Adding dash air

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

I also have a Chevy Express 3500. I took it out for its maiden voyage this week. AC would not work. Discovered it had no freon. It took 5 lbs of freon. I don't know what that means. It works for about 10 minutes then no cool air. After about 15 minute of no ac I can turn it back on for about 10 minutes again. Needless to say this cut my trip short. My son said he let the freon out when he was replacing some parts on the ac system. He says there are no holes or cracks.

Most likely freezing the evaporator. Did you evacuate the system first? If so was it able to hold a vacuum? How did you arrive at 5 lbs for filling?

[Sharee100]

I took it to the Chevy dealership and said the ac is not working. They said they put in 5 lbs of freon and said it usually only takes 2 lbs. Whatever that means. I don't know what else they did. But it cost me $300. I drove to my son's house and dropped off the bus. He is a mechanic. he worked on some diesel engines while in the Marines. I am going to look for "Diesel engines for dummies" so at least I can have some idea of what is happening.

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

I took it to the Chevy dealership and said the ac is not working. They said they put in 5 lbs of freon and said it usually only takes 2 lbs. Whatever that means. I don't know what else they did. But it cost me $300. I drove to my son's house and dropped off the bus. He is a mechanic. he worked on some diesel engines while in the Marines. I am going to look for "Diesel engines for dummies" so at least I can have some idea of what is happening.

Does it have the bus AC on it or just for the cab?

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

I took it to the Chevy dealership and said the ac is not working. They said they put in 5 lbs of freon and said it usually only takes 2 lbs. Whatever that means. I don't know what else they did. But it cost me $300. I drove to my son's house and dropped off the bus. He is a mechanic. he worked on some diesel engines while in the Marines. I am going to look for "Diesel engines for dummies" so at least I can have some idea of what is happening.

Might be good to get the same kind of book for automotive air conditioning, as the diesel book is not likely to cover a/c

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Sharee100

I took it to the Chevy dealership and said the ac is not working. They said they put in 5 lbs of freon and said it usually only takes 2 lbs. Whatever that means. I don't know what else they did. But it cost me $300. I drove to my son's house and dropped off the bus. He is a mechanic. he worked on some diesel engines while in the Marines. I am going to look for "Diesel engines for dummies" so at least I can have some idea of what is happening.

There is a *BIG* difference between "diesel mechanic" and "HVAC technician" (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning). I may be familiar with diesel engines but not so much with AC systems.


Sounds like the dealer was expecting a "top off" and not a completely empty system. As such they may not have vacuumed down the system before refilling it (which they should have done to eliminate as much air as possible).

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

There is a *BIG* difference between "diesel mechanic" and "HVAC technician" (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning). I may be familiar with diesel engines but not so much with AC systems.


Sounds like the dealer was expecting a "top off" and not a completely empty system. As such they may not have vacuumed down the system before refilling it (which they should have done to eliminate as much air as possible).

I was told I need to pull a vacuum on my min-split system. I called a couple of local HVAC places. One said they would need to evacuate it, recharge and pull the vacuum. 2 guys, half the day, $300-$400. WTF, I only paid $438 for the system. I have another place coming to look at it that said it would be cheap, we'll see.

[Sharee100]

Please let us know what happens. My bus came with driver ac and an ac unit in the back. But only one would run. I chose the driver ac and plan to get a mini split. But I want to hear about the road that gets me to that point of AC front and back.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Quick note here... 'Freon' is DuPont's trademark name for their brand of R-22, which is not likely to apply here. Be careful, you may literally get what you ask for and create a hell of a problem.

[Sharee100]

Thank you for the information. I have learned an important lesson here. Sometimes you have to go to a specialist. When I get back to my bus (at my son's house) I will take it to a HVAC place. Will they be able to replace my back unit with a better unit such as the mini split, too? Or is there someone else I should talk to for that?

[Ronnie]

Need to be careful that there are automotive/truck hvac people and home hvac, and industrial hvac people. Rare to find someone well versed in all areas. So for the Chevy an automotive/truck hvac is the best choice. The mini split might be out of their comfort zone.

[Sharee100]

Thank you for that information. I know of 2 truck repair places in my area. I can ask them for automotive/truck hvac references. Who would I go to for installation of a mini split?

[cadillackid]

im assumoing you want the minisplit for being parked? it wont cool you very well as driving A/Cbut is an excellent choice for when you are stationary

[Sharee100]

I understand. So, how do I keep the back area cool while driving? I have pets that will ride in their carriers in the back area.