AC Questions, Help!
 

Anyone had this problem before? I have a 2nd Gen S5 and when I turn on the AC, the clutch on the compressor doesn't engage. The blower still works and the cooling fan still spins, but since it is not pumping, it is not blowing cold at all, it just happened 2 weeks ago when I start driving it again after parking for 6 months. Anyone know what's going on?
Also, any one know of any publication of how our 2nd Gen AC system works? Does it have a AC Relay somewhere (I don't really know where to look)? How much will it cost me to fix it (cost of part and labor)? You think it could be a DIY project? Any diagram out there can help me? It was blowing ice cold for a long time before and all of a sudden stopped.
Any help would be greatly appericated.

I'm no expert but I have ran into this before, it's likely you have a coolant leak. If there's not enough in the system to trip the pressure switch, the compressor
won't come on. If this happened suddenly, however, it could be a fuse.
I'd take it to a shop that knows AC and have them check/add coolant. You really have to have the proper gauges and knowhow to do it right.

Yep MWPayne is somewhat right, you probably are low on Freon (I think that what you were meaning when you said coolant... right???).

Fixing your A/C used to be a Saturday morning project. Unfortunately, both R12 & R134 are hard on the environment so DIY folks have a hard time getting the supplies, parts and equipment without "proving certification".

A couple thoughts.
1. Because the A/C worked 6 months ago, but doesn't now tells me there is a system leak. Finding and fixing the leak is relatively easy for the shop, but they will try to tell you otherwise to prep you for the bill. R12 will be hugely expensive. Depending on where you live, the R12 to recharge the system could come to nearly $100 alone.

2.Since the system is down, check into converting it to R134. It will be easier to get serviced in the future, but it could cost you several hundred dollars because the system needs some changes the shop can handle. Weigh the cost of R12 in a couple years (if you can still find a shop who does it) against the cost of converting.

No reputable shop will recharge that system without finding and fixing the leak. They could lose their EPA license to do A/C work if there was even suspicion they were doing that.

hum...i just recharge my a/c once a year when summer comes. Dunno where my dad got it (i think walmart or some place like that) but there's an adapter that goes on the a/c and then you can stick in the new freon stuff. Dunno how much the kit was, but it's definitely under $100 for a whole kit with 2 bottles and adapter junk. You just run the hose adapter from the a/c to the bottle, then drive around for a while until the bottle empties. Then you're done recharging your a/c.

I have check the fuse panel and all of the fuse are still good (I don't know which is which so I have to check all). Anyone know where the AC relay located at? I call couple Mazda dealer parts dept and they said that there is one that they sell, it is around $55 but they can't locate where exactly it located under the hood. It is possible that there might be a leak but I have had the car for 3+ year now and every year summer it blow ice cold, just this summer.... Converting would be nice if there is acutally no R12 juice in my system. Thanks for the input so far guys.

Good point..I guess I'm hoping PRESTONE is not circulatiing through his AC system..

My next guess would be the pressure switch, assuming you are not low on 'refrigerant'. You should be able to find out how to check it using one of the downloaded FSM's. You HAVE downloaded the FSM, right?;)

If not, take thee and thy car to the shop!

check all the wires behind the compressor, ihad thei sproblen 1x and i found a broken wire. spiced it and my a/c unit was working again. look at the glass ans see if there are bubbles or if it is clear

Guys relax its easier than you all think. First eliminate the obvious, your going to have to take it to a A/C shop and have them recover the refrigerant to see how much is recovered. Once you know how much is recovered you can find out if you have a leak which from what your describing is the most likely thing.
Then you would want your system recharged (put the freon back in) with some dye, run it for about 500 miles and check for leaks. However before anything you would want to see if your compressor actually is funciotning right after you put the freon back in.

Im certified in A/C systems (ASE) so i can be the first to tell you to not mess with your A/C system if you dont know what your doing. This kind of thing needs special machines (A/C recovery stations) and the right knowledge to get it working right. Oh and also you will need to be retrofitted to get the new freon in there, more than likely.

You need to jumper the relay first and see if the compressor will pull in Its a round ,under the drivers side rad panel where the 4 relays are and you have to peel the rubber cover off. I think is the 2nd one towards the center of the car

Got to your drier. It has an electrical connector on it. PUll the plug off. Jumper the two sockets with a piece of wire. Turn the A/C to ON. If the clutch on the air compressor pulls in then that means your low on freon. It also means you must have a leak somewhere.

Make sure the SINGLE black wire is connected to the aircompressor first. It's as simple as that. There is a free online fsm to look at for the parts mentioned in case you don't know what a drier is.

