A/C system has pressure but still warm
 

My A/C has never worked since I bought the heep, around 2 years ago. I always assumed that there was a leak somewhere and I unplugged the wires going to the clutch for the compressor. I was messing around under the hood today and I noticed that there was spill pressure in the system by pushing the schrader valve in. My question is: Does the system leak very slowly over time and is it worth buying more refrigerant? Thanks.

Bump. Nobody?

Well first off they already got your money. You cannot just add freon to a system and expect it to work properly. When the freon leaks out over x number of years, air gets in. Air has moisture which is the enemy of the a/c system. If you dont have gauges and a vacuum pump then find someone who does or pay about $70 to have the system pulled down so no air or freon is left, vacuumed to get all the moisture out, then dye added for leak detection, and recharged with the right amount of freon and then see what happens.

I'd say "no" Unless you're super attached to having A/C. I'm waiting for mine to go bad so I can replace it with a York Compressor.

Get a York Compressor and convert it into an on-board air compressor (pretty easy, its already a compressor). Then get an air tank, and Vwa-La! on-board air!

The york air compressors are powerful enough to run air tools off of them. Which means they can also inflate your tires (and quickly). With that mod you could air down on the trail, and air up back on the road.

http://www.jedi.com/obiwan/jeep/yorkair.html

You might like that idea :)

I have thought of doing it since my evaporator is leaking..

Why not just try to fill it with some R134 and see what happens? It's only like ten bucks, maybe fifteen with a valve kit from Walmart. Just because it has pressure doesn't mean it has enough to trigger the compressor to come on. Put some R134 in it and see if it kicks the compressor on.

If things get cold then you're good to go until it leaks out. Then you've got two options. One is to try to dump some stop leak into it and hope for the best, or go to a HVAC shop and have them diagnose and fix the leak.

I have a small leak (probably evaporator) and last summer I dumped a bottle of stop leak into it and its been blowing cold ever since. I've only had to dump one can of R134 into it at the beginning of the summer.

This is what I used. Got it from Walmart. Use at your own risk it may lead to higher compressor failure or blocked passages. But it worked for me.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004H8...AC_SX110_SY165

Pressure is irrelevant if there hasn't been a properlevel of vacuum applied before charging. It will be somewhat of a false reading if that's not done first. Its also important to make sure it holds that vacuum. If there has been moisture in the system then corrosion can be a problem which can cause blockages within the system, I'm this case there may be pressure but if the r134a can't flow properly then it's going to blow warm. Not sure if you have a 4.0 but the compressors on them are notorious for leaking at the 2 main compressor seals between the 3 main case parts for the compressor that bolt together to make up the compressor. It's a good idea to take it to the shop so they can vacuum the system, add uv dye and check pressures while it's engaged to hunt of possible blockages