FAQ: Warm/Hot Air on Drivers Side, Cold on Passenger Side

Well, after tearing out the dash I was able to get my hands on the evap coil inside the hvac box. Get this, only one side of it was cooling so I was like . Decided to go to the auto store and buy a can of freon. Guess what, it's cold as "ICE" now on both sides. So, the morale of the story is this, don't pull apart the dash if you only have ac on the passenger side like I did and waste a whole Saturday!

Lesson learned.

Haha! dont worry my friend we all been there!


But I gotta say..you sure did a thorough job! Oh man!

...was always thinking this.......since everything is taken out,could it be possible to take a Park Ave. dash wiring harness (should fit in the Riv) with HUD,swap them out and this way we have the same harness connecting the dash plus a hanging HUD wire.
Paul is there space in the front for the Heads Up Display?

stan wrote:

...was always thinking this.......since everything is taken out,could it be possible to take a Park Ave. dash wiring harness (should fit in the Riv) with HUD,swap them out and this way we have the same harness connecting the dash plus a hanging HUD wire.
Paul is there space in the front for the Heads Up Display?

Not sure, how big of a unit is it? I still have the dash pad off I could measure if I knew the dim".

Paul

96RIVMANN wrote:

stan wrote:

...was always thinking this.......since everything is taken out,could it be possible to take a Park Ave. dash wiring harness (should fit in the Riv) with HUD,swap them out and this way we have the same harness connecting the dash plus a hanging HUD wire.
Paul is there space in the front for the Heads Up Display?

Not sure, how big of a unit is it? I still have the dash pad off I could measure if I knew the dim".

Paul

So what did you find the problem to be? I have the same issue.

I'm really glad I tried the Freon first.

HOLY SHEET!! I was thiking of doing that...now I'm NOT!!!

So that's the coil...but did you see anything with the doors which the actuator turns? I could never get a good look at that airlow door, which blocks off the heater... OR is that the heater core

I'm having my system vacuumed and refilled properly!

MAN!!!!! Did it all go back together okay? Or were there extra parts left over??

He he only one screw left over and hell if I can remember where it goes. It wasn't to bad but let's just say If I had to do it over again I think I'd pass. The coil you see is the heater core which btw is hot as hell after trouble shooting the servos for and hour. Don't ask me how I know that! Anyway, the sevro doors were all working properly Nate so I'll bet a vacuum refill will fix yours as well. There must me some sort of pressure switch in the evap coil or something like that, that shuts one side of it down. I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth just look at the pain I caused myself when all I had to do was add a can of freon!

I did add a can and it helped, but I will have a pro do it from vacuum to back up.

See if it can hold a vacuum too...

GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!!!

I've had the car at Meineke for two weeks getting a bunch of stuff done (no time table)..

That included the a/c.

They vacuumed out the system, put in some dye, and recharged. It blows very cold air out the center vents!!!

SO... AND I'LL ALL CAPS THIS. IF YOU CAN VERIFY YOUR TWO ACUATORS THAT CONTROL THE CENTER AND AND PASSENGER VENTS ARE WORKING CORRECTLY, HAVE SOMEONE (OR IF YOU HAVE THE TOOLS) VACUUM THE SYSTEM, CHECK FOR LEAKS, AND REFILL THE SYSTEM WITH THE PROPER REFIGERANT. THAT MAY SOLVE IT!!! IT DID ME!!!

Can someone point to me a write up that describes how to add a can of freon? I am clueless. Thank you.

there's a link a few pages back here on how to do it like a pro. If you buy the store bought cans... get one with the tube/gauge. Unscrew the lower pressure cap under the hood (you'll see two ac caps...the low one is the one closest to the firewall, right back by the passenger side). Turn on car and ac to max cold,press that tube/gauge onto the low side and spray. watch the gauge to make sure you don't over pressurize it...and every 30 seconds, tilt the can upside down for a few seconds to add oil as well *( the can is a mix of oil/referigerant).. have someone or you periodically check the vents...see if they get cooler.

