134a where does it go....

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chocolat1701

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i have a 2004 LS V8 and this week my AC started to only blow hot air on both sides, now i only have 41k on my car and i only had it for 2 years, im the first owner and i found it kinda strange that it needed a recharge so quick so i purchased a 134a kit to do a recharge but i cant find the "low" does any one know where this is i have done searches and on the old 00-02 there where under the driver side wheel well but before i jack it up i wan to make sure that the 04 is in the same place or under the hood. any help please and if you have pics even better.
 
If you only have 41K miles on the car, you may still be under warranty--you still have 9,000 miles on the warranty, so it'll depend on when your "in service" date was. If it's still under warranty, have the dealer fix it.

If it's blowing hot air, it may be the DCCV (do a search on that term for more info) or another HVAC component, rather than a low refrigerant charge. If it is a low refrigerant charge, somebody needs to check for leaks, because the HVAC system doesn't consume refrigerant and angels don't carry it away in gossamer bags. Eventually, the seals will get brittle and it will leak out, but this is way too early for that.
 
because the HVAC system doesn't consume refrigerant and angels don't carry it away in gossamer bags.
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No but it WILL leak right THROUGH the hoses and seals that are supposed to hold it in. :D
My car is 5 years old and the charge was nearly 25% depleted when I serviced the AC system last month. And I have no signs of leaks on any component of the AC system. That is one of the main reasons R-134a is mandatory in automobiles sold in the U.S., it leaks out right through the hoses. Keeps money in the pockets of the companies that make it.

If the car is still under warranty take it to the dealer and they should service it for free. The charge shouldn't be that far depleted in only 2 years unless there is an actual leak somewhere. And there is also the possibility that it is the DCCV.

If you still would like to try your hand at a recharge though the Low pressure port is located on the side of the compressor facing the drivers side wheel well. There is a plastic cover held on by 2 screws right under the compressor, take that off and you will find it.
 
97stscaddy said:
No but it WILL leak right THROUGH the hoses and seals that are supposed to hold it in. :D
My car is 5 years old and the charge was nearly 25% depleted when I serviced the AC system last month.
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Yeah, but my brother has my (well, used to be my) '95 SHO, and it's still going strong on its factory charge of R134a, and my '99 Explorer still gets cold air from its factory R134a charge, so I don't think it's unreasonable to say that this is way too soon for an '04 LS to be low on refrigerant...
 
i agree with you soonerls i called the STEALERSHIP and they told me it looks like i have a leak and they will cover it under warrenty.
 
ok i picked up my car and it did have a leak but what happened was the cold air trap door was jammed and also the cold air bypass switch was shorted becouse of the leak, they fixed both issues and now im COOOOL again.
 
The good ol' days of R12 are missed. The '92 Cadillac I had never had to be recharged the entire time I had it and even before I had it there were no maintenance records about it (bought it from one of those obsessive old women who kept all that stuff.) Was cold till it sold!
 
Kulow said:
The good ol' days of R12 are missed. The '92 Cadillac I had never had to be recharged the entire time I had it and even before I had it there were no maintenance records about it (bought it from one of those obsessive old women who kept all that stuff.) Was cold till it sold!
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Ah yes, I too miss the gaping hole in the Ozone layer. It's too bad that it has started to recover now that we have stopped pumping Chlorinated Flourocarbons into the atmosphere. Why, it seems likes almost yesterday that the UV index (standard part of all weather forecasts in Northern areas like Canada) was so consistently high that unprotected skin would sunburn twice as fast in the middle of Canadian winter as it would in the tropics. Yep, them were the days.

I don't disagree that R12 was a vastly superior refrigerant than R134a, but there are very, very good reasons why it isn't used any longer.
 
macboy said:
Ah yes, I too miss the gaping hole in the Ozone layer. It's too bad that it has started to recover now that we have stopped pumping Chlorinated Flourocarbons into the atmosphere. Why, it seems likes almost yesterday that the UV index (standard part of all weather forecasts in Northern areas like Canada) was so consistently high that unprotected skin would sunburn twice as fast in the middle of Canadian winter as it would in the tropics. Yep, them were the days.

I don't disagree that R12 was a vastly superior refrigerant than R134a, but there are very, very good reasons why it isn't used any longer.
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Eh, why not damage the ozone to the max? I mean, most of us have V8 LS's anyway....doesn't help at all. If you're gonna do it, might as well do it right!
 
Just wait until we learn what R134a does. It probably causes cancer in dandelions and kittens or something.

Everything we "invent" is bad for us or the environment or both. What was good turns out to kill you, what used to be bad for you turns out to be good.

eh....I can't keep up....
 
Eh, why not damage the ozone to the max? I mean, most of us have V8 LS's anyway....doesn't help at all. If you're gonna do it, might as well do it right!
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Yeah, and we should run a campaign to bring back leaded gas, and asbestos brake pads; and ditch catalytic converters, egr valves, and evaporative emissions controls. :D

R-12 was the sheiss, but there are other environmentally friendly refridgerants that do just as well, and don't leak out like 134.

As far as I can tell, the only place that anything causes cancer in is California. So I think as long as you keep away from there, its all good. :p
 
There is legislative talk about banning do it yourself refill kits for R134A, at least in Calif. The reason is that it is a greenhouse gas, which of course is the current Bogieman of choice.

First it was R12 and Ozone, now R134A and global warming, dang Gore.

Sooner or later, we will need to have Ice houses and dump a block of ice into the trunk. Don't laugh, the latest commercial cooling concept is cooling buildings with Ice, not regular air conditioning. Some interesting articles, Big buildings have an Icemaking system in the basement and make "Ice" at night and use the Ice during the day to cool.

Gonna go home and lock up my horde of R12 and get some more 134 before it too is illegal.

Jim Henderson
 
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