SteveK Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 While I wait on advice regarding my hard starting problem something new just developed today. We had a pretty warm day and I decided to try out the air conditioning. I set the temp to 60 degrees but all I got was what I call room temperature air. It didn't blow hot air, it just wasn't blowing cold. Also, the two drivers' side vents were just a couple of degrees cooler then the passenger side. Now for a little background. I had the entire A/C system replace last November. I had a new compressor, tube, tanks, leak test and the lines flushed. Since then the heat and defrost have worked great all winter. When I finally tried the A/C the air did switch to the dash vents and the fan speed works just fine. I just took the car back in to the shop and they did a leak test and checked the coolant levels. Everything checked out. They said I need to bring it to a dealer because it might be some type of computer problem. Before I take a second mortgage on the home to pay a dealer to look at my car can anyone offer some advice, and no, buying a Lexus is not an option:) Thanks, Steve Keitel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 Steve, Please check your codes and post them here. The codes may give us a place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basod2002 Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 I had similar issue this past fall except I had cold air instead of warm blowing on the passenger side, makes for interesting drive when the defrost fogs your entire passenger cabin worse than turning it on. Mine was a stuck damper servo. not 100% sure where yours is at and if it has dual climate it would mean both servos or possibly there is a common damper that may be stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 Seems to me the shop that did the work has some responsibility but... Enter diagnostics and check for trouble codes. Post them here and that may lead to the problem. If the shop did a leak check and monitored the pressures and the system was performing to the specifications in the shop manual (with the exception of outlet duct temperature...) it sounds like there is something going on with the actuator/blend doors. I would never recommend buying a overpriced Toyota as a solution.... Quote Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 A look at the top of this page shows that we are Cadillac Enthusiasts...while I think you were kidding, we would never recommend you buy a Lexus... KHE is our resident AC go to guy, follow his recommendations Quote Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted March 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 I just checked the codes and here they are: P0171B P0174B P0151 I believe these are more relevant to my hard starting problem but I will leave that you you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 None of those codes have to do with the A/C system. Start the engine and turn on the A/C - then feel the lines where they enter the firewall to the evaporator. Are they cold? If so, I would suspect a blend door actuator issue. Quote Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted April 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Here is an update and shout out for help on my A/C. Just about everything has been replaced; all the metal tubing, the dryer tank, the in-line filter, the compressor and all new coolant. It still blows "room temperature". I am at a loss. At first I had no error codes however, I just had the system worked on and the A/C worked (kind of but never got that cold) for a day. Then the water pump went out. That was repaired and I tried the A/C again. It didn't work and only blew “room temperature" air and did not get cold. Almost immediately my check engine light came on so I ran a self diagnostic and came up with the following codes: PCM P0174 History (Fuel Trim System Lean Bank 1) PZM B1971 (Inadvertent Power) RFA B2560 (RKE Message Validation Error) I am not sure which these error codes are active or if any of them have anything to do with the A/C. Can anyone make any recommendations, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Steve, None of the codes you posted have anything to do with the A/C system. Start the engine and turn on the A/C. Does the compressor engage? Feel the A/C pipes where they enter the firewall - are they cold? Quote Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted April 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 The compressor engages, there are no leaks (I just had it rechecked) and the pipes get very cold. Cuold it be some problem with a blend door or something electronic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 With that information, the issue is an actuator that is out of adjustment or bad. If the car has a dual zone climate control system, one of the actuators is behind the glove box. The other is accessed by removing the lower dash panel. When you move the temperature setting from 60 to 90 degrees and then from 90 to 60, you should see the actuators moving the rods that are connected to the blend doors. Allow 30-45 seconds for the actuators to respond to the settings. Quote Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 your shop will change every part under the hood but refuses to check under the dash for blend door issues? cars have had climate control as well as a/c for quite awhile. and your mechanic blows you off and tells you to check with the dealer? did they check system pressures? if they are ok than system if probably filled correctly and the accumulator should be cold so that means it is blend door issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted May 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 OK, so here is the latest. I got a warm day and tried out the A/C (I set it to 60 degrees). It took a few minutes of blowing "room temperature" air until it started to get cool. Not cold mind you, just cool. After a few more minutes my dash said A/C compressor shutting down and low coolant level. The check engine light also came on. Well, back to the mechanic. They checked out all the piping, coolant and compressor. No leaks (two pounds of coolant in system) and the compressor is fine. The error code is B1347. After they checked out all the hardware they reset the error code. I had to wait several days for a warm day but today I tried it out again. Same thing happened. It took a few minutes of blowing "room temperature" air until it started to get cool. Not cold mind you, just cool. After a few more minutes my dash said A/C compressor shutting down and low coolant level. The check engine light also came on. I can only assume it is the same error code. The mechanic says that I need to bring it to a dealer because it is either a bad sensor(s) or a bad computer (he called it a controller). Is there anything I can do by myself before I take it to a dealer and they charge me hundreds of dollars to tell me what I already know and hundreds more to fix the problem? Getting hot under the collar in Denver, Steve Keitel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 What I would do, is have an AC shop capture the refrigerant, then, 1) pull out the orfice tube and check for debris, clean the orfice tube, 2) replace the low pressure switch (B1347 - Very Low A/C Refrigerant Warning, when