A/C stopped working, no flashy lighty

[Proximity]

So last year my AC wasn't working at all and I had it checked and they replaced the high side A/C line. Worked like a charm. Worked like a charm when I was driving yesterday and I'm pretty sure in the same trip it stopped working.

Worried it might be a mechanical problem. Is there any way to check the compressor/condenser if it's operating correctly?

[Koolsilver]

Does anything happen when you press the A/C button i.e. compressor turns on, light turns on, anything?

[Proximity]

Idles consistent at 900 with A/C button off, 1400 with A/C button on. The light turns on and does not flash. No difference in the air temp though.

[Bitter]

Look under hood to see if the compressor is cycling. Does the engine fan come on? 900 is a high idle you know...

Typically a slow leak would just be weak cooling as the system looses R134a, a fast leak would be it suddenly not working, and a mechanical issue like a bad compressor or a clog can cause either to happen. You really need the system recovered, charged, and checked for proper pressures.

[Koolsilver]

First I would check to see if the compressor engages when you turn on the A/C. Also an easy check/fix is check if the A/C relay is bad and check if the R134 is full enough.

[GSBoek]

Things to check underhood:
-Check if the A/C compressor magnetic clutch engages. It's the part on the front of the compressor. When you turn the A/C on it should start rotating with the puley. If it's not rotating then it's not being energized.

-Check the fan operation. When you turn the A/C on both fans should come on after 5-10 seconds.

-Physically inspect the compressor for signs of leaks behind the puley or at the pressure sensor below it.

[Proximity]

You mean the two fans behind the radiator, right? Neither come on.

And is the compressor right below the alternator? I don't see any change from anything when I turn the A/C on or off.

Is this the clutch? It seems to spin regardless of my AC being on. (The green part, however, does not spin)

[Proximity]

Wait.


Is the clutch on the outside of the pulley? (ie, on the other side in the picture) In that case, the clutch is not being engaged.

So could it be an electrical problem? The ECU is telling the engine to rev higher (or at least that is what I assume it does) but the fans do not turn on and the clutch does not engage.

[Proximity]

The plot appears to be thickening.



Just a leak? Would the car not engage the clutch or fans if it can tell there is leaking refrigerant?

[Bitter]

System is empty, you have a leak. I had one near there. On iPod, can't see photo real well. Mine was the lower fitting, oring was leaky. New ring and kapow, solved.

[GSBoek]

It's leaking at both the fitting to the condenser and at the compressor. That green stuff is the dye that they put in the refirgerant to spot leaks. The clutch is on the other side of the picture indeed as you mention. Doesn't surprise me that you eventually ran out of refrigerant, the leak looks sizeable. Looks to be that the pipe is broke at the spot where the bend is, that's where most of the refrigerant is.

[Proximity]

I'll try wiping it up and see if that is where it's coming from. That stuff won't eat thought my skin, will it? I like my skin, I need it for stuff.

[Koolsilver]

If you lost a lot of refrigerant the A/C won't turn on. Find where the leak is and fix it then vac and fill the system. I'm not sure how bad it is for your skin, it probably isn't great, just wear some gloves.

[GSBoek]

Now that I think about it, I believe that pipe is the powersteering cooler pipe. If that is the case then that dye is coming from the aluminum pipe further up and spraying unto the PS pipes. If that's indeed what's happening then it's a big leak which could explain why it suddenly stopped working. I'm not entirely sure yet, it's been a while since I actually looked at the pipe routing at the front.

[Koolsilver]

^^ good point, the pipes to the left/up that have the dye sprayed on them are not A/C lines; I'm not sure which pipes they are but if dye is going that far then it is definitely quite a good sized leak. Personally instead of hunting down the leak I would take it to a good shop to find the leak, probably charge you around $40, then just replace yourself whatever is needed and bring it back to a shop for a vac and fill.

[Bitter]

Looks like the upper fitting is leaking, probably a bad o-ring. get the system emptied, replace the ring with a new one from the dealer, also the lower one, get the air sucked out, and the system recharged.

Yes, rusty lines are the PS cooling loop.

[Proximity]

Originally Posted by Bitter

Yes, rusty lines

Sure, kick me when I'm down.

[Bitter]

Originally Posted by Proximity

Sure, kick me when I'm down.

Pfft...This is nothing. I had a HOLE in the bottom of my car that I missed when looking at it. Some asshole punched through with a lift pad a few months before I bought it, hardly any rust. That was a nice $300 patch up!

It's cosmetic rust, adds character.

[GSBoek]

Yep, I went out later to look at the lines, the alu ones are A/C, rusted ones PS. I wonder if the leak is at the dryer. Both A/C and PS lines go from the engine bay to the front through the same hole in the radiator support.

[Proximity]

So I might have found the leak:



This is right under the cruise control..uh..controller. It's the two lines touching, and it looks like one has been either melting for was being shaven off from vibrations. If it's right here it would explain all the other dye spots from dye leaking down that line and onto the PS line.

Now, this is the line a shop replaced last summer. Should I yell at them?

Also, is there a way to trick the A/C system into thinking there is pressure so it will turn on? Maybe this way I can see more shit coming out of that spot and verify it's the leak.

[GSBoek]

I wouldn't bother trying to trick the system. You'd have to trigger a signal to the ECU from the pressure sensor wires so that the ECU activates the fans and energizes the clutch. I have no idea what kind of signal that would be.

[Proximity]

Do you think that could be the leak? It doesn't look very deep but even if there is the tiniest of holes, with a high pressure system it could probably (mature audiences only) squeeze something out. Sound pretty legit?

[Bitter]

Originally Posted by GSBoek

I wouldn't bother trying to trick the system. You'd have to trigger a signal to the ECU from the pressure sensor wires so that the ECU activates the fans and energizes the clutch. I have no idea what kind of signal that would be.

For these cars, just an on/off. Not like VW's with their square wave signals....oye!

[Proximity]

Originally Posted by Proximity

Do you think that could be the leak? It doesn't look very deep but even if there is the tiniest of holes, with a high pressure system it could probably (mature audiences only) squeeze something out. Sound pretty legit?

Yes/no?

I mean, is there anything that is supposed to be there to prevent this kind of thing from happening?

[Bitter]

The leak area will be smothered with green dye. Get a can tap and a 12oz can and just throw some in there to see if you can get the system to cycle or maybe hear it hissing when it's off. Go from there.

[bionictony]

when it's low on pressure the compressor won't engage to protect itself.. that refrigerant has oil in it to lube the compressor. without oil the compressor will bust. just take it to someone that can vacuum the system and use a leak detector to find the leak. but it looks like you have 2 areas. just use a new o ring and use new piping to replace the damaged one. was the line replaced with oem or aftermarket?