Need help with my ac

[silver]

Ok, so I have read various threads on many forums about air blowing out colder through the passenger side and hot/not cold through the driver side. It also seems to be a lot weaker through the driver side. I'm having the same problem and I thought it was the actuator but I am not getting B0361 or B0441 codes on my DTC. The only code I get is is 99-HVAC B0338 HC. I was going to pull the actuator and rotate the gear counter clock wise as stated in this post Preface but it also stated not to do it if I didn't have those codes. I already pulled fuse 18 to try and reset it and that did not work. If anyone could please help me with this I would greatly appreciate it. The Chevy dealership is trying to charge me 800 dollars in labor just to pull the dash out and try to figure out what's wrong with it.

[Junkman2008]

You need to post the year of your car. Not all C5's experience this problem due to the exact same reason. The dealership that you went to sucks. The very first thing that they should have done after a HVAC recalibration (the fuse pull, hopefully you did it exactly the way the service manual says), is hooked your car up to a evacuation and recovery machine to see exactly how much R-134a was in the system. They charge about $120 to do this so I would have taken it to a mom and pop shop that would have done it for $50. Depending on the year of your car, you should have an exact amount of refrigerant in your system. That would have been a starting point to diagnosing your problem. You must have worn a suit because they saw you coming my friend.

[silver]

You need to post the year of your car. Not all C5's experience this problem due to the exact same reason. The dealership that you went to sucks. The very first thing that they should have done after a HVAC recalibration (the fuse pull, hopefully you did it exactly the way the service manual says), is hooked your car up to a evacuation and recovery machine to see exactly how much R-134a was in the system. They charge about $120 to do this so I would have taken it to a mom and pop shop that would have done it for $50. Depending on the year of your car, you should have an exact amount of refrigerant in your system. That would have been a starting point to diagnosing your problem. You must have worn a suit because they saw you coming my friend.

Haha no suit was worn that day. And sorry, I thought I had posted the year of the car. It is a 1999.

[Junkman2008]

Your car should have exactly 0.737kg (1.625lb) of R-134a in the system. Too much or too little WILL have an adverse affect on your system. That's one thing to look at but before you do that, you need to diagnose your code. According to the code that you are throwing, you have a open in your air temperature Sensor circuit. If you have access to a scan tool (like a Tech II), here are the instructions for diagnosing your problem. Why the dealership is talking about pulling the dash is beyond me. Your actuators are not reporting a problem so there is absolutely no need to pull the dash (and you only have to pull the dash to get to the one on the passenger's side, not the driver's side). If your inside air temperature sensor is bad, that's a real EASY fix. You can access it by removing only the radio bezel.

You need to properly diagnose the problem before you spend a dime.

[silver]

Thanks Junkman. That sounds a heck of a lot better than what the dealership was saying. I'll check how much R-134a is in the system today. Other than that, do you think the sensor being bad could be the cause of the problem? Either way I will get it fixed, but just wanted to see what your thoughts were on it.

[Junkman2008]

Yes, the sensor being bad is just ONE possibility that would definitely cause the problem. The only thing is that I have never heard of that sensor going bad. My first thought is that you pulled the radio bezel off the dash and accidentally unplugged that sensor unknowingly. Or, you were under the dash and accidentally unplugged something to do with that circuit. That's why you need that scan tool. It will allow you to follow those instructions and test every part of that circuit without replacing anything. Once you find the issue, you replace (or reconnect) whatever the issue is. You can use a ohm meter and your eyes to visually check the connectivity of that circuit without a scan tool. That's what I would do first. Visual check and then ohm out the connections. That won't cost you anything but time.

[silver]

I did have the radio replaced. That could have been it. Is the sensor located behind the radio bezel? And thanks again for helping me out with this issue.

[Junkman2008]

I misspoke. You have to remove the radio bezel AND the knee bolster to change the sensor (if necessary).

[silver]

Thank you again. I'll try and remove it this weekend. I'd like to do it sooner but you know how the schedule here is. I'll keep you updated with it (and probably ask for more advice if it's ok with you).

[Junkman2008]

That's fine. Ask away.

[silver]

Hey do you have instructions on how to remove the radio bezel and knee bolster?

[Junkman2008]

Since this is your first time removing this stuff, here's some good advice. TAKE YOUR TIME. Before you do anything, look through the instructions first. You don't want to go breaking any tabs or connectors, which will cause stuff not to stay seated and start an annoying rattle. If you don't understand an instruction, read it over and over again until you do. Sometimes, the wording is tricky. Don't get frustrated and start yanking at stuff. You'll find that this car is easy to take apart, once you've done it before. That's coming from a guy who has never worked on cars. This is the first car that I've ever worked on and also the only one I know how to work on. Right now, I'm buttoning up this job:



Blown head gaskets. A lot of fun that was.

To get the radio bezel off, follow the instructions at this website down to instruction 3F. Here are the instructions for removing the knee bolster. Again, read them first before you start. TAKE YOUR TIME.

[silver]

Thanks again. You're a life saver. I will take my time and read the instructions carefully. I will attempt to remove the parts this weekend. And good luck with the head gaskets.

[Junkman2008]

I almost done with them.