Weak AC 97 Tahoe

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

andydrew39219

TYF Newbie
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Posts
3
Reaction score
2
Hey guys, I've owned this 97 4x4 tahoe for a few years. got it at 125k now has 136k. Never bothered with the AC until today, my motivation is that my driver window is having problems going back up so I want to rely on AC instead of rolling all the windows down.

I ran an entire recharge can through the system, the clutch engaged for the first time in many years. I let it idle for about 20 minutes to make sure the fresh freeon (say that 10 times) made its way thru the system. It seems to have improved but seems weak still. I have a video I will post. The compressor runs for about 3 seconds long then stops for about 12 seconds, repeating this cycle indefinitely. I feel like I should buy another can and use more freeon but I'm afraid of overcharging the system. I took a video that shows the gauge and AC clutch engaging.

Opinions? what does your 97 Tahoe do? It is a colder day today, about 50 degrees outside so its hard to tell how good the ac is working, if it is.

I have included a picture of the gauge on the can so you can see the numbers to correlate with the video.

18948961_10213382224889075_2085352035_o.jpg
 

2011SSVHOE

I'm an egual oportunity offender
Joined
Dec 2, 2016
Posts
1,395
Reaction score
996
Location
The Heart of The Triad, North Carolina
get a vacumme pump and gauges, evacuate and recharge maybe 2.5 to 3 lbs. of Freon .but wait there's more, you most likely have a leak, you need to get that figured out before you just start adding Freon. Freon is not a maintenance item, it only leaks if it has a leak.
 

RED TAHOE LS

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2017
Posts
774
Reaction score
404
Location
Rossville, Georgia USA
2011SSVHOE..........is correct with his suggestion. Find the leak , then evacuate system and get it as close to 30 inches of vacuum. some systems will get close to it. It's like sucking air out of a inner tube till it's flat, will almost always tell you there is no leak in the system if it doesn't pull to 30.
From the looks of your compressor cycling, the orfice tube could be clogged not letting the Freon in the system. To save some time/expense, find a reputable AC shop, not a quick service outlet, that has the AC recycling machine which programs the system correctly and test for leaks, all necessary for a good cooling system. JMHL and good luck.
David g............:)
 

Blue 04 Z71

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Posts
102
Reaction score
29
Location
Reading PA
You have a leak somewhere. Take some soapy water to each joint and see if it bubbles. It's a decent leak it will show. If not you'll need a decent shop to find it. But right now it looks like you need a little more freon in the system.
 

crayfysh

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Posts
34
Reaction score
6
Location
Indianapolis
Look under the passenger side rear door, you will see the rear a/c lines. Examine closely to see if any of those lines are leaking. Primarily where any holders are. 80% of the time those leak. A UV light and darkness will help big time! Also WARM soap and water the bejesus of all the "shiny" lines. If your compressor isn't kicking on, add a can so you get some pressure and oil flow. Don't forget to spray your two fittings with the caps OFF. Good luck!
 

crayfysh

Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Posts
34
Reaction score
6
Location
Indianapolis
2011SSVHOE..........is correct with his suggestion. Find the leak , then evacuate system and get it as close to 30 inches of vacuum. some systems will get close to it. It's like sucking air out of a inner tube till it's flat, will almost always tell you there is no leak in the system if it doesn't pull to 30.
From the looks of your compressor cycling, the orfice tube could be clogged not letting the Freon in the system. To save some time/expense, find a reputable AC shop, not a quick service outlet, that has the AC recycling machine which programs the system correctly and test for leaks, all necessary for a good cooling system. JMHL and good luck.
David g............:)

30inches of mercury is kinda extreme. 16 inches of mercury is ideal. Pull a vacuum and it must not drop any with the pump off for at least 15min.
 

PG01

Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Posts
14,727
Reaction score
17,770
Location
Up here to the right
Pressure on that gauge looks high to me, but im no mechanic. If you added some freon and the compressor kicked on and with the reading on that gauge i think your sustem is full but the orifice tube is blocked not letting the freon circulate through. Either way you will have to evacuate the system and anytime you do that its a good idea to change the orifice tube and all o- rings etc, then pull the vacuum and refill..... imo
 

Forum statistics

Threads
128,781
Posts
1,805,301
Members
91,760
Latest member
MyCleftNut

Latest posts

Top