3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
Sponsored by:

A/C not blowing cold- Where to start?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 8, 2002 | 10:52 PM
  #1  
Badappex's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 377
Likes: 0
From: Florida
A/C not blowing cold- Where to start?

Was driving home when i turned on the AC and there was no cold air coming out. I believe my 93 rx7 has a closed AC system and dont believe it needs freon. Where should I start to look?
Reply
Old May 8, 2002 | 10:59 PM
  #2  
GsrSol's Avatar
Z06 powered FD
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Texas
Don't know which exact fuse but, I had that problem and it was a blown 15amp fuse under the hood.
Reply
Old May 8, 2002 | 11:51 PM
  #3  
Lost Time's Avatar
Chimera Driver
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,334
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, AL
Front block, middle 15A fuse. I'm very familiar with that damn thing.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 12:59 AM
  #4  
Trexthe3rd's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 20 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,283
Likes: 4
From: ATL, GA U.S.
If the fuse is good, then listen for the compressor clutch engaging when the switch is turned on. If it is not engaging, then you've got a bad compressor. If the compressor is working then look at the sight glass on the dryer reciever and see if there is freon flow when the car is running with the ac on.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 03:32 AM
  #5  
Nathan Kwok's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,025
Likes: 4
From: Huntington Beach, CA, USA
I just had my A/C go out too. The compresser suddenly stopped turning on. However I believe if the freon gets too low it automatically disables itself, I'll get back to you guys when I figure out what it is.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 11:34 AM
  #6  
GsrSol's Avatar
Z06 powered FD
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Texas
There is a low pressure switch which disables the system if the freon gets to low.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 01:00 PM
  #7  
7-sins's Avatar
thats not paint....
Tenured Member 20 Years
 
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,231
Likes: 2
From: Manassas, VA
Also you can check for freon by using a screwdriver to press down one of the valves. They are located by the turbos just around the pass. side strut tower. If just air comes out then you have yourself a freon leak.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 01:54 PM
  #8  
GsrSol's Avatar
Z06 powered FD
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Texas
Do NOT get freon in your eyes!
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 04:45 PM
  #9  
funnyguy_11's Avatar
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 300
Likes: 0
From: Madison Heights, MI
Check all connectors on the circuit. Sometime corrosion can cause the compressor to not turn on.
Reply
Old May 9, 2002 | 09:27 PM
  #10  
jpandes's Avatar
Rotary Freak
Tenured Member 15 Years
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco, CA
I had my A/C go out on me. I blindly took it to a A/C shop. They said that I had a Freon leak due to a broken pipe/tube that they had to weld. It ended up costing me $400! They also had to convert my car to the the ozine friendly stuff r-somethingorother.

So check under the car and see if there are any glaring defects to the A/C Tubing...

my .02

John
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 11:44 AM
  #11  
s1mpsons's Avatar
HamfistRacing.com
Tenured Member 20 Years
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,197
Likes: 4
From: NYC
Originally Posted by Lost Time
Front block, middle 15A fuse. I'm very familiar with that damn thing.
What do you mean "front block"?
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 12:08 PM
  #12  
DaveW's Avatar
Racecar - Formula 2000
Tenured Member: 20 Years
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,031
Likes: 368
From: Bath, OH
Originally Posted by s1mpsons
What do you mean "front block"?
IMO, the most forward-located fuse location (fuse block).

Also, Freon will leak (albeit, very slowly) even from a perfectly-functioning system. Having low Freon in a 15-year-old car would be almost normal. BTW, some AC service locations may still have a supply of R12 squirrelled away just for old systems like these.
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 01:03 PM
  #13  
verbatim's Avatar
I dont care..
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Perth, Western Australia
mine only works on on fan speed 1and 2.
3 and 4 no cold air. Try that.
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 01:09 PM
  #14  
ArmenMAxx's Avatar
Rotary Freak
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 55
From: Los Angeles
I used to have an issue with my ac compressor turning on and off. When it was on the a/c would blow cold, then when off itll be warm.

