Just turned dash ac on this past weekend. It blows cool but not cold like it used to. Is it easy to charge yourself? This is a 2006 coachman cross country. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks

it is if you have a gauge or a loaner from one of the auto parts stores. Really helps if you know something about charging an AC the proper way.

it may have a leak.....I spent $1800 replacing my whole system and having it charged. It lasted for a week then not cold again. took it back to CAT service and they wanted to look for another hose leak at $139 an hour, I left!

The only reason a charge would work is if there's a leak. If there's a leak, charging is a very temporary fix and not cheap. For around $100, a good AC tech will pinpoint the cause of the diminished cooling, which might not be due to low freon.Speaking of which;If your AC is only cool, not cold like it used to be, it's most likely not due to a leak of freon. Here's why; there is a pressure switch that will operate the compressor so that the compressor will not operate if there isn't enough freon in the system. As freon is lost, at first the AC will blow colder air than it would with a correct amount of freon. The reason for this is that freon is converted from a liquid to a gas to chill. When fully charged, the freon doesn't fully convert to gas, there's too much of it. When freon leaks, it approaches a magic point where 100 percent of the freon evaporates to a gas. At this point the AC will blow it's coldest. However, if freon continues to leak, the pressure switch will kick in and there will be no chilling to the air. The reason the pressure switch kicks in is so that the compressor is protected. You see, freon contains oil that lubricates the compressor. When you leak freon, you also leak the lubricating oil. In a nutshell, an AC unit will fail in this order if there's a freon leak;1. normal chilling from vents2. increased chilling from vents3. no chilling from vents and compressor clutch won't engage because the pressure switch senses the loss of freon and subsequent lubricating oil

Other things that might cause the air vents to only blow cool, not cold;The condenser or the evaporator are blocked or partly blocked.The condenser is usually located where the radiator is. But instead of bleeding off heat with water, like radiator, it bleeds off heat with compressed freon.The evaporator is located inside the dash. The compressed liquid freon is routed though a valve, much like a spray water hose nozzle, where the liquid is converted to gas due to the loss of pressure, just like a garden hose with a mister; high pressure on one side/ low pressure on the other and you get a chilling mist. If either of these; condenser or evaporator, are clogged with dirt, dust, bugs, mouse nest(mine was over a winter storage once) then the transfer of heat/cold isn't as great as it could be.

Something else that can fail on some coach A/Cs is the heater water valve. If it begins to get sticky, it will not fully shut off and will preheat the incoming air to where the A/C cannot get it fully cold. Lots of things to check.

Dash ac recharge on class a diesel pusher | Good Sam Community

Busskipper
Explorer
Apr 18, 2017
GTMADNS wrote:
Just turned dash ac on this past weekend. It blows cool but not cold like it used to. Is it easy to charge yourself? This is a 2006 coachman cross country. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks

Having spent hundreds of Hours and Thousands of DOLLARS - I've just fired up the Generator - turned on the roof air.

Just too long a run with too much to go Wrong.

Beginning of every season I'll just give it a charge - Wally Chargehttps://www.walmart.com/ip/Deluxe-R-134a-Recharge-Hose-and-Gauge/16888796

Seems to last a little longer than the $2,000.00 Repair that I've done more than once.

JMHO,

Going to take a long time to burn $2,000 in extra fuel for the Generator!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rwynkoop
Explorer
Apr 18, 2017
crasster wrote:
Really - while you can DIY recharge, it is BEST if you can put the system under a deep vacuum then charge. It's the proper way to get all the air out so there is more pure 134a.

How is air going to get in it, when it still has 134a under pressure.

You can top off a system without putting it to a vacuum first.

It is normal for all shaft / belt driven compressors to leak has over a long period of time. The seals leaking keeps them lubercated.
dougrainer
Nomad
Apr 18, 2017
Groover wrote:
Is mine the only one that has a sight glass for checking the freon? That makes it a lot easier to know when you have enough freon in the system. I wish that all AC systems had one.

The sight glass is NON functional on a 134a system. A fully charged 134a system will still have bubbles in the sight glass. Doug
Groover
Explorer II
Apr 18, 2017
Is mine the only one that has a sight glass for checking the freon? That makes it a lot easier to know when you have enough freon in the system. I wish that all AC systems had one.
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Apr 17, 2017
RVER wrote:
I have a question related to this question. I have a gas engine, 2003 in Newmar Mountainair on Vortec engine and first time I have driven it in weather warm, enough to put A/C on in dash, NO cold air, air does circulate through dash but not cold or cool really. I bought this used of course so one thing after another but does it sound like a charge will do it? I do not want to spend lots of money to replace the system but would like to travel with A/C if possible from the dash. IF really hot I guess I could fire up the generator and run house A/C but prefer not to. ALL THOUGHTS WELCOME.

The system needs to be checked out to see if it is low on freon or has some other problem. If your system has a low pressure switch, the compressor will not come on until freon is added, but that is not the only problem that can prevent cold air from coming from an AC system.
deandec
Explorer
Apr 16, 2017
My OTR AC system, front and rear AC from engine compressor takes 6 lbs of 134A.

The compressor was replaced about 4 years ago as were the two dryers.

After two years I now get lack of cooling each spring.

Each year I install about 1# of 134a using a gauge set to restore maximum cooling. Auto Zone will lend you a gauge set.
RVER
Explorer
Apr 16, 2017
I have a question related to this question. I have a gas engine, 2003 in Newmar Mountainair on Vortec engine and first time I have driven it in weather warm, enough to put A/C on in dash, NO cold air, air does circulate through dash but not cold or cool really. I bought this used of course so one thing after another but does it sound like a charge will do it? I do not want to spend lots of money to replace the system but would like to travel with A/C if possible from the dash. IF really hot I guess I could fire up the generator and run house A/C but prefer not to. ALL THOUGHTS WELCOME.
GTMADNS
Explorer
Apr 15, 2017
Well found the problem the wire to the pressure switch was off Along with the drain tube for the evaporator. I assume the truck shop that did the last oil change on the engine and generator knocked them off doing the oil change. Ac blows nice and cold again.
Thanks for input.
JimM68
Explorer
Apr 15, 2017
I did mine last year. I spent the bucks on a proper hi/lo gauge set even. Put in a can of freon. I found that the compressor was not kicking on, even though the gauges said the system was full.

Troubleshooting revealed a temp switch on the ac unit had failed. It's purpose is to cutoff the compressor before things ice up, but it was preventing the compressor from running at all.

I hot wired it.
Replacing it is on my list.
Ivylog
Explorer III
Apr 15, 2017
Another use of a IR temp gun... shoot the end 180 degree tubes on the AC condenser and when all but a couple of the bottom ones are about the same temp as the top ones, you have put in enough freon in the system.

On a system that is only working OK you can do the same to see if it needs a little more freon. You want the fins/tubes on top 80+ percent of the condenser hotter than the bottom ones. If only half of the condenser is hotter you are loosing a lot of cooling capability. Even my 42' DP only takes three pounds of freon.