AC works intermittently
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: CA
AC works intermittently
A couple weeks ago my AC started to blow just hot air. I went to Autozone, picked up a can of AC Pro, emptied the can without overcharging the line, it ran great for 3 days, then it shut off. I thought all the freon leaked out but the next day the AC system came back on. Now it sometimes comes on and off.
I took it to my mechanic. When I first told him the issue, he came back telling me that the AC system was fine. I drove home and as I was about a few miles from my house the AC stopped working. The mechanic said they did see it leaking but to come back a few days once the dye marks the problematic area.
Has anyone faced similar issues? Should I have not used AC Pro?
I did not get any error codes when I ran the AC diagnostic. Turning on/off the AC manually does not seem to help. Changing from recirculation to outside air does change much. Revving the engine does not produce cooler air.
I'm not an expert, could there be bubbles in the line causing this behavior? I'm taking my car back in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the AC stays off so my mechanic can troubleshoot this issue. Sounds like maybe the AC is having a hard time staying on? Bad sensor?
Please advise, thanks!
I took it to my mechanic. When I first told him the issue, he came back telling me that the AC system was fine. I drove home and as I was about a few miles from my house the AC stopped working. The mechanic said they did see it leaking but to come back a few days once the dye marks the problematic area.
Has anyone faced similar issues? Should I have not used AC Pro?
I did not get any error codes when I ran the AC diagnostic. Turning on/off the AC manually does not seem to help. Changing from recirculation to outside air does change much. Revving the engine does not produce cooler air.
I'm not an expert, could there be bubbles in the line causing this behavior? I'm taking my car back in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the AC stays off so my mechanic can troubleshoot this issue. Sounds like maybe the AC is having a hard time staying on? Bad sensor?
Please advise, thanks!
Pole Position
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 239
Likes: 0
From: BC
A couple weeks ago my AC started to blow just hot air. I went to Autozone, picked up a can of AC Pro, emptied the can without overcharging the line, it ran great for 3 days, then it shut off. I thought all the freon leaked out but the next day the AC system came back on. Now it sometimes comes on and off.
I took it to my mechanic. When I first told him the issue, he came back telling me that the AC system was fine. I drove home and as I was about a few miles from my house the AC stopped working. The mechanic said they did see it leaking but to come back a few days once the dye marks the problematic area.
Has anyone faced similar issues? Should I have not used AC Pro?
I did not get any error codes when I ran the AC diagnostic. Turning on/off the AC manually does not seem to help. Changing from recirculation to outside air does change much. Revving the engine does not produce cooler air.
I'm not an expert, could there be bubbles in the line causing this behavior? I'm taking my car back in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the AC stays off so my mechanic can troubleshoot this issue. Sounds like maybe the AC is having a hard time staying on? Bad sensor?
Please advise, thanks!
I took it to my mechanic. When I first told him the issue, he came back telling me that the AC system was fine. I drove home and as I was about a few miles from my house the AC stopped working. The mechanic said they did see it leaking but to come back a few days once the dye marks the problematic area.
Has anyone faced similar issues? Should I have not used AC Pro?
I did not get any error codes when I ran the AC diagnostic. Turning on/off the AC manually does not seem to help. Changing from recirculation to outside air does change much. Revving the engine does not produce cooler air.
I'm not an expert, could there be bubbles in the line causing this behavior? I'm taking my car back in tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the AC stays off so my mechanic can troubleshoot this issue. Sounds like maybe the AC is having a hard time staying on? Bad sensor?
Please advise, thanks!
Thread Starter
Rookie
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: CA
You may be right. The AC seems to work in the morning and has a hard time as the temperature increases. I need to find this sensor and check it out. Thanks
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 24
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From: Virginia
Similar A/C Problem
My 06 GS was damaged in storm by debris punctured condensor.New condensor installed by indy shop.Now temperature fluctuates at vents.ie.. cool and not so cool. Always worked great before. Trying to avoid taking 50 miles to stealership,Any Ideas?
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 68
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From: CA
So I went to the mechanic today since they wanted to see where the leak would be. When I brought the car in, the AC has been working fine for the last several days and it was working this morning. My mechanic considered the relay or the condenser to be faulty but wanted me to drive around a little longer to see what is taking place. Luckily as I was driving home, my AC stopped so I drove back to my mechanic. When they looked at the gauge for the refrigerant levels, it kept on bouncing up and down. They believed that there was too much freon in the system. They ended up vacuuming the system, and adding back the refrigerant to the right pressure.
Hopefully that resolves the issue, it was fine on the drive back but only time will tell. I'm surprised I overfilled it, as I read the gauge on the A/C Pro. I guess either those gauges are not accurate or I did something wrong in the process. I'll keep this tread update if anything continues.
Hopefully that resolves the issue, it was fine on the drive back but only time will tell. I'm surprised I overfilled it, as I read the gauge on the A/C Pro. I guess either those gauges are not accurate or I did something wrong in the process. I'll keep this tread update if anything continues.
Pole Position
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 284
Likes: 20
From: CA
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: CA
Once a year, my AC gets to a point where only the cold air will exit from the driver side of the air ducts. It is bizarre, but I think the freon leaks out during the winter. So to resolve the issue, I have my mechanic recharge the freon to the appropriate level and I'm good for the summer. It must be leaking somewhere but paying for a recharge once a year is not too costly compared to a full blown diagnostic/replacement of the AC system. They tried using a dye to find the leak but had no luck.
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On many cars theres a sensor high or low sensor probably located on the condenser or dryer. If that is bad or has a bad connection it will shut off the ac compressor. If the part is cheap I would replace it with an oem.
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: CA
So an update regarding this situation. My AC once again stopped blowing cold air on the passenger side. Given that it was winter, I figure I'd let it ride until the weather got warmer and overall I think that was a bad idea. On Christmas on the way home, my car acted very strangely. First it started to what it seemed to be an alternator issue, the center console stopped playing music and eventually shutoff. Then my dashboard lights came on and started to act erratically (RPM and speed were bouncing up and down). I pulled over to the side of the road only to find my engine smoking.
So long story short, my AC compressor died, drive belt broke and coolant leaked. I had to replace both AC compressor/condensor and drive belt. The following day, my alternator finally died so that had to be replaced along with the battery that was slightly over 3 years old.
Not sure if my compressor was always on the fritz, but I'm sure not topping it with freon when needed probably made it work harder than needed? Anyways, the total repair for everything was approximately $2,800.
So long story short, my AC compressor died, drive belt broke and coolant leaked. I had to replace both AC compressor/condensor and drive belt. The following day, my alternator finally died so that had to be replaced along with the battery that was slightly over 3 years old.
Not sure if my compressor was always on the fritz, but I'm sure not topping it with freon when needed probably made it work harder than needed? Anyways, the total repair for everything was approximately $2,800.
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