ac questions

[jamhamm]

general ac question - blow ambient temp so the system is broken ... low coolant, leak, whatever...

car on, ac on max - compressor flips on and off... about 3 second intervals

on off on off on off

jumpered the low pressure sensor - compressor clicks on and stays on... pressure reading falls falls falls...

its about 90 outside and the pressure went all the way down to about 20... so she's low on r134a... got it

but with the compressor forced on [jumper] as i open the coolant, the hoses get tight and the pressure jumps and spikes the gauge...

so... when the can is open, no coolant is flowing into the system?

any ideas?

ive recharged many a ac system - when the compressor is on it usually pulls the coolant in

also i cant hear the tell tell hiss of coolant leaving the canister

[NiftySVX]

If the low side goes low then yes it could mean there is low refrigerant volume. It could also mean there is a restriction in the system, depending on what the high side is running. What are the values of the high side?

[kwren]

Probably lo on refrigerant but not always a good idea to bypass a sensor and run it. If has a leak can suck air with moisture in the system. Best to put the gauge on it and easily see what it is doing.

Keith