1992 240 air conditioning A/C issue

[eebird]

Hi all,

I have a 240 wagon with AC updated to newer refrigerant. I have in recent years had intermittent issues with the AC fuse blowing and when I replace it the AC works normally again. There do not seem to be any leaks in the system.

My current issue is that sometimes the AC blows cold and sometime NOT cold but the fuse has not blown. So what could cause this? It can vary, one day works cold and the next day not. Could the thermostat be faulty? Something else? Any troubleshooting best practices tips are appreciated. Thank you!

eebird

 

[PCH]

When it's not blowing cold- open the hood and see if the large diameter AC line is cold and the smaller diameter- hot. That will tell you if the compressor is activated, you can also look at the AC clutch if it's engaged and spinning. If the fat AC line is cold then you probably have some coolant flow through the heater core that warms the air up. If the line is not cold then you are going to have to address the long list of potential problems like the thermostat valve, switches, connections.

 

[2manyturbos]

Hi all,

I have a 240 wagon with AC updated to newer refrigerant. I have in recent years had intermittent issues with the AC fuse blowing and when I replace it the AC works normally again. There do not seem to be any leaks in the system.

My current issue is that sometimes the AC blows cold and sometime NOT cold but the fuse has not blown. So what could cause this? It can vary, one day works cold and the next day not. Could the thermostat be faulty? Something else? Any troubleshooting best practices tips are appreciated. Thank you!

eebird

What year 240? It makes a difference since there are 2 very different design AC systems over the run of 240 models.

 

[eebird]

1992, but the system was updated to the newer refrigerant at some point before I bought it in 2012.

 

[PCH]

1992, but the system was updated to the newer refrigerant at some point before I bought it in 2012.

There is no guarantee that the orifice valve was changed to the proper R-134 compatible part unless you have the itemized invoice from that job listing the parts like the valve, receiver/dryer, refrigerant amount, etc.. Sometimes the shops just flush the system, add a pair of bolt on charging ports and send it. This usually results in poor AC performance though- not intermittent not functioning.

 

[Khrrck]

There is no guarantee that the orifice valve was changed to the proper R-134 compatible part unless you have the itemized invoice from that job listing the parts like the valve, receiver/dryer, refrigerant amount, etc.. Sometimes the shops just flush the system, add a pair of bolt on charging ports and send it. This usually results in poor AC performance though- not intermittent not functioning.

If the car has the dealer "updated to R134a" sticker it's likely it got the complete proper upgrade kit.