ok so I'm new here to the forum and haven't been reading as much lately as i should be. my wife's 02 le has been out of ac for the entire season thus far, first thought was low refrigerant do of course i go grab a can and the hoses and get ready to charge. but wait, everything is fine with refrigerant levels and pressure, no leaks apparent either so i look to check the compressor and the clutch isn't engaging. ok she needs a new compressor.

it's been almost a month now and my wife calls me today to tell me the air started blowing cold all of a sudden, weird right? now she's home and telling me that it stopped blowing cold shortly after our conversation, apparently it's blowing cold for 2-3 minutes upon initial start-up and then looses it. I'll be driving the car myself in about ten minutes to see what i can witness myself as she has great intentions and tries hard, but often cannot relay accurate diagnostic information about vehicle troubles

any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. and I'll be sure to give updates as often as i can to either confIrm proper repair or help to provide info for others who may have the same issue today or in the future

 

Did you install a new compressor/clutch?

 

no, haven't installed anything yet, i was about to order a new compressor this weekend before this recent turn of events

 

Given the above suggest the following, some of which may be a repeat.

With engine running, turn A/C on and look for A/C clutch operation. The radiator fans will also cycle on/off with the clutch. Check if fans are cycling (make sure the engine has not idled long enough to start getting hot and requiring the radiator fans).

If no clutch operation check if the green light A/C button is blinking, If so might be the magnetic clutch relay is bad. This relay powers the clutch.

Are your sure the system has enough Freon to operate? There can be static pressure engine off but still not enough Freon.

If you are sure the system has enough Freon, try jumping the clutch by applying 12V to the clutch wire (black/white). Note, the also has wires to the speed sensor, don't mix them up (white/blue and brown).

Determine if the A/C now cools and check high/low pressures with gauge set.

 

thanks for the reply, oddly the ac works full time now, no repairs done whatsoever, the only thing now and i don't remember if it did this before, is when ac is on, you can hear it knocking pretty loud

 

as soon as it starts failing again I'll recheck pressure and fan operation, as well as clutch

 

When the knocking noise is present, check the accessory drive belt tensioner for noise.

If the A/C clutch stops working again, make sure the clutch is receiving 12V when it is supposed to be on. The electrical relay powering the clutch can fail.

 

ok, I'll check tensioner tomorrow, i guess i have to wait on the system to fail again to check voltage, luckily it's been running strong for a couple days now

 

Nice! Same thing happened to my A/C and I ended up replacing the compressor.

 

how long was it working until it failed completely?