OK, so I had air conditioning when I drove to the airport last week for a business trip, if not on the ride there for sure within a day or two (I was playing tennis and cooled off on the way home). I returned from my trip and drove home, and no A/C! And none since...

I logged on to the trusty forum and learned all about codes, actuators, compressors, refrigerant, etc. I don't seem to have exactly what I've read, so I hope someone can offer some advice before I submit to taking the car in.

I checked my codes - they were all historical, but I did have a few in the HVAC section, showed actuator and ground issues. I cleared all of the codes. I started the car a few times, took a drive, etc., and had one code come back (B0367H), again showing with an H. Then I started it a few more times, and now I get another code - B0361H. I turned the unit off, reset the codes, and could hear some noises behind the dash but no change. I also tried pulling fuse #27, I could again hear some noises behind the dash but didn't help.

I don't, however, have the driver/passenger thing going on. Air is blowing fiercely, just not cold, more lukewarm (like without the AC button on) out either side. Also have full heat if I turn the dial up. I also have had the dim light issue on my climate control unit for a while, I rap on it occasionally and it brightens up for a while. Since I set it at 73 (in Florida, use air pretty much all the time) never bothered me that I couldn't see the display. I just noticed (maybe it was after the last bout of rapping on the glass) that the lights behind the mode button and the left part of "Passenger" are out, they weren't like that before, the whole thing was just dim.


So, my question is could the failing control unit be causing the air not to come on properly all of the sudden? Will pulling the dash and doing the solder fix (which I'm not adept at but willing to try) potentially fix the issue? Or is it more likely I have a leak in the system and am just low on freon and all of the other stuff is just coincidence? Is there anything else I can try? The car is an 04, and the air is on almost year around here in FL. I just hate to take it in, seems everytime I do it's $500 - $700 without blinking an eye...


Thanks!
Scott

 

You didn't mention if the compressor was kicking on or not, I assume not, but if it is then you should get your hands on a set of AC gauges and check the pressures.

 

Not much of a mechanic (understatement), how can I tell if the compressor is coming on? It's blowing lukewarm air, responds to the fan setting just fine. If I turn the dial up for heat, I feel the heat coming out (feels great in the summer in FL...).

All of the actuator threads seem to mention one side vs. the other, I don't have that issue. Really just wondering if the climate controls being dim could cause any issues or if it has to be something else like low on refrigerant or something else broken in system that will require fixing. Any other troubleshooting I can do on my own???

 

1.) start car and have someone sit in the car
2.) pop the hood and locate the compressor
3.) note what's turning i.e. the pulley
4.) ask the person to turn on the AC
5.) look for the inner part of the pulley to click and start spinning


If #5 happens, then your compressor is engaging

While there are a plethora of potential causes...the fundamentals require the compressor being engaged, proper amount of refrigerant and a functioning condenser.

If the compressor short-cycles...on/off/on/off that usually means there is too little or too much refrigerant. In your case the former since you haven't messed with it.

Beyond that you're going to need proper diagnostic tools like gauges to check the high and low side pressures. If the compressor is engaging take it to a shop have and ask for an evac and recharge. They will put the proper amount of PAG oil and R134a. They can also do other checks if needed.

 

In reference to your dim lights, I have had this fixed rather quickly using e bay, for around fifty dollars.

I have been tackling A/C issues for 2 years, I know the feeling.
Recently my A/C light was blinking about 5 times when I tried to turn it on. I hooked up a bottle of r-134 freon I bought at parts store that came with a built in gauge. The gauge said it was full or (ok). However when I took it to my auto mechanic for second opinion, he hooked up his own gauges and it showed it was low on freon. As soon as he turned the freon on, the compressor kicked in and we had air.

In addition, the contol panel I had fixed for dim lights has worked flawlessly for over a year now.
hope any of this helps.

 

Thanks guys, I will check out the compressor and sounds like my best (and cheapest) bet would be to just get the system charged up by someone trustworthy, maybe that's all it needs for now. I'm hesitant to try and refill it myself, I don't have the right equipment and am more likely to screw something up than fix it - of my limited talents, fixing cars is not on the list...

 

First do as I said and confirm function of compressor...last thing you want is a shop to read into your lack of understanding and sell you parts you don't need!

I've evac/recharged several cars...typically older ones and worked like a charm each time. Seals will natually leak some refrigerant over time. So long as you don't have a massive leak, this could be the case with you.

 

OK, my neighbor took my car in to his shop. His scanner doesn't have the chip to sense and manually control the parts on a vette, but he verified that the pressure (high and low) was fine, was full of refrigerant, and the compressor was also working fine. So I guess that means that somehow the doors are not working right, or is there something else that could be wrong? Is there something common that would be controlling both doors, since I don't have air anywhere?

He said he felt air for a few seconds once when he was messing with things, and I do have some historical codes for actuators. Just weird that both sides at once. I feel like if I could easily get to the parts (which I can't) that maybe it's something simple, something clogged up or stuck. I just hate to drop it off somewhere that I don't trust and see what they come back with.

Any other suggestions? Should I try pulling the fuse a few more times, or something similar, to try and get the doors back in alignment? And if I do that, with the car on or off?

Thanks,
Scott

 

You can pull the HVAC codes from the dash. Post them here.
Here's how:
http://www.c5forum.com/ayc/dtcdic.php