A/C vent question.

[jagarundi]

Hello all, let me jump right in. On my 98 XLT the side vents by the driver side and the passenger side don't blow like they used to. The air flow is very low compared to what it was a few years back and the middle and rear vents. What do I look at to increase the air flow from those vents? Also, what type of freon do these bad boys take? Can I do it myself?


Thanks

 

[rileyrs]

idk about the vents.

but as far as recharging the ac, it needs r-134a, its the only kind most stores sell.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the hard plastic vacuum lines for cracks.

 

[Dilbert5]

I would suggest replacing the blower motor, fairly easy to do. You have to remove the coolant, and windshield washer containers to get access to the blower motor. But otherwise it is easy to swap. Don't forget to clean with squirel cage fan, it does make a difference.

I would strongly advise against trying to recharge your ac with those cheap kits. A good gauge set is strongly advised for this work.

Replace the fan, and get that working first. Then check the temp at the vent. You should be getting low 40 deg ( with ambient in the low 90 deg range). with the system set on max ac, max blower. If not next step it to pinch closed the heater core water line. And give it a few min, recheck the temp. The water shutoff valve could just be leaking by.

 

[celly]

Check the hard plastic vacuum lines for cracks.

I'm watching this thread with great interest. I'm having similar issues with the side vents, but the middle ones as well. My defroster and rear seat vents on fine. They stopped working properly after my header install a few days ago. Too bad we didn't notice until I was about 50 miles from Humboldt on my way to dropping techieman33 off in Topeka. Haven't had much time to troubleshoot it yet. Both Jon and Eric told me to check for vacuum leaks as well. I'm not really sure where to look yet.