First off, I will say that this is my girlfriend's car (and she knows nothing about cars). So today I was driving it (!) and it was decently warm outside, so I put the A/C on. I pressed the button on the dash, and the little light above the switch came on (I'm assuming this means the switch itself is good), but the compressor did not engage. No turning on and off a second later, no change in engine noise, no nothing. I immediately assumed it was a fuse/relay, but I checked under the hood and the fuse was good (not broken), and the relay good as well (I swapped it into the location for the identical fuel pump relay, and the car started and ran).
She says the a/c has been blowing as cold as usual, however she did tell me that it was "louder than usual" the last time she used it. It did not shut off on its own, though, and now the clutch won't engage. Aside from checking for loose wires and such, I don't really know how to fix this one. The compressor won't come on at all, so I can't even recharge the system if that turns out to be the problem (the recharge kits say to use them while the a/c is running).
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2000 Cavalier Coupe, 138k miles, 2.2 Auto, Silver (alive)
1999 Cavalier Sedan, 237k miles, 2.2 Auto, White (dead)
if the system needs to be recharded the Compressor will not kick on. . it will not kick on because ther is not enough pressure in the system to tell the pressure cycling switch what to do. also. if the pressure cycling switch is bad. then the compressor will not kick on also. and for a last resort it could also be the compressor clutch also.
to recharge the system, it must be SET to max a/c, if it is low on refrigerant, when you start to put it in, the clutch will kick on to draw it in when it reads pressure.
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Is recharging the system possible with the compressor not operating? I'll try to bypass the pressure switch and jump the compressor with the battery just to make sure it's capable of operating.
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2000 Cavalier Coupe, 138k miles, 2.2 Auto, Silver (alive)
1999 Cavalier Sedan, 237k miles, 2.2 Auto, White (dead)
the compressor is most likely not engaging simply because there's no pressure in the system. once you start putting the refrigerant in, the compressor will kick on.
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Why would it just shut off all the sudden, unless she spontaneously sprung a MASSIVE leak? I've ridden in that car, and the a/c has been ice cold every time she's had it on.
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2000 Cavalier Coupe, 138k miles, 2.2 Auto, Silver (alive)
1999 Cavalier Sedan, 237k miles, 2.2 Auto, White (dead)
The compressor was operating when she shut it off, now it won't turn back on.
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2000 Cavalier Coupe, 138k miles, 2.2 Auto, Silver (alive)
1999 Cavalier Sedan, 237k miles, 2.2 Auto, White (dead)
I am having the exact same problem with the A/C in my 1998 Cavalier?
Could someone please elaborate a little how to troubleshoot this...
Also, if the problem is not of electrical nature (not a blown fuse), what is the procedure to properly recharge the system to get it working?
first, both of you should have the system checked for leaks. if there's a leak, you're just wasting money recharging the system. if it leaked out once, its going to leak out again.
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