well, sort of. I'm going to post this on RegalGS.org but I figured I'd get some feedback here as well. Anyway.. I bought this car when it was 2 years old and I've never had to charge the air. It always blew cold until this year. About two weeks ago, I had the system charged and it blew (semi) cold for a few days. On the way to work this morning, it was like I had the heat on. I dropped it off this morning, they shot the dye in there and couldn't spot any leaks. I picked it up after work and after more freon was added and it was just a little bit colder than this morning. And here's the kicker: I usually keep the passenger's side vents closed. I put my hand over the passenger's side vent closest to me and it had be at least 20 degrees colder than the 2 vents on my side. That being said, what gives. Has anyone else ever experienced this? Are the vents on the driver's side somehow clogged?? Help...o No:
Dual zone climate control equipped? There's a lot of dash electronics for the blend doors, etc on that car.
Artie, Someone posted this reply to my post on regalgs.org. Let me know what you think? To answer your question, it is a dual zone climate control but not the digital type. TRY THIS EASY FIX...it worked for me! 1998 Black/Silver Regal GS 140,000 mi Credit goes to where I originally found the solution (cannot remember where on the web) & read practically every post on this board concerning the blend door actuator, but it worked like a charm for me, so if it helps someone get the AC back with summer upon us then it may help. 1) In the instrument panel fuse box on the passenger's side, locate fuse #41, which is 15 Amp & controls Radio, HVAC Head, Remote Keyless Entry, Cluster, CEL TEL. 2) Turn the key to RUN position & turn on AC (60 degrees). 3) PULL fuse #41 & wait about 20 seconds...you should hear AC disengage. 4) After about 20 seconds, replace fuse & you should hear the blend door re-engage. Voila! Now you should have AC on both sides, unless, of course there is a bigger malfunction than just crappy GM electrical engineering. I'm in no way an expert when it comes to cars & I'm not sure if you should even pull a fuse while something is running, but to this point everything is working perfectly & back to normal. Come to think if it, I haven't heard a blend door open in while....
If your refrigerant keeps disappearing, the V5 compresor used on your car is well known for body seal leaks due to corrosion. The shop should be able to spot this quickly.
The freon isn't leaking. The left side actuator door isn't opening. I'm bringing to MY garage Monday.. :laugh:
Oohh. It sounded like refrigerant was added multiple times. Keep the compressor in mind though, in case it does start losing refrigerant. After reading closer, yep it sounds like a blend door issue with the dual zone controls.
It was. They did add some more the second time I went back. I think the fact that I'd never had it charged in the 9 years I've owned it might have something to do with that. However, I can't recall the "door" opening sound for quite some time so I'm banking on that being the problem....
Another thing to keep in mind if the blend dor is working correctly is that it is a variable displacement compressor. There is a control valve in the compressor body that changes the piston stroke with load. Those valves can fail and cause a fully charged system not to cool. The valve is serviceable by itself. The shop will spot that when they check the system pressures if it is an issue.
Update: Not only is my blend door not working correctly but it's no longer blowing cold. I'm bringing it to the shop tomorrow and I'm PRAYING they can fix it without getting in too deep. I'm on vacation this week and I think it might be time to go car shopping. As much as a do NOT want a car payment I think after 9 years and 136K miles it might be time....
Got over to my buddy's garage, where I should have gone in the first place and he put the light on the compressor.... Yellow dye everywhere!! He also checked the actuator on the driver's side and the door was opening....he's gonna leave that until after the compressor is in and then check it when actual cold air blows out of the vents. I'm off this week but first on my list of things to do when I get back to work is stop at that garage that charged my system, twice, and couldn't find a leak. So, it looks like I'll be throwing down some loot but it's still better than a monthly car payment for the next few years...
Yup, a belly leaker. Stay away from Four Seasons, Murray and Ready-Air brand remans, all made by Four Seasons. They're the bottom of the barrel for aftermarket comps and often barely outlast the warranty period. If you see these brand names, decline the sale regardless of how tempting the price may be. The Factory Air brand (Advance Auto Parts in this area) seems to be ok for a low price reman, about $230. Even with a new accumulator and orifice tube, the cost for the repair is still only about 1 car payment.
My brother has these new tools at his shop for the fuel system also.. You spray the reactant on the fuel lines and connections. Then you have the light and what I call his buddy holly glasses. Where ever the spray touches gasoline it turns yellow. :TU:
