ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I am driving my fd halfway across the country. I am on my iPhone and searching is hard with a small screen so please don't be mad . Last night when I test drove the car the ac was working OK. This morning when we left Richmond VA it was still cold. By the time we got to Charelston WV it wasn't cold anymore. It will blow cold air every once in awhile only on the lowest fan setting, sometimes lvl 2. When we stopped in Charelston I added a can of 134a, which the car has been diverted to already. I listened for the compressor to kick on and it does. After adding the can of 134a, it did not seem to help. Should I try adding another can of 134a, or does it sound like a bigger problem may be present? I have another 9 hours to drive tomorrow and would like to be cool the rest of the way. I am in Louisville, KY at the moment if any has local suggestions. Thank You !!!

silent_ninja_8

iTrader: (16)

Do you have a PFC installed? You said the compressor kicked on, does it stay on the whole time, or does it kick on and off while driving? Most likely you won't be able to figure it out and fix it by tomorrow, I don't use 134a, but I would assume if you already recharged it and it's still not cold then it would be another issue that will take longer to find/solve. Might be driving with the windows down tomorrow lol.

-Justin

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

Yes I have a powerFC. The compressor sounds like it is staying on.

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I just found the 12v relay fix for powerFC. I will give that a try, but that will have to wait till I get home. Looks like weather will be 5-10 degrees cooler us clouds today so ac won't be needed as much.

JM1FD

iTrader: (1)

Don't add any more refrigerant! That one can could well have put you into an overcharge situation, which will lead to poor cooling and shortened compressor life.

Figure out what the problem is, fix said problem, then I would suggest you have the system evacuated and re-charged by weight. R-134a systems are very fussy about charge...too much or too little will give you sub-optimal performance. Post your model year and system type (MANA or Nippondenso) and I'll tell you what the proper charge should be. Unless you've got a 1995, then the correct amount should be on a sticker under the hood.

Your problem, I suspect, as previously stated, is the PFC. On the commander, you can go into the Sensor/SW screen and see if the little A/C "dot" is being lit up when the A/C is turned on. If you're not seeing the dot on all fan speeds, then you likely need to do the relay fix.

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I just stopped in st.Louis for lunch. 4 more hours to get home. I haven't added any more refrigerant. I have a gauge at home I can check the pressure with. Not sure what systemic is.

TheAsset

iTrader: (11)

If you stop in Columbia let me know, I assume you're on I70

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I just made it home with my FD. What a trip Happy to finally be an owner now. I was pretty hesitant buying an FD on eBay but everything went OK, except for the AC.

I didn't stop in columbia, the weather was pretty nasty when I was driving through. I saw a silver FD going westbound on I-70 about 20 mins after columbia. I made the mistake of trying to accelerate too fast at one point when the roads were a little wet from the rain in 3rd gear and went sideways a bit @55 mph on I-70.

I'm beat from driving the past 2 days, I'm gonna rest tonight and work out the kinks in the car tomorrow, then wash and take pictures.

silent_ninja_8

iTrader: (16)

Congrats on the car. Like JM1FD said, I'd almost guarantee it's the PFC and that it just needs the relay fix. Here's a thread in case you need it to kinda get you started.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...c+A%3FC&page=5

-Justin

Turbo8

iTrader: (17)

Do you have a Commander?

If you go into the ETC menu, under Sensor Check, to the right on the screen there are toggles showing which relays are on/off by a filled dot next the relays that are on. One of the first is the A/C relay, make sure the dot is filled next to it when you have the A/C on.

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I checked my pressure level with a gauge from autozone, it was barely above the full mark so I'm guessing it did need a recharge. I leaked out some of the charge so it it now below warning level.

I went into my commnder under the sensor check screen. With AC on, fan speed 1 is always lit on commander. 2-4 are sometimes lit, sometime not. Is the relay add the fix for this, or is it the fan speed switch? I have already purchsed the relay, I just didn't want to start cutting wires if I didn't need to.

JM1FD

iTrader: (1)

That won't tell you if the system has the proper charge in it or not. The only way to make sure the charge is correct with R-134a is to weigh it in.

silent_ninja_8

iTrader: (16)

It definitely sounds like the relay problem to me. Even if it doesn't fix it, then you only spent about $20 on a solution to help narrow it down and you will have a much better ground for it.

-Justin

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

I will probably try doing the relay tomorrow. Tonight I did a good clean on the interior/exterior. I need to get some of that ELO stuff for the factory plastic paint coating...yuck. Why didn't any of the previous owners clean it off?

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

Tried to start the relay install last night but couldn't find wires & connectors I thought I had. Made a trip (again) to radio shack today. Will attempt tonight.

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

Got my AC fixed.

It was the relay issue. Thank for the help.

FD project #1 complete....many more to go.

silent_ninja_8

iTrader: (16)

Congrats man! Glad to hear it. One of these days I'll quit being lazy and do the relay fix to mine lol.

-Justin

ksu-chewie

iTrader: (14)

It is pretty easy. Keep in mind I just bought this car last weekend and I haven't worked on one before. It took me about an hour, but I was extra going slow and double checking wires before I cut / tapped them.

I also saved some trouble by tapping nearby wires instead of running them to the stereo harness or making a new chassis ground.

silent_ninja_8

iTrader: (16)

I would go ahead and actually ground it to the car rather than tapping into another ground wire. But that's just me, the FD has enough grounding issues as it is, and not that big a deal to just sand off a spot and ground it to the car for a little added piece of mind. To each their own though. Good thing you consulted the forum eh, otherwise instead of the $20 to fix it you might have taken it someplace and spent hundreds for them to replace everything. Good luck with the car man.

-Justin