BUT, I tried that too...didn't really work well.. I finally had the system totally evacuated and recharged...problem solved (unless I do have a slow leak, and the dye will help find it)

Thanks, Nate. I have hope cause passenger side is still cold!

edited my directions some. You actually press the tube/gauge onto the low pressure part...you'll see.

It doesn't hurt to try that first. Buy a can and put it in. Originally my a/c was warm all over, bought a can and that did the trick. But it got low again...so that's when I let Meineke do it with the right tools.

So, I'd buy one just to see if it works, and if it buys you some time before going to the "pros"...then that's a bonus...

It's 103 outside...HOT HOT HOT...

Center vents blowing nice cold air. had to raise temp as it was getting chilly.

I'd sure check and get your a/c systems drained, and refilled the proper way.

I've not seen any definate examples of the inner a/c door being broken. There's a few examples of our actuators being out of whack or broken, but I've been convinced that if the passenger side blows cold, and the center/driver's side is warm...then a fresh recharge is an option that you should look into.

This is not a how to... yet. This is a, please help me understand what the hell i'm about to do.

I have no air on the driver's side of the car. The passenger side blows somewhat cold. I also notice heat coming from the center column below and behind the center console.

I've read on here, can't find the exact post right now, that the simple fix for symptoms like this is to charge with new freon.

So, here is what I came up with. I have the tube + valve tool + freon and I think I found where to do it. I just see two valves on the line and not sure which one to charge.

Please help me. Is it the red circled valve or the blue one I need to charge? Or both? And do I just start the car and add a can of freon? thats it? thank you!

they can only go on one way. if the tube dont fit one,then it will fit the other one.its the blue!
you start the cr and let it get up to temp.turn ac on full cold and fill.
i would let a pro do it.filling it up too much is bad. worse than not enough.

The blue circled valve looks a bit bigger with a bigger diameter line. Perhaps this is the low pressure port? Do I fill there?

Robo, it says skill level easy, DIY, are you sure I need a pro?

You charge through the high side, which is the larger fitting. I know, they look like they are on the same line, so how could it be? But this crazy-looking design from GM is not as wrong as it seems. The two are actually independent. There's a barrier inside the line that separates them! I know, confusing!

Just look at the size of the fitting on the booster can. Measure it if you have to. It should match up to the larger fitting (HI SIDE).

AA wrote:

You charge through the high side, which is the larger fitting. I know, they look like they are on the same line, so how could it matter? But this crazy-looking design from GM is not as wrong as it seems. The two are actually independent. There's a barrier inside the line that separates them! I know, confusing!

Aaron, you mean the blue circled port? right? the bigger diameter port and line?

Also, I don't have a PSI gauge on my adapter. Can I have a friend sit in the car and let me know when it starts getting cold then stop? I was told to dump the entire can in, but heeding to Robo's advice, this would be bad. Correct?

In your picture, yes the blue circle. But in most diagrams, HI is represented by red, LO is blue. You need to get a gauge, so you can monitor the system pressure. There is a dial on the gauge that you rotate according to ambient temp. It will tell you the correct range for the system.

the reason to have a pro,or at least a friend who has a vacumn pump,is to remove all the old refrigerant. this way you dont overfill
otherwise add just a little at a time.the can of refrigerant should come with a relative humidity chart.use it.

You charge through the LOW pressure port (the one closest to the firewall), which is the RED circle in your picture. Luckily, R134 is dummy proof, so the ports are different sizes, and your recharge hose won't fit on the HIGH pressure port (BLUE circle in your picture), which is larger.

UPDATE: I had my mechanic friend flush and fill for me. No dice. Cold on the passenger side and hot on the driver side. No, climate control is not stuck!

Are there ducts that are running from the bay to the interior that may be jammed? Directing cold air only to one side?