> MJSUKEY@cs.com wrote:
> > My daughter purchased a new 2002 Mercury Couger at the end of December.
Now that summer has hit she has found out that the AC pretty well sucks in
the car and it only has 8000 miles on it. We have had it back to the dealer
twice recently and they try to put a charge of freon in it and say they
can't find any leaks or anything else wrong. On an 80 degree day the air is
coming out around 60. I'm thinking it should be alot colder than that but I
can't find any document (Ford or otherwise) that gives what the temp should
be. Any advise?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Marty Sukey
> >
Marty,
A basic performance test for an air conditioner as installed in most
vehicles would go something like this....
1. Start the engine and run it at a fast idle for about five minutes. AC
unit on the max cooling position and high blower. Doors, windows, and hood
closed.
2. Place a thermometer at one of the far vents, either far right or far
left, with most US cars the far right (passenger) is the one you should use.
This is often the farthest vent from evaporator. With airco controls on max
cool turn the blower to the lowest position (lowest speed).
3. Allow 5 minutes for everything to stabilize.
4. The thermometer at the vent should show between 35 and 45 degrees F
assuming 75 to 80 degrees ambient temp. Higher ambient temps and humidity's
will change this range.
To get a better idea of what is going on you must get a set of gauges and
look at high and low side pressures, in addition to measure specific temps
at different points around the system.
I would also suggest you invest in an AC repair manual. They are about 10
bucks and may open your eyes, even if you do not plan to do your own
maintenance. The Haynes Techbook "Automotive Heating & Air Conditioning"
book is easy to understand and I found it very informative. I got it just
because I thought it would be neat to read up on, and now I do all my own AC
work. It is pretty straight forward and a lot cheaper to do yourself. Yes,
there are some specialized tools, but the cost savings of one or two freon
recharges can just about recoup those cost.
Darrell
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