Chasing an HVAC issue and I need some help here...

[Jimmy Brooks]

Did anyone ever figure this out, my Freon is finally drained (there is a code) and my ac does not work. I live in California and the car is black so having a working AC is mandatory. With that being said let me explain the history.

In 2020 my AC compressor was finally replaced and although it improved the dead AC there were still little bits to me that didn’t make sense. I would have to rev the engine up above 2k rpm to finally get the system to blow cold and even under high load the system wouldn’t blow that cold and the rear ac wouldn’t blow cold until the ac blower was on a lower setting.

In 2021 the compressor locked up and ripped my serpentine belt and I was told to replace the condenser and the rest was done for free. Even with that condenser replaced it still wasn’t as good as new, still had the same issues as before.

Finally 2023 I finally got the LR4 back up and running after thinking I needed to replace a whole engine (for an issue which ended up being a bad coil ground) I was driving in the California heat and only the driver side would blow cold and then under lighter load the passenger side would blow cold with the rear still remaining warm. However one thing that stuck out to me was the slight smell of freon in the cabin when the ac blower was turned up. (No code for low Freon)

Finally I came back in 2024 to find that the ac is not working and that there is a code for low pressure in the Freon.

So my question is what do you guys think it is? I did a little research and a lot of it is pointing to the ac evaporator (I really don’t want to pull apart the front dash) but would it make sense given the symptoms? I feel like I’ve replaced every other part other than the evaporator. Let me know what you guys think, really need ac this summer.

Side note: my windshield cowleding has been lifted up for a couple of years now, would this cause corrosion in the system?

 

[RoverTide]

Have you pulled a vacuum on the system to see if it holds?

The only other thing I can think of is that your blower/blend doors are not functioning properly, or intermittently. Have you seen any codes for those?

I'm not sure moisture from the cowl issue would cause any corrosion issues... the evaporator is constantly sweating under normal operating conditions. And as long as you have good cabin air filters, there shouldn't be any dirt or particulates that get in there.

I have the a/c issue where it starts blowing warm, and you have to turn it off for 30 seconds to get it to blow cold again. Fun.

 

[powershift]

Did anyone ever figure this out, my Freon is finally drained (there is a code) and my ac does not work. I live in California and the car is black so having a working AC is mandatory. With that being said let me explain the history.

In 2020 my AC compressor was finally replaced and although it improved the dead AC there were still little bits to me that didn’t make sense. I would have to rev the engine up above 2k rpm to finally get the system to blow cold and even under high load the system wouldn’t blow that cold and the rear ac wouldn’t blow cold until the ac blower was on a lower setting.

In 2021 the compressor locked up and ripped my serpentine belt and I was told to replace the condenser and the rest was done for free. Even with that condenser replaced it still wasn’t as good as new, still had the same issues as before.

Finally 2023 I finally got the LR4 back up and running after thinking I needed to replace a whole engine (for an issue which ended up being a bad coil ground) I was driving in the California heat and only the driver side would blow cold and then under lighter load the passenger side would blow cold with the rear still remaining warm. However one thing that stuck out to me was the slight smell of freon in the cabin when the ac blower was turned up. (No code for low Freon)

Finally I came back in 2024 to find that the ac is not working and that there is a code for low pressure in the Freon.

So my question is what do you guys think it is? I did a little research and a lot of it is pointing to the ac evaporator (I really don’t want to pull apart the front dash) but would it make sense given the symptoms? I feel like I’ve replaced every other part other than the evaporator. Let me know what you guys think, really need ac this summer.

Side note: my windshield cowleding has been lifted up for a couple of years now, would this cause corrosion in the system?

Sorry to hear about your AC problems. How many miles did your compressor have on it before it locked up?

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

Have you pulled a vacuum on the system to see if it holds?

The only other thing I can think of is that your blower/blend doors are not functioning properly, or intermittently. Have you seen any codes for those?

I'm not sure moisture from the cowl issue would cause any corrosion issues... the evaporator is constantly sweating under normal operating conditions. And as long as you have good cabin air filters, there shouldn't be any dirt or particulates that get in there.

I have the a/c issue where it starts blowing warm, and you have to turn it off for 30 seconds to get it to blow cold again. Fun.

Yup I have that same issue as well. Never seen a code for the blower motor. Cabin filter has been replaced less than 10k miles ago and the car is garaged. Also losing a bit of coolant but don’t think that’s related.

Keep in mind it used to blow cold in all zones if it’s not super hot out and I don’t crank the blower.

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

Sorry to hear about your AC problems. How many miles did your compressor have on it before it locked up?

Think I put around 12-15k miles on it and then the compressor locked up and tore the serpentine belt. They claimed it was contaminants in the system and said to replace the condensor which I did. But still the system never functioned like brand new.

Ironically if I remember properly, the rear ac used to blow colder than the front before the compressor was replaced originally. That was of course when I could get the engine to around 3k rpms probably accelerating from a traffic break. It’s all weird.

 

[powershift]

Think I put around 12-15k miles on it and then the compressor locked up and tore the serpentine belt. They claimed it was contaminants in the system and said to replace the condensor which I did. But still the system never functioned like brand new.

Ironically if I remember properly, the rear ac used to blow colder than the front before the compressor was replaced originally. That was of course when I could get the engine to around 3k rpms probably accelerating from a traffic break. It’s all weird.

How many total miles when the compressor went out? I have 105k on mine and I'm wondering when it might do the same thing.

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

How many total miles when the compressor went out? I have 105k on mine and I'm wondering when it might do the same thing.

My first one was dead at around 110k but didn’t lock up. second one died 10k after the first from seizing. If your ac is still blowing cold strong don’t take it for granted

 

[powershift]

My first one was dead at around 110k but didn’t lock up. second one died 10k after the first from seizing. If your ac is still blowing cold strong don’t take it for granted

It was 90F today and I had the windows down. I'm trying to save the AC for when I might die without it lol. When it hits 115F - 120F the AC doesn't do much to keep it cool driving around town out but its better than nothing. Right now it works really well, but I don't need it.

 

[Jimmy Brooks]

been thinking about my issue a lot recently, would it make sense that a bad compressor would cause multiple zones to blow different temperatures? at least to me, i thought that a bad compressor would make all of them go at the same time?

on another note would i get a code for a bad expansion valve?

would a bad expansion valve release a bit of freon into the cabin?

could a leak be small enough in the evaporator to cause freon to leak into the cabin over the course of 6 months?

 

[RoverTide]

It could just be a blend door issue. From limited experience with replacing blend door motors, I believe if the blend door that closes the heater core off when the ac is on, doesn't close all the way, then you will get heat mixed with the cold air. I had this issue on an F150 and a Suburban.

I remember getting a drivers side blend door issue on my LR4 when I let the battery get too low. You can check some of the blend door positions with the GAP tool. If they are malfunctioning, then it should show a fault.

You will need to check the high side and low side pressure with a gauge set to ultimately see if the expansion valve is working. If you want to do it yourself, you can buy a gauge set from harbor freight for $65, and google what the pressure readings mean. Thats what I ended up doing.

I also found out the hard way, that if you are leaking refrigerant, a service center is not allowed to refill it unless its fixed. So, I went from a weak a/c system to no a/c at all after I had them evac the system and pull a vacuum on it to test for leaks. However, when I pulled a vacuum on it myself, it held steady for 45 min and I just refilled it. So I am guessing they were trying to get me to spend some money.