Erratic compressor behavior, possible clog in refrigerant line?

[Jarpin]

2001 Subaru Forester.

A couple of years ago I used those big refrigerant cans of "Arctic/polar freeze" stuff at Wally world because I thought my car was low on Freon. You know... it's the one with the built in gauge on the line, and I think I had added the UV dye leak detector too. This summer the clutch (I think), doesn't catch all the time, I escaped some of the green dye in the line out by just pressing the valve on the low side, and then the A/C seems to work well for a few days. When it cycles, I hear a faint "Whoosing" sound with a sharp cutoff in the cabin as if air is getting sucked into a vacuum and then the door instantly closed. Not sure if any of that makes sense, but I'm trying to figure out if my compressor is on its last legs or just operating in a failsafe mode because the line is either clogged or too much refrigerant is in the system.

Thanks for any help.

 

[spasm3]

You need to take it to someone and put gauges on it. Problem is the goo thats in there, can mess up expansion valves, condenser/accumulators etc. That goo can screw up and expensive recovery machine.

 

[tig1]

Check your cabin air filter. I it's plugged this will greatly cut back on the AC to cool the car.

 

[Chris142]

What's the high and low side pressures and what's the ambient temp?

 

[Jarpin]

Check your cabin air filter. I it's plugged this will greatly cut back on the AC to cool the car.

It's not that there is less airflow of the air. It's that the air is not cold at all. It's immediately noticable when driving in 90+ degree weather, but I'll be checking the filter in any case. Thanks

 

[Lubener]

If the compressor is not engaging and cycling, have the system checked for leaks, repair leaks and then properly fill back with refridgerant. If a blend door is malfunctioning, that's another issue. Vacuum leaks or blend door motor issues.

 

[PontiacHO]

Use a jumper wire across the low refrigerant switch. I’ve seen those switches go bad and cause erratic compressor behavior.

 

[tig1]

It's not that there is less airflow of the air. It's that the air is not cold at all. It's immediately noticable when driving in 90+ degree weather, but I'll be checking the filter in any case. Thanks

When my cabin air filter was clogged the coldest the AC temp was in the high 50s. As soon as I replaced the filter it dropped to the low 40s.