Strange Air Conditioning Issue
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 533
Likes: 47
From: Tucson, AZ
Strange Air Conditioning Issue
Greetings,
The air conditioning on my 02 coupe just crapped the bed a few days ago - all of a sudden while driving on the freeway it began blowing hot air out of all of the vents. Oddly enough, later on in my garage, the compressor started cycling on and off VERY quickly (approximately 3-4 times per second) and dragging the idle rpm down about 300 rpm every time it kicked on.
I took it to the local AC shop for a diagnosis and they reported that the freon levels were right where they should be, and noted that the pressure going into and out of the compressor was the same, indicating to them that the compressor had gone bad. They gave me an estimate of $1000 to replace the compressor, but I know that these cars have some weird electrical gremlins with switches/grounds/etc so I figured I would ask you guys first before biting the bullet. Anyone seen this before?
All help is appreciated,
Tommy
The air conditioning on my 02 coupe just crapped the bed a few days ago - all of a sudden while driving on the freeway it began blowing hot air out of all of the vents. Oddly enough, later on in my garage, the compressor started cycling on and off VERY quickly (approximately 3-4 times per second) and dragging the idle rpm down about 300 rpm every time it kicked on.
I took it to the local AC shop for a diagnosis and they reported that the freon levels were right where they should be, and noted that the pressure going into and out of the compressor was the same, indicating to them that the compressor had gone bad. They gave me an estimate of $1000 to replace the compressor, but I know that these cars have some weird electrical gremlins with switches/grounds/etc so I figured I would ask you guys first before biting the bullet. Anyone seen this before?
All help is appreciated,
Tommy
Racer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 282
Likes: 4
From: Dayton Ohio
If the pressures are the equal on the high and low side....this tells me the compressor is not engaging! Also if the compressor was engaging and disengaging rapidly, tells me the refrigerant level is either too low or too high. Meaning the high or low pressure cycling switch is shutting the compressor off! IMHO, you should get a second opinion! The only way to confirm the compressor is bad is to check for power and ground at the compressor itself. Not sure if the shop you took it to did this or not... Hope you get it figured out!
