A/C not blowing cold

The A/C did not work when i got the car. It was winter so i didn't care. 3 weeks ago the test showed that the ac is empty and needs a refill. Test also showed no leaks in the system. 1 week into driving with the AC on i started hearing buzzing noise from the dash, seemed like under the radio but not sure. The noise would go on when turning the key to on position and last for about a minute, then stopped. After a week and a half the noise stopped, and so did the cold air. Anybody know what could it be?

There's a module in that area you want to look at. IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column. It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio. I'm not sure which is which. If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out). If there's no movement, this is your problem.

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

Replacements are not hard, GM used the "modules" (the air damper servos) in a lot o cars, and there's posts elsewhere on this site as to the part numbers and how to overhaul them.

Could anyone run-down the removal procedure for that panel under the steering column? For the black panel underneath on the driver's side the removal is very straightforward. But how to remove the trim-colored panel under the column isn't readily apparent. I was trying to get to those modules more accessibly (you can see them if you put your head down by the gas pedal but can't really reach them to do much of anything) but was intimidated by no obvious fasteners and the possibility of breaking a very difficult-to-replace plastic part...

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Could anyone run-down the removal procedure for that panel under the steering column? For the black panel underneath on the driver's side the removal is very straightforward. But how to remove the trim-colored panel under the column isn't readily apparent. I was trying to get to those modules more accessibly (you can see them if you put your head down by the gas pedal but can't really reach them to do much of anything) but was intimidated by no obvious fasteners and the possibility of breaking a very difficult-to-replace plastic part...

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

just for grins you might want to try reaching the servos with just the black panel removed; idea would be to lay on the driver's side floor and reach up/over.

Thanks--tried that yesterday, though. I can see the servos and observe their movement that way, but can't really get a full view or get up there with tools to do anything.

albertj wrote:

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Could anyone run-down the removal procedure for that panel under the steering column? For the black panel underneath on the driver's side the removal is very straightforward. But how to remove the trim-colored panel under the column isn't readily apparent. I was trying to get to those modules more accessibly (you can see them if you put your head down by the gas pedal but can't really reach them to do much of anything) but was intimidated by no obvious fasteners and the possibility of breaking a very difficult-to-replace plastic part...

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

just for grins you might want to try reaching the servos with just the black panel removed; idea would be to lay on the driver's side floor and reach up/over.

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks--tried that yesterday, though. I can see the servos and observe their movement that way, but can't really get a full view or get up there with tools to do anything.

albertj wrote:

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Could anyone run-down the removal procedure for that panel under the steering column? For the black panel underneath on the driver's side the removal is very straightforward. But how to remove the trim-colored panel under the column isn't readily apparent. I was trying to get to those modules more accessibly (you can see them if you put your head down by the gas pedal but can't really reach them to do much of anything) but was intimidated by no obvious fasteners and the possibility of breaking a very difficult-to-replace plastic part...

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

just for grins you might want to try reaching the servos with just the black panel removed; idea would be to lay on the driver's side floor and reach up/over.

You're correct they are tough to reach w/just the black panel off. I was pretty achy next day after replacing mine.

What I did: After reading some time ago how many of these had failed, I got a pile of junkyard actuators the right numbers/styles and built myself a set of working servos with metal spindles from the junkyard parts. Donor actuators can come from everything from Cadillacs to Isuzus. I crossed the new ones to the old ones using RockAuto.com - the change from metal to plastic spindles was a running change and rockauto lists show the old and new numbers for a given actuator. Typically the numbers are printed or hot stamped on the actuators. I wrote the numbers and car models on an index card and just went from car to car and pulled what I needed.

After building good actuators, I then installed them. The install was not as much fun as I hoped it would be. There's guidance for this in the body manual but I don't have mine ATM--I do remember following those directions, and now that you have me thinking about it I may have reached 1 or 2 of them with the dash fascia panel removed and I remember one I left in place because it was not broken (you can see if the spindles broke, for the most part, without pulling the actuator). I *really* don't remember having to remove the lower padded panel, but different people are built differently and that matters in tight spaces and such.

Thanks--great insights here. And, ugh... it looks as if the spindles on mine are plastic which, especially on a '95, must indicate that mine have been changed out before. So if I'm right about that it would mean actuators replaced twice in less than 112K miles! (I've had the car about a year and a half. Love it to death but, wow--these old girls certainly have their quirks!)

albertj wrote:

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks--tried that yesterday, though. I can see the servos and observe their movement that way, but can't really get a full view or get up there with tools to do anything.

albertj wrote:

haywardwilliamc@gmail.com wrote:

Could anyone run-down the removal procedure for that panel under the steering column? For the black panel underneath on the driver's side the removal is very straightforward. But how to remove the trim-colored panel under the column isn't readily apparent. I was trying to get to those modules more accessibly (you can see them if you put your head down by the gas pedal but can't really reach them to do much of anything) but was intimidated by no obvious fasteners and the possibility of breaking a very difficult-to-replace plastic part...

Jack the R wrote:

There's a module in that area you want to look at.  IIRC you'll have to at least pull the plastic panel under the steering column.  It's been years since I replaced mine, but I believe there are two modules on the driver's side of the center console in the area of the radio.  I'm not sure which is which.  If you change your temperature from the hottest setting to the lowest (or vice versa), you should see one of them rotate (not the whole unit, just a round metal piece that sticks out).  If there's no movement, this is your problem.  

I think you can temporarily pull off the bad module and flip the door into the AC position while you track down a replacement.      

just for grins you might want to try reaching the servos with just the black panel removed; idea would be to lay on the driver's side floor and reach up/over.

You're correct they are tough to reach w/just the black panel off.  I was pretty achy next day after replacing mine.  

What I did: After reading some time ago how many of these had failed,  I got a pile of junkyard actuators the right numbers/styles and built myself a set of working servos with metal spindles from the junkyard parts. Donor actuators can come from everything from Cadillacs to Isuzus.  I crossed the new ones to the old ones using RockAuto.com - the change from metal to plastic spindles was a running change and rockauto lists show the old and new numbers for a given actuator.  Typically the numbers are printed or hot stamped on the actuators.  I wrote the numbers and car models on an index card and just went from car to car and pulled what I needed.  

After building good actuators, I then installed them.  The install was not as much fun as I hoped it would be.  There's guidance for this in the body manual but I don't have mine ATM--I do remember following those directions, and now that you have me thinking about it I may have reached 1 or 2 of them with the dash fascia panel removed and I remember one I left in place because it was not broken (you can see if the spindles broke, for the most part, without pulling the actuator).   I *really* don't remember having to remove the lower padded panel, but different people are built differently and that matters in tight spaces and such.

Your actuators with the plastic spindles may not have been changed out.  I had to luck up on some late '80s cars to get actuators with metal spindles.   Thank goodness the gears and servomotors were interchangeable from actuator to actuator so I could in fact break them down and reassemble working ones. Oh that reminds me.  

If they are cheap enough at the JY you might want to buy some that **don't** cross to the ones you need, but did a similar function on the donor car, simply to get the parts for rebuilding the ones you do need.   I did that, that is what I meant by "right style" in that they were not the right number but outwardly they looked real similar, maybe mirror image or the mounting holes were changed. Yeah. Style...  When I took mine out to start with I found out how easy they were to disassemble.  A trip to the pick-n-pull and I found out that those different stinkin' actuators on GM car HVAC systems  have *very* similar guts. In the end I think I did buy one actuator new but don't remember which one.