new A/C suddenly stopped working
09-09-2012, 07:28 PM
#1
new A/C suddenly stopped working Friday, I had a shop replace the compressor, dryer, lines, and flush/recharge the system. The test drive with the tech and the ride home, it blew extremely cold. This morning, while on a short drive (15mi) it suddenly went from blowing cold to extremely hot.
I dont have gauges but before going back to the shop, Id like to see if theres anything I can do in the meantime to fix it. Im pretty sure it isnt a leak since that was the problem before and the symptoms are a gradual warming, not instant heat.
Im leaning towards it being electrical since the compressor clutch cycles on/off every second - I can see two plugs on the lines on top and another plug directly on the compressor - are theyre any others I can check?
Any other help is appreciated
I dont have gauges but before going back to the shop, Id like to see if theres anything I can do in the meantime to fix it. Im pretty sure it isnt a leak since that was the problem before and the symptoms are a gradual warming, not instant heat.
Im leaning towards it being electrical since the compressor clutch cycles on/off every second - I can see two plugs on the lines on top and another plug directly on the compressor - are theyre any others I can check?
Any other help is appreciated
09-10-2012, 10:06 AM
#3
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Did you open one of the valves to see if you still had pressure? Do you know if the a/c was filled with a dye to help detect leaks? I would say more than likely you have a leak and the pressure sensor has triggered disabling the compressor. Whatever the case may be, since you had it worked on by a shop you need to take it back.
The last shop outing I had with replacing/filling my system using a "new" refrigerant pump/recovery unit it passed the vacuum test with flying colors. By the time the system was refilled with 2lbs there was a puddle of refrigerant oil on the ground about 4" in diameter. We dismissed it as residuals since I had just blown out the lines with old oil. I drove it home and could hear a his where there was a pinhole in one of the high pressure lines.
You need to jack the car up and look underneath to see if you have any leaks. Usually shops use a green dye that can be easily spotted using a UV light, but can be spotted with no problem even without using a light. I'd start with the hard lines coming out of the back of the compressor.
The last shop outing I had with replacing/filling my system using a "new" refrigerant pump/recovery unit it passed the vacuum test with flying colors. By the time the system was refilled with 2lbs there was a puddle of refrigerant oil on the ground about 4" in diameter. We dismissed it as residuals since I had just blown out the lines with old oil. I drove it home and could hear a his where there was a pinhole in one of the high pressure lines.
You need to jack the car up and look underneath to see if you have any leaks. Usually shops use a green dye that can be easily spotted using a UV light, but can be spotted with no problem even without using a light. I'd start with the hard lines coming out of the back of the compressor.
09-10-2012, 11:29 AM
#5
Did you open one of the valves to see if you still had pressure? Do you know if the a/c was filled with a dye to help detect leaks? I would say more than likely you have a leak and the pressure sensor has triggered disabling the compressor. Whatever the case may be, since you had it worked on by a shop you need to take it back.
The last shop outing I had with replacing/filling my system using a "new" refrigerant pump/recovery unit it passed the vacuum test with flying colors. By the time the system was refilled with 2lbs there was a puddle of refrigerant oil on the ground about 4" in diameter. We dismissed it as residuals since I had just blown out the lines with old oil. I drove it home and could hear a his where there was a pinhole in one of the high pressure lines.
You need to jack the car up and look underneath to see if you have any leaks. Usually shops use a green dye that can be easily spotted using a UV light, but can be spotted with no problem even without using a light. I'd start with the hard lines coming out of the back of the compressor.
The last shop outing I had with replacing/filling my system using a "new" refrigerant pump/recovery unit it passed the vacuum test with flying colors. By the time the system was refilled with 2lbs there was a puddle of refrigerant oil on the ground about 4" in diameter. We dismissed it as residuals since I had just blown out the lines with old oil. I drove it home and could hear a his where there was a pinhole in one of the high pressure lines.
You need to jack the car up and look underneath to see if you have any leaks. Usually shops use a green dye that can be easily spotted using a UV light, but can be spotted with no problem even without using a light. I'd start with the hard lines coming out of the back of the compressor.
09-11-2012, 08:22 PM
#6
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Is your compressor cycling on and off like someone mentioned, or did it just stop completely?
Mine stopped on me early last summer....the compressor just stopped cold. After checking for pressure, checking the switch, hot-wiring the compressor just to see if it would engage, etc. I was stumped. One of the techs in the shop suggested taking the battery cables loose and holding the positive and negative cables together for 30 seconds. It apparently reset everything and the AC started working again. I have no idea why it happened and it hasn't happened since.
It might be worth a try.
Mine stopped on me early last summer....the compressor just stopped cold. After checking for pressure, checking the switch, hot-wiring the compressor just to see if it would engage, etc. I was stumped. One of the techs in the shop suggested taking the battery cables loose and holding the positive and negative cables together for 30 seconds. It apparently reset everything and the AC started working again. I have no idea why it happened and it hasn't happened since.
It might be worth a try.
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09-11-2012, 10:48 PM
#8
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Was hoping it would be that simple for you. Mine wasn't clicking on/off though....it just died. Maybe it will be a cheap o-ring....or at least you should be covered somehow since you just bought new stuff.
