Bad Cooling

[Mo 101]

Hey All,
I'm currently stationed in Kuwait and it gets really hot here 131F!
I'm driving a Yukon Denali 08 and find the A/C terrible especially when compared to the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Is there anything I can do to change this?

 

[edgaranah1]

Recharge the refrigerant?

 

[Mo 101]

This vehicle is serviced religiously every 3000 Miles.

 

[domin8]

That doesn't neccessarily mean the AC doesn't need recharging.

 

[Mo 101]

AC refrigerant checked with no problems.

 

[AZSCTACO]

Buy a Toyota Land Cruiser

 

[edgaranah1]

Do you press the button on the main knob that has the little ice flake thingy and use the recirculated air button. If you don't start using them because it makes a day and night difference.

 

[SLT Kon-Man]

I lived/worked in Kuwait for eight years, so I know what the heat is like if your AC isn't working properly both at home and in your car, the last vehicle I drove while there was a '06 Yukon SLT, the AC worked fine, but on some days it helped to use the rear seat AC along with the driver's AC to cool the vehicle...

 

[Mo 101]

I'm all American, will never let go!

---------- Post added at 08:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:24 PM ----------

Yes, the flake button is on and yes at night it seems to cool better because of the slight decrease in temperature and no direct sunlight.

 

[felixgun]

Mine was doing this exact thing and turns out my compressor was out and needed to be replaced. Is yours blowing air but it's just hot air? That's what mine was doing.

 

[fire730]

Definitely make sure it's on recirculate.

And both my Chevys cool just fine but for as long as I've been working on cars (almost 15 years) Toyotas have hands down the coldest Ac systems.

 

[Mo 101]

Well if the compressor was busted I guess the AC would not cool well early in the morning or at night.

---------- Post added at 09:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 AM ----------

Recirculate is always on.
About Toyota, you would think GM would reverse engineer their AC system and provide a special option for this region taking into consideration that most GM SUVs are sold here.

 

[Mgyver1]

I would say if you've made sure you're AC system is operating correctly then you probably want to look at helping your truck run cooler.

One thing to think about are hood louvers, they're used by US Border Patrol and help lower the engine bay temps:
http://www.hoodlouvers.com/products.html

If that's a little too extreme or you want an OEM look you may want to look at the Escalade vents on the side and make them functional.

Also if your truck is not equipped with the heavy duty trailer package, then you may want to think about adding an engine oil cooler and a transmission oil cooler.

Also look at window tint on all windows including windshield and sunroof. If laws are strict there or dark windows aren't your thing, they make film that blocks the heat like tint but is completely clear.
http://tnttinting.com/node/1228

So if your AC system is functioning correctly then 131f may just be too hot for it to keep up and you need to get the engine bay's temps down.

Are you just using your truck for short trips to get from A to B or are you working out of it?


And I've always experienced ice ice cold AC from Fords. My '96 Taurus and my buddy's '00 Ranger would make your teeth chatter. Granted that was when the vehicle was actually running!!

 

[Mo 101]

Well, let me say that's looks the most comprehesive anwer I got yet. Thanks.
1. Loovers are out because I'd like to keep the stock look.
2. Engine and transmission oil coolers are already on.
3. Windows have been tinted at 30% which is the max I can go without being stopped.
4. Yes, I basically work out of my car.
5. I still can't undersatnd how the Japanese do it on their Toyotas!

 

[Mgyver1]

Well, let me say that's looks the most comprehesive anwer I got yet. Thanks.
1. Loovers are out because I'd like to keep the stock look.
2. Engine and transmission oil coolers are already on.
3. Windows have been tinted at 30% which is the max I can go without being stopped.
4. Yes, I basically work out of my car.
5. I still can't undersatnd how the Japanese do it on their Toyotas!

As far as the tint, going darker doesn't mean blocks more heat. Like I said, they make clear stuff that blocks a large portion of heat coming through.

As far as the vents you could look at the side vents that are on the Escalade to help let some heat escape. It gives you a stock look, and to complete the look you could do the Escahoe front end conversion to avoid cutting your Tahoe fenders. You could even install fans (Used on race vehicles) to help suck the air out when you're at slow or low speeds for some extra help.

 

[domin8]

Ironically, I was using my AC a few weeks ago and was wondering why it didn't seem to be blowing cool air. Turned out I had the temp adjustment on a warm temp. Once I turned it down it was blowing cold air. I have the manual temp controls.

 

[mike1944]

I worked in Kuwait back in the early 90's.

There's a reason so many big Chevys were roaming around there. The locals loved the GM A/Cs.

Can't imagine they have gotten worse so I'm betting there is something wrong with yours.

I've had my Denali out in the desert plenty of times and it cooled down with no problems.

Good luck, hope you find the problem.

 

[Mo 101]

Well, Thanks you guys. I'll definitely work on some of these solutions eventhough I'd really like to do an A/C transplant using Toyota parts.

 

[Mgyver1]

Also you could wrap the headers & exhaust to keep some of the heat out of the engine bay. That would be an inexpensive mod that might help.

 

[Mo 101]

Checked the compressor and it's working fine. I guess that's the best performance I can get with these temperatures.