1998 Fleetwood Bounder dash air not working
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...
Forum Discussion
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
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