the system is charged) 3) if the system has ever been left open or discharged, consider changing the accumulator 4) have the shop, fully evacuate the system to get out moisture, and recharge it. You are getting a low coolant message, 1) is the coolant low? Yes its low?, put coolant in, NOT LOW?, you need a new coolant level sensor, that is part of the coolant tank, REPLACE the TANK If its LOW in coolant, you need to find the source of the leak, pressure test the system Quote Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted May 5, 2010 Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 Just so you don't confuse anyone, coolant is for the engine cooling system aka anti-freeze. Refrigerant is for the A/C system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted May 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 Sorry, I am being unclear. I do not have a problem with my coolant (as in radiator) level. I was referring to the Very Low A/C Refrigerant Warning announcement and the subsequent A/C Compressor turning off warning. I have had the accumulator and orifice tube along with every other tube and pipe replaced. The mechanic did say that when they first replaced the pump and accumulator and "flushed" the system there was A LOT of garbage in the lines! Thank you for the tips BODYBYFISHER. Do you think that replacing the low pressure switch will solve the cold air problem or just correct the error code? Does anyone happen to have the AC Delco part number for the low pressure switch and/or know how much one of these cost? If I am going to have them capture the refrigerant anyway is there any other sensor, switch or doodad that I should have replaced while they are at it so I don't need to go through this again? So far I have had the compressor and every metal tube/line on the engine side of the firewall replaced along with a new orifice tube. Thanks, Steve Keitel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterset Posted May 5, 2010 Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 Sorry, I am being unclear. I do not have a problem with my coolant (as in radiator) level. I was referring to the Very Low A/C Refrigerant Warning announcement and the subsequent A/C Compressor turning off warning. I have had the accumulator and orifice tube along with every other tube and pipe replaced. The mechanic did say that when they first replaced the pump and accumulator and "flushed" the system there was A LOT of garbage in the lines! Thank you for the tips BODYBYFISHER. Do you think that replacing the low pressure switch will solve the cold air problem or just correct the error code? Does anyone happen to have the AC Delco part number for the low pressure switch and/or know how much one of these cost? If I am going to have them capture the refrigerant anyway is there any other sensor, switch or doodad that I should have replaced while they are at it so I don't need to go through this again? So far I have had the compressor and every metal tube/line on the engine side of the firewall replaced along with a new orifice tube. Thanks, Steve Keitel Steve, just so you know: When the low refrigerant code shows up, the compressor will not turn back on. If you are at a boarderline level of refrigerant, clearing the code will once again let the compressor run. I would be concerned that there is a belief that there is still "garbage" in the system. I suspect a slow leak is there, and performing a pressure check, and topping off the system will solve this. Again KHE is the AC expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted May 5, 2010 Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 OK, so here is the latest. I got a warm day and tried out the A/C (I set it to 60 degrees). It took a few minutes of blowing "room temperature" air until it started to get cool. Not cold mind you, just cool. After a few more minutes my dash said A/C compressor shutting down and low coolant level. The check engine light also came on. Well, back to the mechanic. They checked out all the piping, coolant and compressor. No leaks (two pounds of coolant in system) and the compressor is fine. The error code is B1347. After they checked out all the hardware they reset the error code. I had to wait several days for a warm day but today I tried it out again. Same thing happened. It took a few minutes of blowing "room temperature" air until it started to get cool. Not cold mind you, just cool. After a few more minutes my dash said A/C compressor shutting down and low coolant level. The check engine light also came on. I can only assume it is the same error code. The mechanic says that I need to bring it to a dealer because it is either a bad sensor(s) or a bad computer (he called it a controller). Is there anything I can do by myself before I take it to a dealer and they charge me hundreds of dollars to tell me what I already know and hundreds more to fix the problem? Getting hot under the collar in Denver, Steve Keitel Usually, when these cars say they're low on refrigerant, they are low on refrigerant. Did the shop evacuate and weigh the refrigerant that was recovered in order to determine there was 2.0 lbs (a full charge) of refrigerant in the system? That is the most accurate way to determine a full charge. Is there any chance the shop installed the orifice tube backward? If they did, the low side thermistor (temperature sensor) will be destroyed. What was the original reason for replacing the compressor? Did it self destruct and spew debris into the system? If so, the condenser should have been replaced as it is impossible to flush a parallel flow condenser and remove all the debris. The remaining debris will clog the o-tube and/or ruin the replacement compressor over time. This may not be the case - usually when the o-tube is installed backwards and ruins the low side temp. sensor, a code for open or shorted low side temp sensor is set. Quote Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted May 5, 2010 Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 I have had the accumulator and orifice tube along with every other tube and pipe replaced. Did they replace the condenser? They should have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted May 5, 2010 Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 The reason I said it might be your low pressure sensor/switch is because you said you were getting the low pressure code BUT your AC shop said your AC system was fully charged. I had that problem and it was the low pressure sensor. Where are you located? There are different types of orfices, if you are in Arizona or Florida you may need a different orfice. As Ranger noted, did they replace the condenser? They CAN NOT be flushed and must be replaced. I would pull the orfice tube again and have a look for crap, if you have junk in it, I would replace the condenser, flush the system and recharge Quote Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted May 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 All good advice. Yes, the condenser was replaced at the same time as the compressor. I don't know how they determined the weight of the refrigerant. That will be my next move. Thanks and I'll keep you all posted. I live in Denver, CO. Steve Keitel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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