Mr. Dude with a face

@oilcanhenry The problem is that it can seem to vary, or at least that is how it appears. I cant pay much attention to outside temps, because I am on the road at that point, and usually forget to look when I get where I am going. Another problem I think is that the fan just does not blow all that hard, with all of the vents pointed at me it seems to provide slightly more that a slight stir in the air of cab, at lest that's how it feels on my face. This is leading me down another train of thought now too. Since the beginning of winter, sometimes the fan it the cab would make a horrible screeching noise, it seemed to be aggravated by the cold. I could get it to go away by turning it on and off a few times, so I was cheap and just dealt with it. As of somewhat recently it has made the noise in the heat too. This makes me wonder if it is not blowing as hard as it should. I will have to compare it to my fathers truck...

oilcanhenry

Well at least we know it's not the cabin air-filter as our pickups don't have them, but I suppose the fan may not be working properly or is worn out. I suppose I've been really lucky that none of these issues have been an issue for me with a 22-year-old Chevy. Seem to me that quality control has not been as good as it once was with the newer, vehicles, but so far my 2015 Bu' has been a great car and the 2.5-liter direct injection motor non-Turbo engine has not given me any troubles with valve deposits so far.

Mr. Dude with a face

I don't think it is a quality control issue, I think it is more the physical age, because as we all know every year that goes by, more and more plastic is added, which does not age well. Perfect example, our trucks have a two piece intake manifold, the bottom is cast aluminum, and the top is plastic. I have seen modern cars with full plastic manifolds, which no mater what special spice they put in their, I refuse to acknowledge any real benefit over metal.

oilcanhenry

I agree with you. I don't like all the plastics used on motors these days either. Even the old Carter Thermoquad carburetor used a plastic center piece. Not really going to be much weight savings there at all. Had a crimped-on plastic radiator tank blow on me when I had an old C-1500. No way to fix it, just replace it. Seems like we really do live on a "throw-away" world these days. Sure the aluminum core can be recycled, but it's still a PITA,

Mr. Dude with a face

@oilcanhenry Hey guys, I know it has been a while but I have two knew developments. Firstly, just a few days ago I replaced the blower motor, because it had been making loud sqweling noises all winter, but it was becoming to happen more and more often. And while on everyone's favorite educational website, I saw a guy who said that a dirty evaporator can cause efficiency problems, so that gave me the extra push to replace the fan. Although it is much quieter now with the new fan, my evaporator was not that dirty, so even though I cleaned it it didn't make much if at all a difference. (I had video to upload but I guess CF does not accept MP4)

And the second new event happened just today. I finally broke down and took it to and A/C shop, thankfully a check-up was free and they did some tests, and hooked up a real set of gauges. They found that the low side pressure was fine, I guess, but apparently the high side was way way high, almost dangerously. What they figure is their is either air in the system, or their is an obstruction. I will be having them change out the Freon here soon to eliminate the possibility of air in the system. They where saying that they see air introduced a lot of the time by the home style A/C stuff, which I am sure has been used, because I used one... I don't know what we will have to do if their is a plug or something, but I hope it does not come to that because anyway you slice it, that sound expensive.

Mr. Dude with a face

@oilcanhenry Okay guys, another update for any who care. Today I had the truck in and had the A/C system emptied and refilled and the guy at the mechanic shop said that it helped bring down the high side pressure, but apparently not enough according to him. He said the low side was looking good and the pressure on the high side was at about 280. He says that it should be more like 50. Is that correct? I thought it was supposed to be higher than that because isn't the low side like 20 something? He said that what else can cause the high pressure is a blockage or restriction in the system, which is commonly the orifice tube. I am reluctant to have more work done though because on the way home from the A/C shop I saw the coolest temps ever, 42-45 degrees. Does anyone have advice on where I should or shouldn't go from here? Thanks guys.

tech2

iirc the low side should be 30 to 50...the high side maybe 150 to 300 max. if the system is working good.. you are done.

Mr. Dude with a face

@tech2 Thanks, so that means that even with my high side being as it is I am good to use the A/C and not damage it?

Mr. Dude with a face

Okay, interesting story. Today, the A/C continued to work great, blowing nice and cold, almost to the point where I was about to turn it off...until the starter on my truck went out. Yep, after school I went to my local Harbor Freight to buy a rubber mallet, and when I came out, nothing. I put the key in and turned it and nothing, the only thing I got where the lights on the dash. I did some diag of my own, and a total of 3 people asked me what was wrong and if I needed help. The first guy was kind and gave me a jump, because I was not certain my battery was not dead. That did not work though, and I thanked him and sent him on his way. I also worked on the battery terminals too, because I have had trouble with them in the past, but no luck. Lastly a guy pulls up, ironically in the same truck as mine, and he asks if I had jumped the sulonoide yet, which I had not 1. because I know very little about starters, and 2. I didn't know which studs or wires to jump, and 3. I thought that I would have to have the key in the start position. I was wrong though, because all I did was turn on the key, the guy got under and worked his magic and was able to get the starter to work just one last time. It did not make good noises though, so I am confident she is pooched. So their is the story of the day!

tech2

it won't damage it. the high side pressure blow off is probably 450 to 500 psi

if the ambient temp is high...a static (ie system off) system could easily be 130psi