I have a 1998 Fleetwood Bounder Class A. 34 footer on the F53 chassis with Ford V-10.I've owned the RV for a few years now and the dash air hasn't worked in that time. Time to tinker just wasn't there, and RV service shops weren't too excited to get involved in it.Well the time has now come and I'd like to see what I can do to get it working.Pushing the A/C light on the panel does nothing (it looks like a little light is supposed to illuminate, but does not). Certainly no cold air, not even "seeping" out. Clicking up the fan speed does nothing as well. The only thing I've accomplished to this point is locating the 3 relays behind the passenger kick panel and replacing those. Now when I change fan speeds the relays click.What next? Any pointers are greatly appreciated.. this is one system I really don't know much about.

Your dash air system is just like a car. Is there an automotive AC service place near you? I would think TX is the best state to look for something like that. If the blower won't work that would be a good starting point. Check for blown fuses. Once you get the blowers runnng you then need the compressor working. If it has sat that long with no use the seals are probably dried out and you need some work on the copressor. This is a good time to convert to 134A refrigerant.

LonestarV,I'm not going to be much help without being there but, just so you know......your A/C system has already got 134A refrigerant in it.....Does the fan blow air out of the vents?

LonestarV, As has been stated, it's quite possible your refrigerant has leaked out. And "If" that's the case, then your A/C system will not start up until, the refrigerant has been replaced. There are Safety Valves in the system so that in the event you blow a line, knock a hole in the condenser, develop a bad seal etc. and all the refrigerant escapes, the system automatically shuts down so you don't burn up a compressor. So, you may, have all the electrical solenoid, switches, fuses, etc. that are involved in the A/C system in perfect shape but, it will not fire up until the pressure in the system satisfies the requirements of the safety valve and completes a circuit for the system to work properly. Now, it's a tad dangerous but, it is possible to "hot wire" the system to see if you have ANY refrigerant in the system at all. The clutch on the front of the compressor has a male/female plug on it. All that has to be done is for a 12V+ wire to be connected to that wire that leads to the clutch. The clutch will then engage and so will the pump. If there's a site glass at or near the condenser, or any place in the line, you can then see if there's any 134 and oil, left in the system. But, if you try this, make sure you know where the site glass is first, before you actually hot wire it. You don't want to run that pump any longer than necessary if it's way low on freon. Now, if the local shops aren't too keen on attacking your problem, I'd definitely search for more shops. In this day and age of people out of work, I'd suspect they'd be hungry for work and would want to jump on some if it came their way. But, in any case, certain parts of the system have to be working before other parts do. The average guy, or even a good DIY guy, lacks the technical knowledge for the most part to analyze the A/C system properly. There's some serious pressure in it WHEN working properly. So, just be careful. You could round up a few pints of 134A refrigerant and the install kit and try and put at least some in the system but, again, if you're not savvy on the workings of it, it's worth it to pay a tech who is savvy. Good luck and be careful.Scott

Thanks for the replies all!Scott - so the blower won't work at all in that scenario? If that's the case, maybe that's the problem after all...

I would think the blower would work independant of what is selected, Heater or Air. It looks to me like you have no power to the system.

1998 Fleetwood Bounder dash air not working | Good Sam Community

bsinmich
Explorer
Jun 18, 2012
Your dash air system is just like a car. Is there an automotive AC service place near you? I would think TX is the best state to look for something like that. If the blower won't work that would be a good starting point. Check for blown fuses. Once you get the blowers runnng you then need the compressor working. If it has sat that long with no use the seals are probably dried out and you need some work on the copressor. This is a good time to convert to 134A refrigerant.
96Bounder30E
Explorer II
Jun 18, 2012
LonestarV,

I'm not going to be much help without being there but, just so you know......your A/C system has already got 134A refrigerant in it.....

Does the fan blow air out of the vents?
FIRE_UP
Explorer
Jun 18, 2012
LonestarV,
As has been stated, it's quite possible your refrigerant has leaked out. And "If" that's the case, then your A/C system will not start up until, the refrigerant has been replaced. There are Safety Valves in the system so that in the event you blow a line, knock a hole in the condenser, develop a bad seal etc. and all the refrigerant escapes, the system automatically shuts down so you don't burn up a compressor.

So, you may, have all the electrical solenoid, switches, fuses, etc. that are involved in the A/C system in perfect shape but, it will not fire up until the pressure in the system satisfies the requirements of the safety valve and completes a circuit for the system to work properly.

Now, it's a tad dangerous but, it is possible to "hot wire" the system to see if you have ANY refrigerant in the system at all. The clutch on the front of the compressor has a male/female plug on it. All that has to be done is for a 12V+ wire to be connected to that wire that leads to the clutch. The clutch will then engage and so will the pump. If there's a site glass at or near the condenser, or any place in the line, you can then see if there's any 134 and oil, left in the system.

But, if you try this, make sure you know where the site glass is first, before you actually hot wire it. You don't want to run that pump any longer than necessary if it's way low on freon.

Now, if the local shops aren't too keen on attacking your problem, I'd definitely search for more shops. In this day and age of people out of work, I'd suspect they'd be hungry for work and would want to jump on some if it came their way. But, in any case, certain parts of the system have to be working before other parts do.

The average guy, or even a good DIY guy, lacks the technical knowledge for the most part to analyze the A/C system properly. There's some serious pressure in it WHEN working properly. So, just be careful. You could round up a few pints of 134A refrigerant and the install kit and try and put at least some in the system but, again, if you're not savvy on the workings of it, it's worth it to pay a tech who is savvy. Good luck and be careful.
Scott
LonestarV
Explorer
Jun 21, 2012
Thanks for the replies all!

Scott - so the blower won't work at all in that scenario? If that's the case, maybe that's the problem after all...
FuzzyKnight
Explorer
Jun 22, 2012
I would think the blower would work independant of what is selected, Heater or Air. It looks to me like you have no power to the system.
96Bounder30E
Explorer II
Jun 22, 2012
LonestarV wrote:
Thanks for the replies all!

Scott - so the blower won't work at all in that scenario? If that's the case, maybe that's the problem after all...

The blower will work irregardless if the refrigerant has leaked out or not.....what won't work if the refrigerant has leaked out is the compressor clutch......even then you can bypass the A/C pressure switch to manually turn the compressor on.....

Like I asked above...........does the blower work?
LonestarV
Explorer
Jun 23, 2012
96Bounder30E wrote:
LonestarV wrote:
Thanks for the replies all!

Scott - so the blower won't work at all in that scenario? If that's the case, maybe that's the problem after all...

The blower will work irregardless if the refrigerant has leaked out or not.....what won't work if the refrigerant has leaked out is the compressor clutch......even then you can bypass the A/C pressure switch to manually turn the compressor on.....

Like I asked above...........does the blower work?

Not at the moment. Only thing that happens when you move the fan switch is the relays click. No air blows out of the dash, nothing.
rvrepairnut
Explorer
Jun 23, 2012
LonestarV wrote:
96Bounder30E wrote:
LonestarV wrote:
Thanks for the replies all!

Scott - so the blower won't work at all in that scenario? If that's the case, maybe that's the problem after all...

The blower will work irregardless if the refrigerant has leaked out or not.....what won't work if the refrigerant has leaked out is the compressor clutch......even then you can bypass the A/C pressure switch to manually turn the compressor on.....

Like I asked above...........does the blower work?

Not at the moment. Only thing that happens when you move the fan switch is the relays click. No air blows out of the dash, nothing.

Best thing to do is find out why the fans are not blowing and AC lite not coming on before worrying about the actual AC system.
FIRE_UP
Explorer
Jun 23, 2012
OK,
So, at this point, you may or may not have more than one problem. But, the first task on the agenda is to get the fan working. If you hear a click, like a relay, then the system may be working but, the fan may be burnt out or, a wire fallen off of it or ??? It's time to get the volt/ohm meter out or, even a little test light to see where power is and where it isn't when the system is activated.

Once you get the issue with the fan done, you may have good A/C. You won't know 'till the fan situation is remedied. But, if it's a worst case scenario, you could have burnt out fan motor and, leaked out refrigerant. But, take it one step at a time and see where it leads you.
Scott
deroh
Explorer
May 08, 2013
Own a 98 Bounder and had a similar problem. Bought it used and the AC never worked from day 1. Had the coolant removed and replaced and the shop said they could not get as much in as they expected. Bought myself a pressure gauge to check myself and noticed the pressure kept dropping as if it had a leak somewhere. Temporarily fixed by buying a couple of cans of additional coolant and a coupling to add it to the system while running. Filled twice, then while driving, I could hear the AC compressor labor as it cycled on. When I stopped and checked the pressure again, it was through the roof. So high it was off the gauge. Took it back to the shop and they found it had way too much coolant now despite it reading low before. They removed the excess and it is now perfect.

I am guessing there was some sort of blockage that was restricting the circulation of the coolant. That may have been from sitting prior to our buying it. With use, it finally cleared out, releasing the logjam of coolant they had to remove.

While my symptoms do not exactly match yours, you may want to consider it as a possible cause.

Hope you figure it out.

98 Bounder
454 Chevy

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1998 Fleetwood Bounder dash air not working

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