[timeskew]

I have about 95,000M on my 2000 Altima and I've never had any problems until my A/C recently quit blowing cold. I brought it to the dealership and they replaced the compressor and the condenser, all brand new parts, all under warranty.

Well I was happy for a week, and the problem is back. :angry2: Anyone else have to deal with this? Any possible culprits? I'm going to the dealer tommorrow to try to figure this out, but damn its annoying over there. Wish me luck, I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

 

[GXE94]

you probably could have just went to autozone and bought an AC recharge kit.

 

[timeskew]

Well, I thought that at first, too. But I tried that and I was already at the correct pressure of freon, so that's when I went to the dealership the first time. It seems like a wiring problem to me, the thing is intermitent cooled/uncooled air, like the compressor is shutting off for no reason, and then back on.

 

[loudstatic]

I'm having the same issue with a car I just purchased. So far the only time I can get my a/c to work on a regular basis is in the mornings now that it is getting cold in this area. The compressor is ok because when I can get the ac to work it is ok. A/C Coolant is good in the car. Checked the a/c relay and it checks good. Found that the relay is not always receiving the ground from the ECM to click the relay on to activate the compressor. Tested several items at the ECM the are related to a/c system grounding according to several books and electrical diagrams. Some of the possible causes are related to the throttle position sensor, air conditioner switch, camshaft position sensor, engine coolant temp sensor, ignition switch, vehicle speed sensor, power steering oil pressure switch. Another issue could be the Ambiant temperature sensor which I have yet to find in my car. So far the only thing I have yet to test is the throttle position sensor which my lovely haynes manuel say has one connector while my car has a 2 connector sensor so that throws that out the window. So far I've been breaking my neck try to test everything and have yet to get an exact cause. Everytime I think I have found out the issue because messing with a sensor makes the a/c clutch kick in, I never can get it to replicate. Still trying to determine if it is a faulty sensor or bad wiring. Wiring to the relay is ok. Good luck and if anyone has any clues please fill me in!!!!

 

[timeskew]

Loud, I am going back to the dealership Monday morning, if they find an "issue", I will fill you in. I am hoping that it IS just a faulty sensor or wiring, and it will be an easy fix. Thanks for the info, that really solidified my suspicions(sp?).

 

[bigrpf5]

If you are having the problem of intermittet A/C, check to see how hot your engine is running. If you have a radiator problem, your car's computer will shut off your A/C to try and prevent the car from overheating. The same problem happened to me and when I cracked the hood, I noticed coolant on the trans block. It turned out my radiator had cracked. Luckily I noticed it before anything bad happened, but you might want to check it out.

 

[timeskew]

Bigrpf, do you think a WAI would affect the engine temp? I don't think so, but I DO think that the engine bay is quite a bit hotter than before I installed my intake. DO you think that would affect the A/C? I only ask because of my warranty (its still active) and I don't want this problem to be pinned on me. But that does explain why it fails to work when I need it most-when it's hot as balls outside. I'll bring this up at the dealership, too, because I am quickly loosing confidance in their ability to diagnose problems.

 

[ALtImAtUmNY]

I have about 95,000M on my 2000 Altima and I've never had any problems until my A/C recently quit blowing cold. I brought it to the dealership and they replaced the compressor and the condenser, all brand new parts, all under warranty.

Well I was happy for a week, and the problem is back. :angry2: Anyone else have to deal with this? Any possible culprits? I'm going to the dealer tommorrow to try to figure this out, but damn its annoying over there. Wish me luck, I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

out of curiosity, how much did the dealership charge u?

 

[timeskew]

I have the Gold warranty package, (5 year, 100K miles) and everything is $50 to fix. I have used it occasionally, but until now I definately did not get my money's worth. It is very reassuring, however, to know that I won't be dropping a grand to repair my car next week, so I will always be a fan of the warranties. Usually I get the warranty to cover the same time period that I will be paying for the car. It works out pretty well that way.

 

[loudstatic]

So any luck at the dealership today? I'm dying to know.... Plus my a/c has started working but only when its cold outside and thats only about 70% of the time. I'm going nuts and I don't want to have to pay the dealership and it possibly not get fixed. It'd wouldn't be too big of an issue if it didn't rain here every day and the old fashioned window doesn't work well during that.

 

[timeskew]

I've had to push the date back to Wednesday, I'll let you know what they find that afternoon. I'm friekin' dying to get this problem behind me and enjoy a nice cool cabin But yeah, I hope I can help ya'll out on this one.

 

[loudstatic]

Any clues yet?

 

[timeskew]

Hurricane Ivan closed the dealership here in Baton Rouge on Thursday, even though it was a beautiful day after all. We didn't see a drop of rain, and New Orleans almost sunk into the Gulf. WTF.

I did get a message Wednesday afternoon, and they maintain that I must be leaking something. They ordered a hose that should be here Friday, and somehow that will fix the fact that the compressor is possessed. WTF. I am picking my car up tomorrow, but I do not believe that it will be working properly. [fingers not even crossed]

I can't wait for them to try and charge me $50 again, I'm gonna go ballistic if they do. If [when] the problem comes back up, I will go back to them one more time simply because they have already exhausted 2 possibilities and must eventually stumble on the real problem. But 3 strikes and they are out. There are 2 other nissan dealers in the area, and if I find that the parts are coming from somewhere close like New Orleans, I will be at THEIR shop by next week.

 

[timeskew]

A/C still not working properly. Plus dealership wrecked my car. Any questions?

 

[ULTIMATUC]

have someone hook up a manifold gauge set, and let me know what the high and low side pressures are. running and static.........

thats the first thing that need to be done when diagnosing a faulty a/c system.

give me those numbers and I could be of some help to you.

 

[timeskew]

The service guy, Jim Hilliard, indicated that this was done and that the pressures were normal. But I don't have numbers for you. I do have some documents that I will scan into my next post. It may help you help me, but it is basically just a service guide and a description of the supposed problem and supposed solution. It has to do with the power steering switch being "an input for ECM A/C control logic."

edit: how would I go about linking these docs to the thread? I'll email them to you if you can do it easier than explaining how.

 

[ULTIMATUC]

^ scan them and put them in your vbgarage.

yes. if the power steering pressure switch is bad, it will not let the compressor clutch engage. what happens is, if the pss senses too much pressure, it shuts off the compressor. try finding that plug on the steering rack, and jumper it w/ a paper clip. if the compressor still does not come on, then leave it un plugged. this will give us a better idea of what to do.

 

[timeskew]

^ scan them and put them in your vbgarage.

yes. if the power steering pressure switch is bad, it will not let the compressor clutch engage. what happens is, if the pss senses too much pressure, it shuts off the compressor. try finding that plug on the steering rack, and jumper it w/ a paper clip. if the compressor still does not come on, then leave it un plugged. this will give us a better idea of what to do.

That's basically what it says, but I am having trouble with vBGarage. I can't find the link to upload anything. Any help with that??

 

[ULTIMATUC]

^ neither can I. Its sucks.


try what I said w/ the pressure switch.

 

[timeskew]

I had a complete day of A/C today, no glitches. Is it possible that the ODBII just needed to reset after the repairs? I did notice that the clock, radio presets, and trip mileage all reeded to be reset after the repairs.

I was not able to try the paper clip jump obviously b/c the compressor was already running. If needed I'll try it tomorrow.