Try taking out your dash and getting to the electrical board behind it. That controls the ac compressor. I had to adjust this one screw and that did the trick.
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 01:28 PM
  #15  
moconnor's Avatar
Eats, Sleeps, Dreams Rotary
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,678
Likes: 96
From: Bay Area, CA
Originally Posted by ArmenMAxx

Try taking out your dash ...
Reply
Old Dec 16, 2009 | 08:28 PM
  #16  
extreme_rotary's Avatar
Full Member
Tenured Member 20 Years
 
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 247
Likes: 1
From: Chester Springs, PA
WOW. Not to step on any toes, but WTF?
A/C becomes inop for a few reasons - electrical or mechanical
Generally when the A/C stops working it's because the system is low on charge - which means you do have a leak. Some places around can still recharge with R12, but it's a bit expensive - $3.00 an ounce around here. The BEST replacement for R12 is R12-A. It's an enviromentally friendly R12.
The other reason is electrical, which does not normally happen, but a faulty low pressure switch, control head, or compressor clutch can cause such.
I'd suggest taking it to a dealer and have them check out the A/C. Without guages, you cannot tell if it's charged or not, and in turn, be able to charge it and see a leak. If it's charged, then you can go down the path of figuring out why it's not turning the compressor clutch on, or if it is, why the clutch is no engaging.
Do you have any cooling at all? You may hear the clutch cycling quickly (indicates low charge), or not at all (indicates all the possible faults i listed above).
If your clutch is on and working on a regular basis (10-20 seconds between on and off), you may have a problem with a blend door (the thing that diverts air from the evaporator to the heater core).

So there are many things that could be wrong, and again, i suggest you take it to a dealer and have it looked at.
Reply
Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:23 AM
  #17  
twinsinside's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
iTrader: (34)
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
From: japan
LoL talk about thread resurrection.

One thing you can do to see if it's a leak or some other problem is go get it charged up. If it works for a while then stops working, you've got a leak somewhere.

If it doesn't work with a full charge, then its the compressor/switch/etc.

Expensive but it can save you some time. Also there are places that can inject a UV dye into the coolant to check for leaks.
Reply
Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:33 AM
  #18  
Bryan Jacobs's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (66)
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 889
Likes: 0
From: where the wild things roam
omg this made my day i guess you guys didn't realize this thread was started in 02. i'm pretty sure he's fixed it by now since it's been over 7 years lmao
Reply
Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:41 AM
  #19  
s1mpsons's Avatar
HamfistRacing.com
Tenured Member 20 Years
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,197
Likes: 4
From: NYC
I am having trouble with my A/C and used the search function to locate this relevant thread. All this new information is very helpful for solving this issue.
Reply
Old Dec 17, 2009 | 11:00 AM
  #20  
twinsinside's Avatar
Rotary Enthusiast
iTrader: (34)
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
From: japan
Yep very relevant, I had the same issues myself with my AC system.

I got it charged up and it would blow so cold it would freeze your nipples. It would work for about 2 days, then slowly go down to nothing.

Unless you need to start digging behind your dash it's not so bad.

I bought all brand new o-ring set from Black Dragon automotive and replaced all the orings I could get to and that solved my problems with the slow leak.
Reply
Old Dec 17, 2009 | 11:37 AM
  #21  
ArmenMAxx's Avatar
Rotary Freak
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,629
Likes: 55
From: Los Angeles
Originally Posted by moconnor
**** glove box
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
1993fd3sracer1
3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002)
29
Oct 13, 2015 01:57 PM
gxl90rx7
Haltech Forum
4
Sep 14, 2015 03:09 PM
1993fd3sracer1
1st Generation Specific (1979-1985)
20
Sep 7, 2015 11:50 AM
yetter227
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
20
Sep 5, 2015 11:57 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:35 PM.