I think I have four issues going on: (photos are in my Gallery, in the album,
Air Conditioning.)
1. The air conditioning has not worked in my truck since I got it (Dec. 2009). The previous owner said all it needed was to be charged, so I took it to a shop and had that done. The air blew cool on AC and the system would clear the condensation from the windshields on the defrost setting when we had wet weather.
2. The refrigerant must have been on a slow leak for a very few days, because the cooling quit within a week.
3. To make matters worse, especially in hot weather, the vents constantly blow hot air.
4. Similarly, but I'm not sure if it is related, the floor of the cab is very hot. For a while, when I was working on wiring issues, I had the carpet out and ran with the floors bare. The heat was intense. I installed a dense foam (waterproof) carpet pad and re-installed the carpet. I thought this would help the floor heat situation, and it did help. At least now, people can put their feet on the floor without burning their feet, and the dog can take a nap in a doggie bed on the front floor without becoming dehydrated when we take a camping trip.
I had a shop install a muffler and exhaust pipe, beginning where the catalytic converter ought to be. Now, I think hot air also blows up through the floor shifter for the 4 wheel drive.
I can't really tell which is which, or if it's both -- hot air from the vents, including the floor vent, and hot air from the hole in the floor at the 4 wheel drive shifter opening.
5. I'm trying to work this out with not much of a budget. I know that diagnosing an air conditioner can take a lot of hours in labor, and then a lot of money in parts.
People lived without AC for decades. But, it gets miserably hot here in summer. I'd like to have it if possible and not a fortune to fix.
It would be easier to take life without AC if I could stop this unwanted hot air from blowing through the vents and whatever heat is coming up through the floor.
I'm ready to sell this old girl -- the truck -- but I'll have trouble getting anything for her if I can't get the basic comforts going. The sound system is good; seating is good; engine is fine; 4 WD is great. Temperature is a problem. One guy, a concrete contractor, seems interested, but not if the AC isn't working.
Any ideas/suggestions?