AC only cools for a few minutes everyday

[pwuser153215188849]

Hi,

The AC of my 1996 Khyber starts fine every morning, but the cooling gradually drops after covering a few kms. I took it to a mechanic and he found that there was no thermoregulation installed. The AC connection was direct and unregulated. So, he added a thermostat, but the problem only got worse: the AC cooling shuts off even faster now.

I've tried a two different AC walay and they just keep selling their "Vitz ka AC lagwa lo" wala chooran. Meri Vitz ki aukaat hoti to may Khyber may kyun ghoomta bhai. Is there a reasonable solution to this? I don't want perfect chill AC. Just something that works consistently throughout my 25-35 min office commute.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

[hash4u]

which city are you from
btw i think they are asking u to buy a second hand compressor of vitz
not the whole car

[zakiuddin]

Does the compressor still work when it gets hot? sometimes, the compressor coil gets open when hot... so maybe when you start, it engages the compressor but when it's hot, it's nomore working and all you get is hot air.
it other words, when AC is not cooling, do you hear the clicking noise from compressor when you switch A/C on and off?

[ZainMahdi]

Original compressor works fine; you don't need to replace it. I recently had a multiflow condensor installed in my Khyber; works like a charm. Vent temperature is decent even in direct sunlight in peak hours.

Which city are you from?

[Proverbial_Slang]

Check both a/c condensor grills and clean is necessary. Also, have the a/c bottle inspected. Compressor oil needs to be filled properly. third is compressor fan belt. As unlikely as it sounds, a loose fan belt will produce same symptoms.

[fusion.alive11]

If you are sure everything else works fine then there are two culprits that are often overlooked, bad compressor relay and AC Button.... Change the compressor relay and get the AC button checked. While driving when you feel like cooling has gone down significantly, park the car somewhere quiet (where you can hear the compressor engage and disengage) dont shut the car off open the hood and see whether compressor clutch is properly engaged and moving if it is not, fiddle with the AC button in your car by switching it on and off you will be able to know for sure whether your ac button is the culprit.

If your compressor clutch is properly engaged and compressor is working but still you dont get cold air then there is some other issue.

[pwuser153215188849]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. Let me mention a few details to help you understand the situation better:

1) I am in Karachi
2) I got this Khyber 2.5 years ago. At the time, the AC wasn't operational. It was only 6 months ago that I got it serviced. Some components were added new while others were only serviced:

a) Evaporator coils - serviced
b) Compressor - serviced
c) The AC grill (the one next to radiator grill) - brand new
d) That bottle thing - brand new
e) Blower - serviced

Some people have suggested a switching/relay issue. If I understand you correctly, then I don't think the AC switches off randomly. I know this because my car behaves slightly different when the AC is on as compared to when it's off (when on, the idling RPM gets slightly higher, the car vibrates less, the engine makes slightly more noise etc.).

I don't know what the compressor clutch is but when I open the hood, the AC fan is rotating fine (which only works when the AC button is pressed).

In fact, my problem isn't that the AC starts blowing hot air after working for a few minutes. It's just that the cooling gets at the bare minimum level but it's still cooling because when I switch the AC off, I can feel it getting even warmer. So there's a clear difference when the AC is on as compared to when just the fan is on, but the cooling level is very low as compared to the level of cooling I get when I start the AC afresh every morning.

In fact, since getting the thermostat installed, the overall level of cooling has dropped.

So I think the switching bit is fine. Something else is the problem.

I had the belts inspected and replaced just a month ago as well, so it's probably not the belt issue as well.

@zainmehdi Interesting. Do you think the multiflow condenser can solve the problem? Any idea regarding the cost?

[fusion.alive11]

Search on youtube regarding compressor clutch and see if yours is still spinning when cooling goes down.

[pwuser153215188849]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will check if compressor clutch is properly engaging and come back to you.

[nightsurfer]

Just go to Bashir AC and never have your car ruined by any other AC technician.

https://goo.gl/maps/4etyCEfjcgEYcikp6

[arsal396]

@zakiuddin bro i have KIA Classic. same type of issue is facing by me sometmes.

ac works like chill even in peak day time but kbhi kbhi cooling ghaib hojati h jese hi compressor trip ho k restart hota h, like compressor is on but no cool air. phr thori dayr tk compressor bnd rakho like 10 to max 15 mins and thn compressor on kro tw chill cooling

any solution for it?

[scholar.center]

Do you have ice fumes when cooling goes?? If yes. Then your ac has low gas. Get it charge after checking any leak.

[Xulfiqar]

Sounds like the evaporator is icing

[zakiuddin]

If the compressor is on but you don't get cooling, it may be the icing as Xulfiqar suggested above. For Evaporator to freeze, your fan speed has to be low, or cabin filter clogged or a faulty temperature sensor or clogged condensation drain pipe.
If it doesn't restart after tripping, you need to dig deeper to check the coil or lose/rusted connections. intermittent problems are always difficult to diagnose. You have to bring it to a technician when it's exhibiting the problem otherwise they won't find anything.

[arsal396]

@Xulfiqar whats the exact solution?

[arsal396]

@zakiuddin sir sometime i feel like some thing release or you can say sound of gas release feels from evaporator side in cabin, tw us k baad mei dead sure hota hun k ac cool krega.

pr sir agr waqai gas ya leakage ka issue h tw bilkul cooling nhi krni chahye ya halki cooling krni chaye, as i said if its works, its work 101% full chill air.

[arsal396]

@scholar.center no ice fumes,
its like cabin temperature maintain hone k bad compressor trip hojata h or jb dobara compressor on hota tw cooling ghaib, kbhi kbhi its work fine or kbhi kbhi its like " bhai krde cooling on and off, on and off, on and off n then ahhhh cooling starts "

[scholar.center]

Then check your compressor clutch system. It seem clutch is weared out or sliping leading to uneaven cooling.

[sk_cooldayz]

sometime i feel like some thing release or you can say sound of gas release feels from evaporator side in cabin, tw us k baad mei dead sure hota hun k ac cool krega

It could be clogged expansion valve. It sometimes releases pressure correctly so you feel cooling.

[arsal396]

@sk_cooldayz then wt should i say to ac technician ?