A/C question- did I screw this up?

[dorschman]

I posted a few months ago about a whirring noise when I ran the a/c. I received some replies and searched through some old threads.

I located the noise to the smuggler's box- the large black box that is first seen when opening the lid- suspected to be the evaporator assembly.

I read a couple of posts that indicated that you could unscrew the screw that is right at the top center of the evaporator and put a few drops of lubricant in the hole. I did this and promptly dropped the screw. Of course it fell down into a black hole not reacheable by my antenna magnet device.

I put a screw of "similar" length and with in as a replacement and the motor of the fan would not spin. I thought the screw might be too long so I replaced it with a shorter screw and all seemed well- no whirring anymore.

We drove to Atlanta for our anniversary that day and by the end of the day (about a 6 hour drive) the a/c was no longer blowing cold. First time this year I have really used the a/c. I do try to use it for a few minutes once a week in the winter per the manual.

My question is- did I let the coolant out of the system somehow? Could the different screw make that much difference or leak that badly?

Or is it likely coincidence that I just need to recharge the system and this was evidenced by my first real use of the system this spring?

I bought the car about three years ago- the previous owner had not used the a/c for a few years. I took the car to a good mechanic that said let's just charge it and see how long it holds before we do anything else. Has run fine until last weekend.

Let me know what you guys think. Should I just take it and have it recharged or do I need to find a new screw and do something different?

thanks.

erik

[kuehl]

My question is- did I let the coolant out of the system somehow? Could the different screw make that much difference or leak that badly?
Probably not. Sounds like you removed the screw that holds the evap motor in the top of the box. No refrigerant coils there.


Or is it likely coincidence that I just need to recharge the system and this was evidenced by my first real use of the system this spring?
Hopefully co-in-see-dence. Read this troubleshooting section:

http://www.griffiths.com/achelp/achelp2.html

If the A/C works, but only warm or cool-warm air comes out of the vent

and,

The AC Temperature Switch - An example in detail with a typical 911 Porsche


Should I just take it and have it recharged or do I need to find a new screw and do something different?

Read. Check things out. If you get no glory in checking the simple things, then you visit the shop.

[88911coupe]

Sometimes the evaporator can freeze up when run on the highway and the a/c performance drops off untill you stop a while and the ice melts. Not sure if that's your situation but if the a/c performance degrades and then gets better after a stop that may be the problem.

Good Luck