[s-cars] Hot in Seattle - A/C Struggling in '92S4 - Need advice

[Mike Bishoff]

Hi Folks,

 

My wife finally complained that the AC in our '92 S4 was not working up to
par and I was hoping for some advice before taking it into a shop for
analysis. There are two separate and I assume unrelated issues:

 

1.	The air coming out of the vents when the AC is on is not very cold.
It's cool and certainly cooler than the outside air, but it's not cold like
the air that comes out of our other vehicle. On a hot day, the air inside
never gets comfortable even with the recirculate turned on. As far as I know
the AC has not been serviced in a long time, at least 5 years, possibly
longer. I'm hoping that the refrigerant is simply low and that a good
cleanup and replacement will address the issue. The worse case is that the
compressor is winding down in its useful life and needs to be replaced.
Thoughts on this area appreciated.
2.	The center vents no longer blow air. On full auto or manual
settings, air never comes out of the vents that point toward the passenger
and driver. It appears that air does not come out of the rear passenger
vents either. These vents used to work and I'm thinking it's probably a
vacuum hose or some other mechanical issue. Air does come out of the
defroster and foot areas. What are the typical problems here and what's the
fix?

 

Thanks!

 

Mike in Seattle