The ac has been working Great for the last couple of years -- on the highway, you can count on freezing your hands and having to turn it down. But -- around town, when the water temp gets close to 200, the ac just won't blow cold. Highway speeds always keep the water temp low and the ac cold.

Just wondering if there is anything I can do to help with the stop and go driving. It is summer and the ac would be appreciated.

thanks for any help.

 

cooling upgrades seem the obvious answer...

if you havent upgraded your radiator yet, do it

(i am a hypocrite in that regard)

 

are your fans kicking in to high speed when you're running around town?

I'm sorry but if you understand how an AC system works, the more heat you release, the more heat you can absorb. ie, the colder your AC will be on the inside.

I've always understood that stock fans can only simulate about 30mph road speed. so, if you're cruising on the highway at 60mph, the fans should shut off since they're pointless. The condenser should be able to release so much more heat, which allowed the EVAP to absorb more heat in the cabin.

However, are you saying that the AC won't be cold at ALL, like stops working? Or, it isn't as cold as when you're at highway speeds?

 

Fans seem to be working correctly.

Stock cooling system.

ac does work just not that well when water temp gets high (stop and go summertime)

Temps are very cold until the water temp gets high, then the cooling is significantly diminished.
Thanks

 

If it's a stock radiator, the condenser is in front of it. Theoretically, the air should be cooling it down before the radiator temp becomes an issue.

Have you tried getting your system recharged?

 

haven't recharged it since it cools so well on the highway. I'll check the pressure though just to see.

thanks

 

Still running stock cooling? Stock Rad

 

Yes, stock radiator etc. I did put new OEM fans on a couple of years back, like I said temps have been fine "except" in Florida stop and go traffic.

thanks

 

The stock ECU will cut the compressor if the coolant temperatures get too high in order to cut the amount of heat coming off the condenser and going into the radiator. The ~200 degrees you indicated isn't over that threshold, which I believe is around 117C. Way up there. At what point in the system is the 200 degree measurement coming from? What's the compressor clutch doing during these warm spells? On or off?

 

here's the logic i am going through...

you got stock cooling. you got AC at high speeds/open roads.

you have AC in lowspeeds/traffic, but it aint as cold.

as tt7hvn said, you gotta remove heat to make cold.

in stop and go traffic, heat isn't getting removed nearly as much as high speed fwy driving---primarily due to airflow. This is also why FMICs cause cooling issues (i know first hand).

upgrading your radiator will remove more heat than stock, even in stop and go traffic. no, airflow won't be improved, BUT more fins, larger surface area,etc allows more heat to be pulled away using your oem fans.

the more heat you can remove, the cooler your AC will get.

 

This may sound stupid, but it helped me. Remove the weather stripping from the hood near the wind shield. this allows the fans to circulate the air in the engine compartment more efficiently. I have had mine removed for 10+ years now without issue.

 

But then you have air flowing the wrong direction at speed. That is a high pressure zone.

 

Like I said, it may sound stupid but it helped me.

 

Thanks

All ideas are worth pursuing -- Florida summers can be really Hot...

 

In traffic, for more cooling I set the blower speed to 3 or 4 and turn on "Recirculate". It is not as cool as when driving at speed but it helps. I believe the computer kicks the radiator fan speed up a notch when the blower is on 3 or 4 (or when the parking or headlights are on).

 

This is a bandaid but it may help maintain your water temps lower while stop and go driving

Bypass the thermo switch its very easy and simple

Using the fan system diagram in the fsm or even the faq go to the relay that is related to the thermoswitch it is a ground reinforcing relay bypass it make a jumper using spade connector and a thick 10gauge wire and bypass the relay this will make the fans work bit harder from the get go and should atleast slow or maintain your temps lower

You are basicly tricking it into being one speed faster always

I dont know where in florida you are but if you are close to miami I could help you out

 

there are definitely two camps of people on the subject.

however, it does seem to be that those that remove the strip aren't seeing adverse effects.