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Hi folks,
I have yet another problem with my Florida salvaged commuter sled. The A/C started cutting out intermittently (run ice cold, then warm, then ice cold) several weeks ago. It has now stopped working completely. I know the signal is getting sent from the computer because the idle changes and the A/C indicator light comes on, but my compressor and fans don’t come on. The fans will run at low speed only, but I was on the verge of an overheat today because they will not run at high speed regardless of whether the A/C is switched on or not. (or if the engine is really hot) I cant tell if my refrigerant is low because I cant make the compressor run to get a reading, but I don’t think that is the problem because the A/C blasted cold until it quit. I have pulled and checked EVERY relay and micro relay in the fuse block, and they all click. I haven’t checked the resistance of them, but I doubt they are the problem. I checked all relevant fuses (duh) and none are blown.
First, can anyone who has had a similar problem (there are hundreds of thousands of these gutless 2.2l engines out there, surely someone has had this problem) tell me if my fan and A/C problems are related?
Second, where should I start troubleshooting that I haven’t already checked? I’m pretty well stumped. (I know I should check the resistance of those relays)
Third, how can I check the A/C clutch and refrigerant level by energizing it with a wire from the battery? Is that feasible/ safe?
Thanks so much! B)
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The A/C is probably fine. The issue is with the fans. There is either air in the cooling system such that the coolant temperature switch isn’t recognizing the coolant temperature properly, or the switch itself has gone bad. Try bleeding the cooling system first.
You can jumper the load side of the A/C compressor relay (found in the underhood fuse and relay box) to permit testing the clutch and reading the pressures, but do not run the system very long that way (more than 2-3 minutes) or the compressor could be damaged.
Thanks for replying so quickly. I replaced the water pump (cam driven, pain in the a##) and filled/bled the cooling system about a year ago, but I’ll do that and get back. I noticed the car was running slightly warmer than usual even when the fans were working but figured he new pump just had slightly different performance. Steam pockets would make sense.
Thanks again, and nice profile picture, BTW.
I would check that fan output signals. There should be a high speed and a low speed circuit. If the high speed circuit is not activating for whatever reason the fans won’t be able to keep up with the load. It is entirely possible that if the high speed isn’t engaging, or doing so erratically, that the ac won’t function during those times. Most models will shut down the AC when the engine temperature gets above a certain point.
However being that it’s a 2002 I would be mostly suspect of the fan motors themselves. Eventually they just start to draw too much current and won’t reach the desired speed, so even thought they are indeed working they just won’t reach the required speed. The good news is you can just replace the motors themselves, without replacing the whole assembly.
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