Troubleshooting an A/C Issue

[confutatis]

2011 Nissan Rogue with 163,000 miles

Hello to the group,

I'm having a perplexing issue with the A/C in my Rogue. All was well until a week or so ago, I noticed that I was losing the cool air. I turned off the A/C and back on and the cool air returned. Thought it was just "one of those things". Unfortunately the issue is worsening. At one point, the A/C refused to blow out cool air, but then a few days later, I turned it on and I had cooled air. However, the cool air only lasted about 15 minutes and then back to warm air. When I checked to see if it needed more coolant, the gauge went directly into the red, so I'm not sure what that means exactly.

What might be the A/C issue here?

Thanks,

David

[AZhitman]

Sounds like you have a refrigerant charge issue.

Did you connect a gauge set to the high and low pressure ports?

[confutatis]

Not a gauge set, if I'm understanding you. I thought the refrigerant might be low, so I tried refilling it. Screwed it on, turned the engine on and the indicator arrow moved immediately in the red.

David

[confutatis]

And as an add-on, I went to pick up dinner and when I turned on the A/C, it ran fine for awhile. But within ten minutes or so, more warm air....Very odd.

Oh, and to answer your question which seemed to confuse me--my bad. I put the gauge set on the low pressure nozzle, which I believe is the "upper" nozzle, while the high pressure is located slightly lower.

[Rogue One]

You shouldn't just assume that the refrigerant is low and just add more. Overcharging the air conditioner system can damage the compressor. Fixing damage to the compressor is one of the most expensive air conditioner repair jobs, and may require the whole system to be replaced.

Many drivers have bought cans of coolant at places like Walmart or other stores in an effort to top up their air conditioning themselves only to find out that the gauges that were included were completely unreliable. Sometimes they will read incorrect pressures and other times the gauges seem to freeze so that you are unable to accurately read the levels of coolant that you are applying to the system. That’s why in general this job is best left to professionals to ensure that there are accurate readings and no problems when refilling the system. If you are going to top up your AC coolant on your own, make sure you do it very carefully and you know what you’re doing before you commit to anything that could cause problems for you.

Checking Automotive A/C Pressures (do not open valves when checking pressure)

[confutatis]

I was not able to add refrigerant, since the needle shot straight into the red zone.

[frijolito]

Sounds similar to a issue I had on my 2016 where some seals were leaking and caused the ducts to freeze up, maybe start looking there..