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Hey all, AC was totally working fine on my 2015 Lx just a day ago but for some reason when I went for a drive yesterday afternoon the AC just decided to stop working.
I replaced the compressor when it was squealing like crazy when engaged around ~50k but the car is now at 151k.
I've done this troubleshooting so far:
Checked 7.5A fuse #22 under the dash labeled "A/C". Looks good.
Checked 7.5A fuse #14 under the covered fuse box area labeled "AC Blower SW". Good.
Checked Low side pressure, shows that system is overcharged, but since the compressor isn't running I don't believe this is an issue. I verified by checking another cars low side pressure while the car was off and it was around the ~70psi mark. I did not add any refrigerant to the system today, nor have I ever since the compressor was replaced 100k miles ago
Checked and activated all of the 4 relays that are on the passenger side of the vehicle under a cover. Not sure exactly what those are for, but on the previous generation apparently those controlled the condenser and radiator fan and if they were bad it would cause the AC to not work.
Spun the compressor by hand, doesn't seem to be frozen up.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm out of ideas aside from checking the voltage at the compressor, I don't know the pinouts anyways, so I wouldn't know what I'm looking for.
Thanks in advance. Photos below:
Four relays that apparently control the fans. Under dash fuse box, checked #24. Fuse layout Checked fuse #14. Fuse Layout. Pressure on low side of system. No refrigerant added.
Last edited by tastypotato; Sep 25, 2022 at 03:07 PM.
Well it took about 4 hours but I finally figured it out.
The wire to the compressor had degraded and was no longer making a connection. I went to go disconnect it to check the voltage on it, and the whole thing just broke apart. After the wire had come out, with the AC button on and the blower on full blast I used a 12V battery I had laying around and energized the clutch on the compressor. It came to life and started blowing nice and cold inside of the car.
A couple quick crimps and some solder and the whole thing is working again. I'll have to go back later with some heat shrink to solidify it up.
If you've got that kind of corrosion to one wire/connector in the engine compartment then the same thing could happen to other wires there.
Hopefully not. When I get some free time next weekend I'll have to do a once over on the wiring down there and check around. My bottom splash guard has been removed (torn off) for a couple of years. Can't imagine that's too good for the wires, but we don't get a whole lot of rain in California.
On my 2015 LX the AC had been working intermittently since last month. I got the thorough AC check done via a local mechanic (paid service) and he said the relay was burnt, that he replaced but then still found the (voltage?) reading on his meter fluctuating quite a bit, that he said we would have to replace the compressor (and possibly even the condenser) which will cost around $1500 if not more - is the normal wear & tear? And is there a better/different way to figure out the problem? Or anything else i should look into?
Personally, I would get a second opinion. If it's going to cost you 1500 to replace the compressor and the condenser it might even be worth it to go and get yourself a multimeter and measure the 12V yourself at the wire that I showed in my post above to see what is 'fluctuating'.
The 12V should turn on and off to the compressor clutch, the AC compressor doesn't run 24/7 when you have the switch turned on.
As for the relay being burnt - relays just burn out sometimes, unless it happens again I wouldn't think too much of it. I am curious to know how he figured that the relay was burnt out yet your AC was still intermittently working. Usually when a relay blows it stops working entirely. See attached for an example of what a burnt out relay looks like from a washing machine I serviced. When I put 24V across this relay you couldn't hear the clicking noise anymore, nor was there any more continuity between the little switch inside.
