A/C problem-

[cattail]

So I have a 97 silverado with the v6. recently. The a/c stopped working abruptly one day. Went from cooling fine to nothing. I took a look at things. When the engine was running the with a/c on max, the compressor would not engage constantly. The clutch would click and engage for 1-2 seconds, and then disengage for about 10 secconds. I got new high and low side ports and changed them, losing all the freon in the process. I got my hoses and tried to add freon to the system but it would not take any freon at all even though the system was empty. The compressor is still clicking on and off in that same pattern even though the system is empty. Anyone have a clue what the problem could be?

[kdm101]

If the system was opened up, you have to completely purge it before it'll take a charge (that is, it must have a vacuum in the lines). This isn't something that you can typically do at home unless you have the right A/C tools. If you have a buddy in the A/C business, you can probably finish this up yourself. Otherwise, you're in for a trip to a shop.

[Aggie96]

I used to have a 97' model also and ran into a similar problem the last year I had it. After replacing the compressor and the O-rings and checks the hoses, I was still losing freon from an unknown location. I ran some dye through my compressor and found the leak on my Evaporater by my firewall. Apparently I had a weak weld on my bottom connection line. Ended up replacing my evaporater. Talk about a pain in the butt to change though. You need to drop the dash and the Steering Column....pretty much take out the whole dash and with the air bags it is horrible and takes a long time to accomplish.

 

Run some dye through your A/C compressor and it should tell you if and where it is leaking.