2001 Mitsubishi Montero A/C Not Working – Warm Air

Q & A #63 With The Auto Specialist

Welcome back to the Auto Specialist. If you have been watching the latest automotive news, you’ll have heard of the flying car. Named the Transition and sounding like something from the future, it weighs approximately 110 pounds more than the FAA’s standard weight for light aircraft. Despite this, the FAA has apparently given the automaker Terrafugia the green light to move forward with production. It will be interesting to watch this develop.

In today’s segment, we’re going to help Denise with her Montero’s air conditioner. We’ll also try to diagnose Stanley’s loss of acceleration with his Sante Fe. Lastly, we’ll give Andy the bad news about his Prelude’s engine. There’s lots to address, so let’s jump right in.

Question: I drive a 2001 Mitsubishi Montero with a little over 100,000 miles. I haven’t used my air conditioner for several months. The weather where I live is starting to warm up, so I turned the A/C on and felt only warm air. It was cold the last time I used it, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Do you have any idea why the air is warm? And what do I need to do to fix it? Should I add more refrigerant?

Answer: Thanks for writing in, Denise. The problem you’re experiencing could be due to a couple of factors. The first is an insufficient level of refrigerant. The second is a failing compressor. If the refrigerant is low, it usually indicates there’s a leak somewhere in the A/C system. Recharging the system (i.e. adding more refrigerant) wou

2001 Mitsubishi Montero

ld be a waste of money without first fixing the leak. This is a job that is best left to your mechanic.

The second issue, a failing compressor, is something your mechanic will be able to validate with a quick test. If this component has failed, it should be replaced with an OEM-certified unit.

Question: My car is a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe with 88,000 miles on the engine. I’m having trouble accelerating or even maintaining speed while going up inclines. For example, I might be moving along at 60 mph before hitting the bottom of an incline. My speed will drop to about 40 mph no matter how hard I press on the accelerator. I had the spark plugs changed and the compression tested in the cylinders. I’ve also gone through the exhaust system and replaced the catalytic converter. And just for good measure, I changed the air filter. I’m at a loss to figure the problem out. Can you help?

Answer: Thanks for sending in your question, Stanley. From what you have just described, I’d be willing to bet it’s the fuel pump. It’s not creating enough pressure when you’re going up hills. I suggest putting a new pump in and testing whether that fixes the problem. I’m pretty certain it will.

Question: I’m driving a 1996 Honda Prelude with about 182,000 miles. Yesterday, I noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. This isn’t the same type of wispy smoke that comes out in the morning (I think that’s from moisture in the pipes). This white smoke is different. It’s heavier. What does the smoke mean? And is this something that I should be worried about?

Answer: Thanks for your question, Andy. The bad news is yes. This is something you should be concerned about. Let me explain what is happening inside your engine to produce the white smoke. It is caused by coolant that is leaking into one of the combustion chambers. The coolant is mixing with the air-fuel blend in the chamber, and being burned during the ignition stroke. This results in white smoke from your tailpipe.

The problem is, coolant gets into the combustion chamber through a failing head gasket, cracked engine block, or a busted cylinder head. These are all major problems. If you keep driving without fixing the underlying cause of the leak, your engine will eventually overheat. Sorry to be the one to tell you this, Andy.

That’s it for this installment of the Auto Specialist. I’d like to thank Denise, Stanley, and Andy for letting us help them out with their automotive problems. I’ll have a new batch of readers’ questions to address next time. Until then, drive safely.