AC Not Working! 98 Pathy

[Wrierblock20]

Hi all!

I just purchased a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder it has 198,000 Miles on it, So recently my ac would blow cold and then at high RPMS it would stop blowing cool, so when stopped it would be great cold when highway pretty much no AC at all and I live in Arizona ! Just since the other day the AC has fully stopped providing ANY cool air... The Clutch for compressor engages and disengages just fine, previously as well I did notice when the AC was on it sounded like the compressor or clutch would make a clicking type noise when it actually worked. I checked the Freon level when it was working it was on the green side of the gauge so I turned it off and the gauge went into the red and I'm assuming that's normal because when I turned the AC back on(When it worked) It would go back to the green also when revving the engine the pressure on the gauge for the low side would drop a little but return to normal. Now the AC wont work at all : ( any ideas? also another thing not sure if this would have anything to do with it but my Blower Motor for the Fan Will only turn up to 1/2 settings it wont go to the last setting for full blowing force thought it would just add that help please :/!!!

[atraudes]

Welcome to Nico!

I think you're actually low on charge despite what that gauge is telling you. It sounds like you're using the gauge built into cheap refill cans which are notorious for being unreliable at best.

Here's what I'm thinking: if you're feeling adventurous (and/or cheap), you can do like I did when my hose developed a leak. Refill it with one of the aforementioned cheap refill cans from AutoZone with UV dye. Follow the instructions and just do your best. Clean all of the A/C hoses very thoroughly so they sparkle, and then wait. It'll blow cold for a while and then eventually won't. When it doesn't pop the hood and use the included black light to search for the UV dye to see which hose needs replacing. It'll be very obvious. Then bring it to a shop and have them evacuate the system and you replace the hose. If I recall you'll need to also replace the filter/dryer (consider the condenser as well while you're at it). Once you're done, bring it back to them to draw a proper vacuum and refill the system. When I did all that it cost me just over $300.

The slightly more expensive way that you can be assured that won't blow something up is to just have a shop take care of everything. My guess is you could be out of the door for less than $500. This is my on-the-books recommendation

I did a lot of research when I went through the same thing and kept seeing the same message: A/C systems require precision, which is something you can't hope to achieve with a kit that costs less than $10. You either need to get ahold of a proper A/C maintenance setup and learn to use it or have the pros take care of it. Personally this is one area I'm content to leave to someone else.

Oh, and don't turn the A/C on if it isn't blowing cold. The freon contains oil which lubricates parts in the compressor, and if your charge is indeed low it will damage and eventually destroy the compressor which will end up costing much more.

Good luck and let us know how you fare!