I am not AC literate here to bare with me...my 93 Imp L Sedan.. AC works ..blows semi cold..then stops and blows warm ..until you shut it off for a few minutes..then when you turn it back on ..cold for a few then back to warm.

 

Is this the signs of a recharge is in need or something else like compressor etc...BTW its still an R-12 system

Sounds like you are low on R-12, prolly due to a slow leak. Since R-12 is difficult and expensive to purchase, drop in a replacement for R-12. This has been written up here during the last week or so. Just check previous A/C postings for their advise. Suggest you have a repair shop do the work, since you say that mechanical work is not your forte. Don't let a repair shop talk you into expensive repairs to fix a minor leak. It is much cheaper to have a little bit of refrigerant added each summer, or whenever, then to pay an expensive bill for A/C component replacement.

The compressor may be shutting down due to a power delivery problem to it so see if the clutch is working when this happens. The relay contacts may be bad.

, since you say that mechanical work is not your forte. [\quote]

 

:lol: :lol: Sorry..guess you dont know me too well from the Old gen side of the pond. UM. I do 95% of all the work on my 2 Old gens myself. I have a larger set of tools in my garage then many men have. I just dont usually mess around with the ACs except to rip them out but my Imp is soon going to be the daily driver travel car so I more or less want the AC to work .

 

I was just wondering about recharge or more or less what Cougar is saying...cause if you leave it running once its blowing warm..it will not cool back off..you have to shut it down for a few then turn it back on.Cars so darn quiet that I can't even hear the compressor kicking on and off.

Possible bail out from an old-genner...

 

When I borrowed the Jeep a while back from my brother's ex wife, it had a similar issue, would blow kinda cold then fall to whatever outside temp was. I noticed that 1.) it desperately needed a recharge and 2.) the compressor clutch wasn't staying engaged. I didn't pursue it too far, but some research showed that one could have caused the other, but not knowing which happened first (clutch or leak) it was impossible to determine the exact cause; but what I learned from that was the low pressure in the refrigerant lines damaged the compressor.

 

So, I would try to see if you can get ahold of a refrigerant pressure gage and check that. If you're full up then it *should* be the compressor.

 

In any AC system, there is alot of little things that can FUBAR the works, and in an automobile's system, its usually refrig level or the compressor. I'm with Coug on this, it could just be a hosed relay.

 

If it is low on R-12, I believe that there is a leak detecting dye available that you can add.

 

A safety warning, just in case you don't already know: Freon is heavier in air (about 4x's), so stay above the leak and/or fill points, and be extremely well ventilated. Freon also has a tendancey to become phosgene gas if exposed to a heat source (I forget the exact temp, but the 'cherry' of a lit cigarette can do it). Phosgene is a corrosive gas developed during World War I, which kills by burning and blistering the upper airways. So no smoking or it might be the last.

Some people just switch over to 134a from 12 and don't seem to have problems with it. Here's the info on the conversion kits in case it's of interest.

Subaru Air Conditioning Retrofit Procedures from EndWrench

R-12 to R-134a Air Conditioning Retrofit Kits and Procedures from EndWrench

I suggest you inspect the relay for the compressor clutch. If it is bad you may see signs of heat damage to the connector terminals. Hopefully the relay is the problem but, as was stated already it could be a number of other things.