I have a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica that I'm having AC issues with. I bought the car last year and pointed out to the dealer that the AC wasn't working. He added some refrigerant & dye so I could see if the compressor would kick on and that the system itself was working, hopefully indicating that it's a leak and not anything major. The compressor did kick on right away and it blew cold air for a week or two.
I took it to a trusted independent mechanic a couple weeks ago to have them determine what is wrong, and they replaced the condenser which had a substantial leak. I assume they topped up the refrigerant, he told me they added dye, ran it for 45 minutes or so to test for any other leaks, everything looked good so they sent me on my way.
Yesterday was the first good hot day I could really put it to the test, and it's blowing out what I would consider "cool" air (definitely cooler than ambient temp), but far from cold. In 80+ degree temps it fails miserably at keeping the interior a comfortable temperature.
I checked the compressor with the vehicle running and it is cycling on and off repeatedly. About 5-10 seconds on, 5-10 seconds off, does this constantly. I have a DIY gauge for the low pressure side, so I plugged that in to see if perhaps it was low on refrigerant, and the gauge reads right where it should. The "filled/green" part of the gauge spans 25-45 PSI, and I'm getting approx 40 PSI when the compressor is running. When the compressor kicks off, the gauge goes higher to about 55 PSI which is in the yellow/warning area of the gauge. When the compressor kicks back on, it goes back to 40 PSI. Don't know enough about AC to discern whether the gauge going up and down with the compressor cycling is appropriate behavior.. But I do know that the compressor should not cycle on and off like this.
Anyone have any idea what might cause this? Would like to at least have a sense of what might be wrong before I bring it back to the mechanic and drain my wallet further. Any help or insight would be appreciated!
I took it to a trusted independent mechanic a couple weeks ago to have them determine what is wrong, and they replaced the condenser which had a substantial leak. I assume they topped up the refrigerant, he told me they added dye, ran it for 45 minutes or so to test for any other leaks, everything looked good so they sent me on my way.
Yesterday was the first good hot day I could really put it to the test, and it's blowing out what I would consider "cool" air (definitely cooler than ambient temp), but far from cold. In 80+ degree temps it fails miserably at keeping the interior a comfortable temperature.
I checked the compressor with the vehicle running and it is cycling on and off repeatedly. About 5-10 seconds on, 5-10 seconds off, does this constantly. I have a DIY gauge for the low pressure side, so I plugged that in to see if perhaps it was low on refrigerant, and the gauge reads right where it should. The "filled/green" part of the gauge spans 25-45 PSI, and I'm getting approx 40 PSI when the compressor is running. When the compressor kicks off, the gauge goes higher to about 55 PSI which is in the yellow/warning area of the gauge. When the compressor kicks back on, it goes back to 40 PSI. Don't know enough about AC to discern whether the gauge going up and down with the compressor cycling is appropriate behavior.. But I do know that the compressor should not cycle on and off like this.
Anyone have any idea what might cause this? Would like to at least have a sense of what might be wrong before I bring it back to the mechanic and drain my wallet further. Any help or insight would be appreciated!