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328 Air Blowing but Not Cold

Discussion in '308/328' started by italia16, Feb 15, 2008.

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  1. italia16

    italia16 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 28, 2004
    345
    #1 italia16, Feb 15, 2008
    About 3 years ago, Ferrari of Central Florida convinced me to change over to R134 in my 86 328. They did it for free since there was some kind of EPA rebate that they got. Since then, the A/C would run cold for a couple months and then just blow ambient air or warmer. I usually wait until the Summer to bring it in since the temperature difference is more apparent and I need fluids changed anyway.

    So, every year for the past 3 years, I have given them another chance to fix it. They take the car for a couple weeks and usually do a leak check. One time they said the Schraeder Valve was not tight and the next year they replaced it. It was cold when I got it back and it stayed good longer but eventually leaked out again. By the way, I drive the car every weekend or two, and run the system for about 30-40 minutes each time.

    Does anyone have any ideas on the cause of this apparently very slow leak? And any dealer or shop that can do it right?
     
  2. SonomaRik

    SonomaRik F1 Veteran

    Dec 15, 2006
    6,904
    Folsom, CA (formerly Sonoma)
    #2 SonomaRik, Feb 15, 2008
    If I recall, when I did this, they needed to change couplings etc....it was such a problem and took so long to get cold, that I had it put back to original stock: all is well now and BTW the Ferrari dealer did it, so don't know the rules otherwise...just took their advice.

    sure others have a better mechanical insight than I on this.
    good luck
    r
     
  3. mksu19

    mksu19 Formula 3

    Jan 4, 2008
    1,864
    LAX / YVR / MNL
    Full Name:
    Capt. K. Banzon
    #3 mksu19, Feb 15, 2008
    I would keep taking it back to FCF and have them replace the entire unit if need be. Its been 3yrs and your new A/C is still not up to par. To my knowledge, all the hoses and fittings should be replaced to cope with the new freon type.
     
  4. FasterIsBetter

    FasterIsBetter F1 Veteran

    Jul 22, 2004
    5,856
    NoNJ/Jupiter FL
    Full Name:
    Steve W.
    #4 FasterIsBetter, Feb 15, 2008
    Not for nothing, but air conditioning is air conditioning, regardless of the car it's in. All air conditioning systems are essentially the same, and use the same parts, whether it is in a Ferrari or a Yugo. If FOCF can't seem to find the leak and can't make it work, take it to a real air conditioning shop (I'm sure in Florida there must be a ton of them) and have them test it for you. There is an additive that they put into the coolant that shows up under ultraviolet light that should pinpoint any leaks in the system. But a good AC shop should be able to figure it out easily. The other thing is that if you are using the original York compressor, it might not work well with 134A. Some folks have changed to a Sanden compressor and gotten good cooling. I did that on my '70XKE and it works great on R134A.
     

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