Hey guys,

So the family had noticed an imbalance in the a/c temp recently on some very hot days, so I threw an a/c thermometer into the center passenger side vent, positioned the van in shade, held idle about 1500 rpm, had the a/c on the lowest temp and on air recirculate setting, and was reading 70 degrees after about 5 mins. When I switched the thermometer to the driver's side center vent, I got a temp reading about 60 degrees (it was 97 degrees outside and very humid). So the question is why is the passenger side running warmer than the driver side and what might the solution be to repair this problem and get the wife cool again. Thanks for any info. Also, my mechanic had to change the a/c condenser a few months ago due to a tranny fluid leak but not sure if this could be related to that as the warm issue has only been for about 2 weeks or so.

 

New a/c condenser? Take it back and check for leaks and proper fill with R134a. ESPECIALLY if it has rear air, and make sure that that system is purged also with the front system or you will have problems you post of.

 

The mechanic wants the vehicle back to check for leaks in the system so will be heading there next week. He said when one side is colder than the other it indicates a possible leak. Oddly, and I don't have a great knowledge of the physics of the a/c system, but today as I drove at low speeds the air delivered was not on the cold side, but as I sped up to highway speed it was very cold on both driver and passenger sides. Any thoughts what's going on now? Is there actually a leak? Could there be something else wrong as well? Thanks.

 

Sorry, I don't teach theory of operation. Your mechanic and I seem to agree with what may be going on...leave it at that.

 

So our mechanic found a leak in the system as suspected. Only problem is, it is near the rear evaporator which is located behind the front wheel well. He said he is doing one for the town van where he is located and the job is about $2000 with parts and labor. Yeah, so we won't be repairing this but will probably start the process of adding refrigerant periodically to maintain cooling until that doesn't work anymore. There were also o-ring leaks at the 2 lines that enter the condenser he just replaced and ordered 2 new o-rings to repair that problem. Not having ever charged a cooling system before, can anyone tell me if the process is easy, what equipment I would need to obtain, and what the steps are to perform the charge. Thanks for any help, thoughts, or advice.