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Cutlass Climate Control


pitzel

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Ok, so I am running into this problem. When I fire up the climate control and set the temperature low enough to engage the air conditioning, all I get is a ton of hot air through the vents.

 

Does anyone know how these systems work, and what component should I be looking at? Is there an air blend door of some sort, and how would I access it?

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First, I would check your AC pressure to see if you even have enough refridgerant in the line to kick on the AC. Then, you should check the AC compressor to make sure the clutch is engaging.

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hi slick94prix, I am definitely getting air conditioning, but it doesn't always kick in when I fire up the unit. Would low refrigerant cause intermittant operation of the unit?

 

Its running R-12 right now, on its factory fill, so taking it to someone for servicing could be pretty pricey.

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I'm pretty sure there is some type of vaccumm controlled air door somewhere in the HVAC system that controls flow. It has been mentioned a few times on here...however I thought it was more responsible for the flow of air to different locations, ie., vents, defrost, blend...etc.

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Yes 1990lumina, I should clarify that the air flows from the correct vents according to the function commanded, whether it be heating or air conditioning. However, when the air should be coming out of the console vents as cool air, it is coming out as super-hot air.

 

Surely someone can explain just how the system works that controls the flow of air to/from the heater core and the evaporator.

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Does the air ever get cool? If not, I would go to Walmart or any auto parts store, and get the R134 conversion kit. I can bet that you have almost no pressure anymore.

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slick94prix, yes the air does get cool, although I don't believe the AC is actually performing completely to spec. There may very well be a pressure problem.

 

How difficult is the R134 conversion kit to implement? I've never seen them in Canada -- anyone know what the deal is, or do I have to make a run for the border to get one?

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The flapper that switches from the heater core and the ac condensor is controlled byt a motor mounted up under the lower dash panel on the passenger side. Not a big deal to drop it and verify that it is working first tho. Found this out fixing my other problems.

 

Ray

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I have never had any experience with the conversion kits but there is this stuff called Freeze 12...its like R-12 but you can buy it at any parts store you just follow the instructions and its cheap....conversions can mess your car up if they aren't done right and they hardly ever work right....ask the guy at your local parts store...he'll know!

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You can not go but that stuff any where in canada, you have to be certified and have the proper equipment. :? Sucks, we canadians have to cross the border to get that and sneak it back. :lol:

 

There is a seperate actuater to adjust the temp, it may be the problem, if it's the digi controls it could be malfunctioning and need re-soldering.

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  • 4 years later...

Okay... Just an update on this problem. I finally pulled the heater core, to access the blend door behind it. You know, the door that modulates the airflow between the A/C and the heater core.

 

Much to my surprise, the door had jumped its hinge, and was completely misaligned. Not sure how this could have happened, but I reinstalled the door properly, cleaned everything up, and did a test run, and sure enough, its better now.

 

Very horrible that I had to pull the heater core to fix this problem, but I guess, that's life.

 

The symptoms I was having: the air conditioner didn't have enough power to cool the car off in the summer (of course -- the air conditioner was fighting the heater), and the heater didn't have enough power to keep the car warm in the winter (the heater core was being exposed to very cold air from outside). A symptom of this problem was that, in the winter, one side of the car (the passenger side) would have hot air, while the other side (driver side) would suffer with cold air, because the door was completely off its tracks, and was half blocked.

 

 

Argh. Anyone want to come over and hook my heater core back up under the hood? There's a case of beer in it for you if you're interested :P.

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Woah, really? Time sure flies, can't believe I've suffered with this problem for this long. Glad I didn't run out and do stuff to the refrigeration cycle of the A/C, although, I might still end up charging a can of R-12 into the unit, if the vent temperature warrants.

 

 

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I think Im having the same problem with my car. I noticed no matter what setting I have my heater on it never blows out any vents and only blows warm air. And I noticed the heater box was all broken up so aparantly someone before me did a hack job on a heater core job and probably never hooked the door back up properly.

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  • 1 year later...

I have a similar, actually exact opposite problem. I get cold air but zero heat regardless of where I set the temp control. Did you have to remove the heater core to get to the blend door? Is that required?

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