No A/C in Winter
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
From: Windsor, Ontario
No A/C in Winter
Looking to add a C5 to my driveway. Went to look at a very nice 2003 coupe today in a cold weather climate. Going through the routine of checking everything, All good except when it came to verifying the A/C worked we got stumped. Push the A/C button and the blue LED flashed 4 (or 5) times and it would not come on. Speculation is that the outside ambient (21F) would prevent the compressor from engaging.
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!
Pro
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 583
Likes: 66
From: Fayetteville North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '17-'18
From my Owners manual page 3-8 A/C: This button turns the air conditioning compressor on or off, except in the FRONT defrost mode. The light on the A/C button will come on when the compressor is operating in either the automatic or manual mode. The air conditioning may also be forced off at high engine speeds. The light on the A/C button will flash if pressed when air conditioning operation is not allowed.
and 3-9 The air conditioning cools and dehumidifies air coming into the vehicle. It also operates in defrost to help remove moisture from the vehicle. The air conditioning does not operate at temperatures below approximately 35F to 40F (2C to 4C). If the system is operating in the AUTO mode, turning the air conditioning off will delete AUTO from the digital display and show current mode and fan settings. The AUTO button must be pressed to return to the automatic mode operation.
Mike
and 3-9 The air conditioning cools and dehumidifies air coming into the vehicle. It also operates in defrost to help remove moisture from the vehicle. The air conditioning does not operate at temperatures below approximately 35F to 40F (2C to 4C). If the system is operating in the AUTO mode, turning the air conditioning off will delete AUTO from the digital display and show current mode and fan settings. The AUTO button must be pressed to return to the automatic mode operation.
Mike
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,492
Likes: 3,999
From: Cape Coral, Florida
Looking to add a C5 to my driveway. Went to look at a very nice 2003 coupe today in a cold weather climate. Going through the routine of checking everything, All good except when it came to verifying the A/C worked we got stumped. Push the A/C button and the blue LED flashed 4 (or 5) times and it would not come on. Speculation is that the outside ambient (21F) would prevent the compressor from engaging.
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!
Too cold for AC to work !!
Pro
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 682
Likes: 276
From: Cincinnati Ohio
Unless you csn get the car into a warmer place, you will not be able to determine if the a/c works. There are ways to force the compressor to come on but its still not going to tell you much if its 20 degrees out. Have you thought about taking it to a local shop with a heated gararage?
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
From: Windsor, Ontario
The current owner has been fully transparent on things I would not have discovered during the inspection. He claims it was working last season so my test will be when I get it in my garage (heated). Hoping my faith in humanity is not misplaced.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,001
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Drifting
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 471
From: S.E. Pennsylvania
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Looking to add a C5 to my driveway. Went to look at a very nice 2003 coupe today in a cold weather climate. Going through the routine of checking everything, All good except when it came to verifying the A/C worked we got stumped. Push the A/C button and the blue LED flashed 4 (or 5) times and it would not come on. Speculation is that the outside ambient (21F) would prevent the compressor from engaging.
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!
Would like to buy the car but need to know that I am not buying an expensive problem. Does anyone know for sure if we have an issue?
Help!