My Air conditioning suddenly stopped. got in my car a few mornings ago and it had worked the day before, but this day - all gone. No biggie i thought - just needs freon hit or something, right? however I have never dealth with AC issues before. Before I was able to make it to work, my low coolant levels light is coming on,... staying on for a few minutes, going off for a few minutes,... in other words - not blinking, and not staying on for the full ride, but coming on and going off and coming back on. -------- I have read in other posts on web that Air conditioning unit and coolant and or water pump are not related to one another - but i find it VERY strange that this all happens at one time literally basically on top of one another.

can anyone help me connect the dots as I am not 100 percent concrete on my understanding of the path that the AC or Coolant take in a car and therefore am not certain if they overlap in any manner - if I can troubleshoot the problem then I would much rather fix it myself than to go to a mechanic. --- me and my husband tore into the transmission and replaced blown solenoids, im sure i can take on this too ;o

thanks in advance for any feedback!



did i mention that the coolant levels were NOT actually low?,.. yea - lights still on though.

 

I'm suspicious that the low coolant switch (located in the bottom of the reservoir tank) was intermittently becoming uncovered by the motions of your driving, and that the coolant level in the reservoir is in fact low. Please remove the reservoir cap and check when the car is completely cold; it's difficult to see through the side of the tank (no I am not calling you a liar)

If you're truly not low on coolant, the coolant level sensor can get gummed up from sludgy coolant resulting from people not changing it )the car is newish to you... ) Anyways, removal and cleaning of the reservoir may do the trick -- you can also do an electrical check to see if the sensor is good -- its a simple open/closed switch so it is either continuous when closed (resistance = 0) or it's an open circuit (resistance = infinite).

As for your A/C -- when you say it doesn't work -- do you mean it blows air but it's not cold, or do you mean no blower no light on the A/C switch no nothin?

Let us know and we'll take it from there.....

 

hi thanks for the reply ;D so,... yes, i did forget to clarify - blower is still blowing air, but its all hot air, i suppose from it being up near the 100's outside. i mean not to mention coming past a hot engine. my car has not been "running hot" i keep an eye on the thermometer gauge and it - even since this has happened a couple days ago- stays pretty level right around the "half way mark" but never higher or more than that mark. ---- as for my coolant and that light coming on, i understand i have some hands on work to go check it out - this has only happened a couple day ago,... aand, im gonna go check it out this afternoon asap.

 

update; apologies for my long-winded answers that dont even answer all questions ;p but you also asked if my AC light was coming on - inside the car.... the light on the AC button/switch does in fact come on,... it clicks properly, light comes on, blows and everything else,.. just hot air.

While looking at my car, my husband noticed that the compressor does not start when the AC is cut on. this is probably the problem,... however - I am wondering if it is the compressor in itself or a fuse or relay or something --- working on just crossing that out as a possible issue before getting a new compressor

Also went down and looked at my reserve tank and it is, in fact, slightly low,.. not too much but,... going to flush it tomorow and see if it fixes THAT little issue.


As of now, it seems like the compressor is simply the problem and Ill have this fixed in no time, but if anyone has experience with this issue and familiar with anything that might be another contributor - by all means share ;D

thanks for your input. later!

 

Check fuse and also check AC relay under the hood by swapping it with another identical one that's in there.

when refrig level drops below a certain level, the low pressure cutout switch will intervene to prevent compressor damage (low pressure and high pressure switch are actually in one housing in the ac refrig line near the driver's fender).

I'd check high and low side pressures to figure out if it is a refrig problem or if we need to check electrical stuff

 

Derf Said;
I'm suspicious that the low coolant switch (located in the bottom of the reservoir tank) was intermittently becoming uncovered by the motions of your driving, and that the coolant level in the reservoir is in fact low. Please remove the reservoir cap and check when the car is completely cold; it's difficult to see through the side of the tank (no I am not calling you a liar)
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Why is it I have a mental picture of a curtain waving around as the person behind it answers questions, and pulls levers for all kinds of special effects? Sort of like the Wizard of OZ?
I just had this happen on my way to Church yesterday. My ever trusty Saturn that sits quietly until I decide to drive it for the most part trouble free. Flashed the low water light a couple of times.
Once home ( I wonder if going to Church had any impact on getting home safely) I check the water level and it was low. Then I remembered a drip of water off the air dam at the botom of the car a while back. Just a drip, nothing major, but I have a feeling the plastic side tanks on the radiator are reaching the end if their life. I think it is time to order a new radiator!