Is there any reason why my AC system has multiple leaks?? I think I've taken my FC to the shop 5 times now, and each time, there's been a different part that's failed or leaked. I think, as of today, there has been low pressure and high pressure side service port leaks, 2 pinhole leaks and a bad compressor. The car still leaks, and it makes a strange sound. When the clutch engages and there's freon in the system, it makes a strange noise. At speed, it sounds like a small animal yelping in the passenger side door vent. Also, when I make a turn at low speeds with a few extra side g's than normal, water will leak out into the passenger foot area. Is this a condensor or evaporator leak? Why does my FC have so many AC leaks???

Freon leaks are common if the A/C has not been used much (and the seals have all dried out) or if freons have been mixed (such as using R134 in a car that has/had R12).

as far as water dripping, either your drain line for the A/C is clogged or disconnected.

I have heard the yelping also that you talked about, on cars where the A/C has been overcharged with freon.

Yes, It does have a relay. Johny Zoom is correct, this could be your problem. My 89 GTU sat for a couple of years before I bought it and the A/C didn't work. I thought it was the freon charge or bad compressor but Johny set me straight. We used a jumper wire to check the condition of the relay and once the jumper was on the correct terminals and I turned on the A/C switch the compressor kicked on and blew cold air. Johny checked my freon charge and I was good after 4 years without A/C.

The relay is round, covered with a rubber boot, and located at the front of the engine bay. Check the FSM at
http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/2ndgen/manu...AC_systems.pdf

for troiuble shooting tips. The relay is a cheap fix, you can buy a new one at Mazda Dealership or you can take a treasure hunting trip to your local Auto Retirement Center and check out the late 80's - early 90's Hondas if there are no RX7's or Mazda's in their collection. Hondas of that period have many of the same electrical fuses and relays that Mazda used. I bought several for $5.00. The other most likely causes are bad compressor or loss of charge.

Which terminals should I jumper, there are 4 of them and I just want to make sure I don't do it wrong and burn the relay or the AC system which i know will cost much more to fix. Anyone have a pic or diagram can show me how to check? Thanks guys.

Good post, exept what you said about r134. The entire point of switching to R134 was that it WASN'T bad for the environment. It is easily attainable at any auto parts place, walmart, etc. for about 10 or 15 bucks, 25 or 30 if you have to get the adapter to charge it also.
As he said R12 is very very expensive and you have to be certified to handle it. I think 100 might be a little conservative on a recharge price, though. I had heard that the rate was something like $200 a lb., but I could be wrong. In the long run (or maybe even the short run), just switching it over would be cheaper and easier.

well it could be that you are low on feron, but if u have put some in the system and still dont work and if the compressor works also, try takin off one of the washer on the compressor that holds the clutch together. I had the same problem on my 7 that the compressor wont start working when i pushed the a/c button, till i took of one of the washer. well good luck

Jumper the one as Hailers said its on the dryer it only has two wires so you cant miss. And on the relay don't worry about blowing a fuse. Get a test light and see if you have power. then jumper the "power " wire to the black with a white stripe that goes to the compressor.

Johny

I converted my 87 to R134 2 years ago, and it leaked out. I fixed the leak this year..on the drivers side of the condensor. (new o-ring from carquest) Follow the lines out of the compressor and look for oil on the fittings. I put on a new dryer and pulled a vacum for a good 30 min. I put "Freeze-12" in. Works Great!! It is a R-12 supplement, and cools better than R134. R134 conversions dont work all that well in older cars becuse the system was not designed for it. It takes a differnt size condensor and evaporator to work properly. Freeze-12 is about 12 bucks a can. It is a good idea to have someone experienced to evaporate and recharge the system for you.

First let me thank everyone for their valuable input. I finally pump myself up to start the trouble shoot this weekend and it is the first time to use the FSM, beleive it or not, and I found it very useful. Where did you guys got that link from? Is there more FSM online for other part of the seven and other generation? Man, I will have saved loads of money rather than dragging my FC everywhere to get my money taken out of my pocket. Thank you very much guys.
My first problem is the relay (thank god), but not sure about the feron level yet, as the FSM stopped me when I found that the relay is bad. GTUser or any one in Bay Area California can tell me where I can get one for cheap? I would love to pay $5 for it but I don't really know any retirement stores around here, and are they reliable? What if it doesn't work, can you return it? I am very happy with the progress but I am stuck at this relay thing again.

Thanks Hailers, I tested the relay, and it is actually good, then I went on to the "Feon Level" switch and fair enough, once I jumper the two socket, the compressor kicks in. I am all out of feon. That also mean a leak somewhere. Looks like it might cost around 3 to 4 hunderd to fix. Anyone actually did a R134 conversion and how was it? How much does it cost? I try to decide if I should fix and recharge or swap to R134. I really need AC, I hate it when it is hot.
Thanks guys.