I have a 2000 V6 Camaro and the air conditioning is not working. I have begun the troubleshooting process but have never worked on or even serviced an auto A/C.

None of the tubes in the a/c system are cool to the touch. I believe this means that either:
1. Very Low coolant levels.
2. No circulation b/c of bad compressor
3. A clog in the lines

One observation I had was that when the a/c is turned on, the compressor pulley still looks like it free spins. Is the clutch (the middle of the pulley) supposed to turn when the a/c is on? If it is supposed to, maybe i can just replace the clutch.

Any help you can give for troubleshooting or fixing would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

Im not an 100% expert on a/c but your car is about 9-10 years old. So i would just try recharging the system with freon they sell it in bottles with a hose and make sure you get the bottle with the meter on it so you can tell when its full. They also sell the kits to clean out cloged lines

P.S some states dont sell it so you might have to go to a dealer or a/c shop to have them do it. I live in Wisconsin (not alowed to sell freon to public) luckly 30min from IL and they do sell it.

 

if the pump clutch is not ingaging it will not get cold. check to see if the wires are hooked up to the pump. sometimes it gets pulled off durning servicing and not put back. if it is check fuses. then turn on ac and see if juice is getting to the wires at the pump to turn on the clutch. sometimes guys will unhook the wire or take the ac fuse out to improve mpg/power or because of a bad pump.

 

The clutch is supposed to spin, yes. Though if there is not enough refrigerant in the system, the clutch won't even engage. This is for the safety of the compressor. Like someone said, either get a pressure gauge, or a recharge bottle with the gauge, and check if there is enough refrigerant. If there is not, then recharge and try again. If there is, then it is most likely the clutch or the low pressure switch (switch that prevents the clutch engaging when you don't have enough refrigerant).

 

Thanks for all the help. I believe the clutch isn't engaging b/c of low refrigerant. I'm going to go by a recharge kit with the gauge to see if thats all I need. Can I just follow directions on the package or is there a specific way I need to recharge?

If that works but doesnt last then there must be a leak. I have heard of a leak detection kit so I guess I would need one of those. If the compressor is leaking, I've heard you have to replace most of the cooling system or at least flush it out.

 

Directions should be self explanitory. As for the rest of that, we'll help you with it should it actually come to that.

 

Have the same issue. My R134a is low-normal, but the compressor engages. Pipes are cool, but not cold. I'll have to check the coolant, too.

As for how to check, the sensor is on the passenger side, by the strut tower (at least it is on my '96). I've disconnected it and shorted the pins to confirm whether or not there's enough refrigerant - if the compressor engages when you short the connector, you need to refill the system.

 

I have a host of problems with my 17 year old car I just bought back in 2016 and one of those issues is the a.c.. The compressor works and we had the Freon recharged and I guess when it was re charged my mechanic had a machine hooked up to it it started blowing ice cold air even with the Freon but, as soon as he removed the machine the air immediately was warm again. I thinks it's a relay switch or something else. Please help me.


Thank you

 

It sounds like everything is working but there is a bad leak, which could also be the compressor. Did the mechanic use a freon with die? If you you could see where it's coming out. If it's that bad you might see the source anyway. Also, check the valve stems on the Hi and Lo - that is a common source and a cheap fix.

 

you can also try jumping the clutch to make sure its working if its just low on freon ,,same thing happened to my 99 an with all new componants just a leak you may want to try the leak sealer too,sometimes a leak can be so slow an take 2 years or 2 weeks to run out,food for though