134 is pretty cheap, and I have a 30lb cylinder. I can live with it if it's seasonal. It went 9 years before it need any. I will look for obvious signs of a leak, but it may be too small to find.

Just be sure to check around the compressor. Both of mine leaked from there, and they leaked a lot of compressor oil out without the refrigerant level ever getting too low. I noticed the oil puddles in the garage and replaced the compressors before they ran out of oil. I didn't want them contaminating the rest of the system with little bits on metal.

 

[LS4me]

Just be sure to check around the compressor. Both of mine leaked from there, and they leaked a lot of compressor oil out without the refrigerant level ever getting too low. I noticed the oil puddles in the garage and replaced the compressors before they ran out of oil. I didn't want them contaminating the rest of the system with little bits on metal.

What Joe said.... Same here.