A/C blows hot in the desert!
 

So I live in Vegas and its already in the 100s and rightfully so my A/C decides to just blow hot air.

Now my first thought was cabin filter until I came on here and discovered that apparently the 2009s don't have cabin filters. Does anyone else have any advice? I'm not trying to drop a grip of cash for someone to fix my AC if I can do it myself.

Thanks

Its the condenser, you need it serviced properly. Those "do it yourself cans" at autozone will not work.

You have any intake mods?

It doesn't matter that it's a 2009. It is just hot as hell and when stuck in traffic that isn't moving, the AC will blow hot *** air. Once moving again, a few minutes later, it will blow cold again. I complained about it to the service department and they of course said that's normal. It's basically compressor limp mode until it can cool off. I'm wondering if adding larger fans and having them kick on at lower temps will help.

cryogenic sprayers on ac condensers? :ugh2:

I'm just saying if there's Gen3s on that car and the AC line could have been knocked around during install or no cover was put on. Those aluminum lines are pretty fragile and prone to cracking.

Edit: specifically this part - 92446A
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/04/ezamabe9.jpg

^^ ive read several posts about this. :tup:

Yes I do have gen3s and my compressor doesn't seem to be engaging....great more money into this car....

McNasty did install GIII's earlier in the year FYI. I had AEM's, I have the same issue, but my AC still blows ice cold when the car is actually moving.

Seriously check that part, you might not be able to even see the cracks themselves so maybe have a professional do it.

Good news is that part is $27 plus some hosing to cover it. Bad news is you need to be somewhat mechanically inclined to change it, be able to remove your bumper etc.

Look and see if there's any covering on the lines now. It's on the drivers side under the Gen3 pipe.

Quick question: Is it an on-and-off thing, or does it not blow cold air at all? I lack technical expertise because I=n00b. :shakes head:

However, if it's anything like when I was in Phoenix and Flagstaff in Arizona, its just a matter of giving it a while to get going. The desert isn't too friendly to our Z cars...the heat is a compouding problem to the coolant/overheating issues we already face.

Personally, I just rolled down the windows and embraced mother nature giving me the middle finger. :rolleyes:

Could be a temporary thing but if those lines are damaged it will continue to leak no matter if you recharge it. If its damaged gotta be replaced.

It'll be just hot air if its that part broken. Cracks in those lines allows the r134 (refrigerant) to escape.

ROFL, nothing like being in a shirt and tie with a nice *** car, but the AC stops working and your shirt is now soaked in sweat.

I know where you are coming from with it, but the AC still works just fine under normal circumstances. It ONLY occurs in traffic with no wind passing through to cool the system. Even my oil temps will creep up to 220 with my AE perf. oil cooler. It is a world of difference when air flow starts coming through again.

IF you have the Stillen Gen 3 intakes it could be that they're rubbing against the AC line and have caused a rupture. You could check that. If it's not that then I'd probably refer to the other advice in the thread. However, I have the Gen 3's and AC literally went from cold to warm while I was in the car and it was for the reason I mentioned above.

Ultimate fix was taking it to Nissan dealership to replace the line and service it, and then at home immediately after cutting a section of garden hose and placing it as a buffer between the intakes and the ac line itself. It's worked perfect since then.

Ninja update. Contrary to popular belief the cans from autozone do work. My pressure was hella low to so the second I sprayed a little bit of freon in the compressor kicked right on and now my car has AC....I'm still skeptical so we'll see how long it continues to work for

Firehawk is right the G3s may not be the issue at all. I was just throwing out there as a "hey check this too while you're at it" in case it is the problem.

This means its likely got a leak somewhere.

I was looking in the area where my intakes are at and didn't see a leak there. I guess if it goes out again I'll pull the whole thing apart and spend some more time riding my motorcycle haha

The intakes rubbing against the aluminum lines cause small small holes and cracks not something you'd see.

Attachment 70371

Attachment 70372

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You also have to remove the plastic piece between the front bumper and engine bay to see it.

Ill shut up now just trying to help out.

Not likely, 100%.

Freon, R134a, whatever do not just die out or just go somewhere. They are lifetime fluids and the system is sealed. So if you need more, the fluid is gone due to a leak

(Side note: this is why fridges from 1930 still work without any mods)

If it blows hot air all the time then it's probably a refrigerant leak.

I haven't checked the FSM but all auto A/Cs I've seen have a low-pressure cutout that turns off the compressor clutch when the pressure drops too low. That may be why your compressor is not kicking in.

If it only blows hot air when you are stopped, it could be it's just too damn hot and you need more air flow across the condenser - adjusting the fan setpoints or installing larger fans may help.

Pop the hood when the engine is hot and see if the radiator fans are running. One or more connectors may have gotten knocked loose.

Exactly. I'm almost positive it's the intakes that have rubbed and created a small rupture. Unless the compressor or condenser literally crapped itself. Which is unlikely under normal conditions then I definitely think a closer look is warranted.

Southark is right, compressor will kick off on low pressure.

Could be global warming.

So I read everything y'all said and did some investigating. Aka I pulled my car apart and looked at it and everything you guys said was correct!

This is my AC line (I think?) I found all kinds of coolant in my plastic underside protector too
Attachment 70388

This is my intake pipe! Blew my mind how deep the burrowing is
Attachment 70389

Thank you all for the help identifying this problem. Hopefully others will prevent this before letting it get this bad.

After you get your line repaired and the system serviced. You can do that trick I posted or something of your design and that will fix it permanently.

You didn't have any rubber fuel line or something similar to create a barrier between the intake pipe and the low side A/C line?

Glad you found it :) No AC in LV is terrible.

That's exactly it. The part number I posted earlier is what you need. You can find it on courtesy parts. Just put some hosing over the new part and it'll be fine.

Edit: part link http://www.courtesyparts.com/92446a-pipe-assy-370z-z34-2009-p-620126.html

I thought I read this somewhere but I'm not sure.;)

Haha yes! The Stillen instructions actually tell you to put one there and I believe provide one as well.

FWIW the reason I know is because I'm going through the same thing right now. I bought the car used from a dealer and it actually had the G3s on already. I had no idea about the AC issues and didn't know to check to make it was installed correctly until nothing but hot air.

Yeah I don't remember having extra pieces when I installed my intakes but its possible. I'm really surprised at how cheap that part is. Hopefully it won't be too ridiculous to install. Between myself and my roommate we've got a good amount of skill. Has anyone done one of these before?

Might be doing mine shortly depending on who gets to it maybe we can trade notes.

Here ya go.

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...t-intakes.html