i've got a 98 blazer and my ac compressor locked up on me. i bought a new one from a guy parting his 01 blazer and put it on today. i turned my ac on full blast and tried to charge the system and after a few cans of coolant the air still wasn't cool. i can't find any leaks in the system. i dont know what else to do. can someone please give me some advice on getting my ac cold again.

 

Plugged orifice tube? If the compressor locked up, chances are HIGH that it sent debris throughout the entire system. The filter/dryer should have been replaced along with the orifice tube. Without a full set of A/C gauges and the readings you are seeing, I cannot offer up much advice beyond that.

 

is there any way to clean the filter/dryer or could i get one that's been used before as long as the compressor on that system didn't lock up?

 

Don't take this the wrong way but I'm going to ask the obvious, is the compressor turning/engaging?
Also did you evacuate the system of have some one do it?
Hopefully you put some oil in it as well. Just a gues but low
and/or used up acidic oil my have been what shelled the old
compressor.

I would not put in used receive/dryer/accumulator type parts. Uness maybe
you can get it off a newer vehicle. Otherwise you're likely to get someone
else's used up crap. Myself, I'd just buy it new.

Is the low side pipe getting cold? If its getting pretty cold you may
have a bunch of crud plugging up the evaporater(the one inside the car).
If its not gettong cold check to see if the condenser is plugged up.
Thats the one by the radiator.

That should help you on your way but gauges are really needed. You can
get a set off Ebay fairly cheap $50 or so. A low side pressure of 40 pounds
is ice freaking cold inside my 99 blazer and Silverado. Can't recall the high side.
But high pressures on the high side indicate something is plugging up.

 

the new compressor is engaging. i didn't evacuate the system. this is a new situation to me. i've only charged systems. replaced a buddies compressor on his thunderbird and his ac blew cold after the swap so i figured it'd be the same for me.

the used parts that are available are off of an 03(i've got a 98). not sure if i want to get them or not. i remember one side getting cold but, no cold air coming through the vents. where is the inside evaporator located? i'll have to check that as well. also, i noticed the vacuum lines are dry rotted. is there a schematic that'll help me repair these for when i do get the ac running correctly?

i've got the ac refill kit with the gauge on it. it's high but not blowing cold. i made the mistake of pushing in the valve (forget which side) with a small screwdriver and it blew out garbage all over me. go ahead and laugh. i thought it was funny a bit later. i was pissed when it first happened tho. anyway, let me know.

 

If the vacuum lines are dry rotted then your problem probably isnt with the AC! The HVAC relies on vacuum to operate all the magic doors and gizmos inside the dash to make it warm when its cold and cold when its hot.

How many cans did you put in. I believe your system should only take 28 oz. (Thats about 2 1/2 cans. Overcharge and it wont work right, undercharge and it wont work right.

Check those vacuum lines first!!!

Good luck

 

i'm fairly sure i used 2 1/2 cans. i looked up how much it needed to fully charge the system and bought accordingly. should've read more about what other parts i may need to get the system working again.

i'll check the vacuum lines again. in the mean time is there a schematic i can follow to route these lines? one was completely rotted in two.

 

If the fan is running its probably blowing out the floor or the defrost. I don't have a diagram for the vacuum lines. Usually you can tell what line goes where, just replace them one at a time.

You really need to evacuate the system. What this does is boil out all the moisture. Moisture in a AC system is a problem even tiny bit. It can cause cooling problems and freezing in the system. It can also cause corrosion inside and is just and all around BAD DEAL!!!. You need a vaccum pump on it for an hour or so to get it all out of a system that has been opened.

 

If.... you need to check the vaccum lines to the actuators inside, you'll need to take out some ducting. It will be on the passenger side for the most part. Its the big black plastic cover looking thing above your feet on the passenger side. It should be obvious. There will probably be a center duct actuator and a AC actuator on the right side. It opens a door and is your AC. If you open that door you should be able to see the evap. If the
evap is plugged it will be on the other side though.

The evaporator is actually under the hood and is inside the big plastic housing on the passenger side. However I would not mess with it until you have checked everything else.

 

If the vacuum lines under the hood are rotted, I doubt the ones in the dash really need to be touched. Keep it simple,