I haven't seen this happen in my vanagon, but it has happened in other
cars I've owned when the condenser is unable to remove enough heat
causing the pressure to rise and, eventually, a pressure switch to shut
off the condenser.  This can occur in very hot weather, or if the freon
charge level is too high.  It can also occur if the condenser fan is not
turning on.

Has the mid-speed or high-speed (condenser) fan come on?  Did your
engine temp seem high when the cold air stopped?

Our vans also have a temperature shutoff which may have been reached
before the pressure shutoff.  You can check this to see if the
compressor clutch is engaged.

Wade

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of dave bowers
Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2002 9:07 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: weird AC behavior

Hey Folks,

I am looking for theories on what my AC may be doing.. I have a 1986
Westy, with the AC in the rear.

A week ago, I drove 200 miles, from Eastern Oregon to Portland. It was
hot all day, and I drove with my AC on most of the time.

Around 3/4 of the way through my trip, my AC went warm. No more cold
air. I looked for moisture or leaks and couldn't spot any. I checked the
AC once a day for 3 days. Each time, it blew warm (or, just not cold).

Yesterday I turned my AC fan on just to get some circulation, not
expecting cold air ... and within 3 minutes .. I had cold air again. I
can't tell if it was as cold as it used to be ... I just had it
recharged in June.

Would anyone have an idea of what I should look at with this behavior?

I can't tell if it has ... fixed it's self, or if I should have this
looked at closer. It's nearing the end of the warm season .. so I don't
want to spend much on this. I'm happy it's working, but I wonder if it's
only half fixed.

Any ideas, suggestions or theories would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much!

dave :)
_______________

dave bowers
Portland, Oregon
1986 Westy "G2"
http://www.dave-bowers.com/vw