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AC Blowing Hot Air

46K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Uriel08 
#1 ·
So my AC is acting up, sometime when I turn it on it blows cool air, sometimes it'll be hot air, and sometimes one side of car will be hot and one side will be cool.

Any ideas? I also do see the condensation on the ground under jeep if that matters. Not sure what to check, or if I could be low on Refrigerant or what?? Never had an AC issue on any vehicle.
 
#2 ·
I did my ac refrigerant last year because of issues like you state. I went to Walmart and got a big can of refrigerant that has the hose and gauge with it. Plug it into your ac port and see where the gauge is at, add some refrigerant until it says its full.

At first I made the mistake of filling it using a hose that did not have a gauge on it, I put two small cans in thinking more is better, well I was wrong. I guess I put so much in that the condensor wouldn't cycle properly and refrigerant was shooting out from the back of it. So THEN I bought the hose with the gauge, hooked it up and saw it was in the red zone, meaning too full. Probably illegal but I used a screwdriver to release the refrigerant out and started over again. Wear gloves and safety glasses when working with that stuff.
 
#3 ·
Hot on one side and cool on the other makes me think it's a blend door issue (which is common on the WJ).

When it starts acting up, the first thing I would check is if the compressor is spinning (pop the hood and make sure the center is spinning). If that's spinning, I would look to see if the actuator is moving properly (you can see it under the glove box). Change the temp up and down and make sure it's moving. It it moves but the temp doesn't change, you most likely have a broken blend door.
 
#4 ·
If that doesn't fix it I have another idea. I had a 94 GC before and the ac and heater didn't seem to work. I ran the codes and it said the "blend door" was broken. It was the motor that opens and closes inside the dashboard that allows the air to circulate. I ended up reaching up in there and turned the little door thing all the way to the open position and left it like that. It was more money than I wanted to spend to install a new motor since the car was so old. Least it gave me heat in the winter.
 
#5 ·
How cool is cool? When it is around 7 C, the airco itself is ok. I'm not sure if, when needed, filling the system by yourself is very wise. If its low in refrigerant, there can be some leak. Also there should be some oil in there as well, to lubricate the compressor. Normally they put a vacuum on it to check for leaks and to keep as much as air (with moisture) out of the system.
There probably is some problem with your blend door(s). Do a self test to see which codes show up (press the recirculation and AC knob at the same time and turn the left temp selector clockwise. When 0 displayed, no faults are present.
 
#6 ·
So I held the ac and recirculation button held down , while holding I turned the left temp dial clockwise and the display read "88 (foot and face picture for airflow) 88". Then when I released the number 14 showed up, then to 54, then back to 14 and so on.
 
#7 ·
88 is the digits test. 14 is recirculation motor not responding and 54 left temp door travel too large.
I would first reset the faults by disconnecting the negative battery lead and see if the faults come back. The 14 seems to be the motor itself.
The 54 is normally a broken end stop for the blend door, the left one in this case.
 
#8 ·
Just found this forum, and I'm having this problem on the p/s in my 2000 WJ. It's pouring right now, so I'll check for sure tomorrow, but it sure sounds like the blend door is broken. Is it repairable or does it need to be replaced? If replace, where can I order one?
 
#9 ·
I had this issue last year except mine would only blow cold air which was great in the summer when I bought the Jeep and didn't think to try the heat before I bought it, but it proved quite difficult to defrost the windshield without heat.... The blend doors can be fixed but if you don't have the tools/knowledge/time to do it yourself expect to spend at least $600-700 for a mechanic to fix it. I believe both blend doors total were about $60 in parts but labor is what will get you. You might consider replacing both while you're at it since the dash will already be apart and the blend doors on the WJ's are notorious for breaking since Jeep used cheep plastic to make them. Good Luck!
 
#10 ·
Its not the cheap plastic that causes this, its the fact that the motors are programmed to calibrate themselves everytime the vehicle is started. So it puts too much stress on the stops, which break first then the doors crack from moving farther than they were designed.
Answer to your post is your blend doors are broken, it will get worse. You'll end up with no heat this winter. So start saving and get it done before it gets cold. Also I would recommend doing the recirc door also.
 
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