Hi, folks. The air conditioner is not cooling on my 07 TC Touring with 51k miles. When I bought it last fall in October, everything seemed to work, but it was very cool outside and I couldn't really tell if the AC was working or not, but now I find out it is not. Yesterday the outside air temp got to the 50s so I tried out the air. The light on the indicator comes on and everything seems OK inside the car, but no cooling from the ducts. Lots of air, but not cooling.
Is there some sort of checklist I can go through to determine if it is just in need of R134? I have an AC kit to put new R134 in it, but I'm hesitant to do it until I'm sure that I actually need some. Is there a fuse anywhere that will deactivate the system? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Deke
Northeast Michigan

 

when the engine is running and AC is OFF, aux belt is spinning AC compressor, but only the outern part of it. the core of the clutch should not be moving.

when you turn AC ON, the clutch should engage, and then the complete part (clutch and compressor) should be turning together with the engine.

but,
the relay will not start the compressor if there is not enough R134 inside the system. you have to get it checked somehow.

 

So in simple word "your air con needs re-gassing"

 

Thank you for the help. I picked up some R134a today and this afternoon I plan to put it in. I already have the gauge and connectors. I guess what is puzzling me is why this thing should have lost so much freon that it won't even register on the gauge. Assuming that I have a leak, are there some common leak points that I should check? I hate to waste a bunch of that stuff as it isn't cheap.
Thanks again,
Deke
07 TC Touring 51k, manual AC

 

well
if you have enough pressure in the system, there is no need for more gas.
only if the pressure is too low, you have to refill it, becouse you have a leak somewhere.

together with R134, there is oil in the system which is supposed to lubricate inner parts of the compressor. that's why the exact amount of oil and gas has to be filled.

you should use your AC at least once every week for a couple of minuites. that will lubricate the gaskets and keep them wet. that way they don't leak, becouse that's the most common place where AC system leaks.
over the years, you loose some gas (becouse it's much thinner then air) and the pressure drops. no big thing if pressure drop is small. if you loose the pressure all together, then you look for a big leak (expander, filter, small expander in the cabin...)

 

07 TC Touring AC no cooling 51k
Thanks for the input. Here's a little more to maybe help determine the problem.
Yesterday I added a 14oz can of miracle stuff called EZ Chill treatment that supposedly lubricates, cleans, seals, blah blah... The main reason I added it was to see if the pressure would go above zero on the low pressure side and if it would kick on the compressor. Neither happened. Pressure is still zero with the engine running or turned off. Still zero.
This is leading me to believe that I indeed have a pretty big leak somewhere in the system as that 14oz made no difference to the pressure and until I fix that leak there is no point in adding any more $134a. Does anybody disagree with that? If you do, please help me out here.
Now, the problem is how do I find out where it is leaking if I can't see the evidence of any leak. I admit that so far other than shining a flashlight wherever I could see in the engine compartment I could see nothing amiss, I haven't gotten under the car yet, something I plan to do soon. However, I'm not sure that I would find the leak even if I could see where it was coming from unless there was a mess or something that would be obvious. This got me to thinking about some sort of dye to put through the system. Is there such a thing available I could use that would make a leak stand right out? Or am I going about this the wrong way?
Another thing, I have a manifold gauge set for R12. Can I purchase adapters anywhere to convert it to R134??
Thanks for any help that is offered. I appreciate it all.
Deke

 

you're on the good path.
if you have no pressure, there must be a leak.

bad news, you have to pressurise the system if you want to find where it's leaking. but this time, together with R134, the mechanic will put in fluorescent colour.
so when it starts leaking, you will be able to see that spot with special goggles.
no other way to fix it.

once you find a leak and you fix it, things go all over again. pressurize, start the AC, try to find a leak....
ususally, there is only one place to be fixed.
also, that colour is not expencive, about 10% of the gas fiiling.

that chill treatment, you don't need it if AC is working properly.
wouldn't know about conversion.

 

Do you ever determine if the compressor is indeed turning when commanded? Don't you have to bypass the pressure switch when filling to get the compressor to kick on?

 

A common place where the AC Chrysler system leaks is the radiator at the front. The corners of these radiators are vulnerable. Even without colorant you may recognize the leak by a greasy spot.

 

No, the compressor doesn't lock up, probably because the pressure is zero. Can you tell me where the pressure switch would be located so I can bypass it? Is there a chance of damage to the compressor by having it run with low pressure?
Deke