Air Conditioner Question

My 01 PT Cruiser has been very reliable. But now the air conditioner is not
as cool as it should be. I have checked the pressure and it reads to
specification, about 20lb. What else should I look for?

Richard.

 

Well, for one thing, you need to quantify how cool it really is. Get one
of those inexpensive air vent thermometers and monitor how cold the air
blows with the fan on high and on the "recirc" setting. It should be
around 40 degrees F. after everything has a chance to stabilize. If it
doesn't get that low, then maybe the blend doors are letting some air
from the heater core mix into the cold air stream (maybe a PT owner can
give you the procedure to check this onthat system). if that's OK, then
you need to check the high-side pressure and condenser temperature and
compare the results with a pressure/temperature table as found in the
Factory Service Manual. Verify that the electric fans are running,
verify that the compressor isn't short-cycling (indicating a possible
clogged expansion valve). And so on. There's a lot more to it than just
the low-side pressure.

 

--
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

Richard, you need to have someone look at it that knows what they are doing.
You have to have a set of gauges connected to read high and low side
pressures. 20lb means nothing.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech