A/C issue
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 467
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
A few toys & 07' E350 4matic w/AMG sport packg.
A/C issue
Ok well the weirdest thing happened today. Early this morning I noticed my ac took a bit longer to make cold air, it was 90 degrees plus and I was driving local 0-15mph.
Later in the day this afternoon, as soonas I pulled up to my house the speedo display went red and said shut off the vehicle immediately and I noticed the engine coolant temp was one bar short of all the way up! OUCH
Anyway, let the car cool off and took the overflow cap on, topped it off with the car running and heat on, and it's been fine since. Then I turned on the AC and the compressor made a groan when first engaged and the interior lights dimmed a bit and I can feel the power loss in engagement. The air got cool within a few seconds, then I decided to keep the RPMs at 2000 and turn the wheel left and right to put the engine and systems under stress as if I as driving. After about 30seconds I heard a huge pop/boom as if the radiator cap on an old school car blew off and steam. I shut the car off and went back under the hood (hood was always open) and it was coming from down low under the power steering pump, which I believe is where the ac compressor is. The smell was definitely refrigerant I would assume, and it kept blowing upward for about 30 seconds or so and then shut off as if a valve closed it. Not a gradual blow like opening a balloon from it's neck.
Anyhow, I now have no cold air at all and the compressor makes a faint groan when engaged. I put my ac recharged bottle than I had handy on the low side port and when the ac compressor went on the gauge immediately maxed out the highest psi reading on it.
Not sure what's the problem here. Coolant level was fine honestly, and ac has been working fine, until now of course.
Later in the day this afternoon, as soonas I pulled up to my house the speedo display went red and said shut off the vehicle immediately and I noticed the engine coolant temp was one bar short of all the way up! OUCH
Anyway, let the car cool off and took the overflow cap on, topped it off with the car running and heat on, and it's been fine since. Then I turned on the AC and the compressor made a groan when first engaged and the interior lights dimmed a bit and I can feel the power loss in engagement. The air got cool within a few seconds, then I decided to keep the RPMs at 2000 and turn the wheel left and right to put the engine and systems under stress as if I as driving. After about 30seconds I heard a huge pop/boom as if the radiator cap on an old school car blew off and steam. I shut the car off and went back under the hood (hood was always open) and it was coming from down low under the power steering pump, which I believe is where the ac compressor is. The smell was definitely refrigerant I would assume, and it kept blowing upward for about 30 seconds or so and then shut off as if a valve closed it. Not a gradual blow like opening a balloon from it's neck.
Anyhow, I now have no cold air at all and the compressor makes a faint groan when engaged. I put my ac recharged bottle than I had handy on the low side port and when the ac compressor went on the gauge immediately maxed out the highest psi reading on it.
Not sure what's the problem here. Coolant level was fine honestly, and ac has been working fine, until now of course.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 467
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
A few toys & 07' E350 4matic w/AMG sport packg.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 467
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
A few toys & 07' E350 4matic w/AMG sport packg.
Just came across this in a monthly newsletter I read:
"The A/C on my ’05 PT Cruiser had not been used for a while, as expected in a British winter, so as recommended, I ran it for a few minutes. It worked for a few seconds, then there was a loud honking noise and a blast of steam from under the hood, as if the radiator had split. I could not find a cooling system leak, but I did find that the bottom of the A/C compressor was “sweaty” with oil. The safety valve on the compressor had been blowing off refrigerant. This looked like a blocked venturi or pressure switch problem.
I took the car to my local garage, expecting a large bill. They gassed up the A/C system and found that it worked, but the single Radiator Fan Assembly was not running when the A/C came on. It was an electrical fault they couldn’t trace immediately.
I am an electronics development engineer so I thought I would give the troubleshooting a go. Power was reaching the fan motor, but it did not turn. I spun the fan by hand and found that it moved freely, but only for a fraction of a turn. It was jammed by a pocket telescoping inspection mirror stuck in the back of the radiator! The handle looked just like part of the fan support. It must have been lost there almost a year earlier when the car was in a body shop. With the local cool conditions and only using the A/C on a run, the car had been OK for a year without a working cooling fan!
Always check the simple cheap bits, however unlikely, for faults before going deeper.
Brian in London, UK"
The beginning sounds exactly like what happened with me.
"The A/C on my ’05 PT Cruiser had not been used for a while, as expected in a British winter, so as recommended, I ran it for a few minutes. It worked for a few seconds, then there was a loud honking noise and a blast of steam from under the hood, as if the radiator had split. I could not find a cooling system leak, but I did find that the bottom of the A/C compressor was “sweaty” with oil. The safety valve on the compressor had been blowing off refrigerant. This looked like a blocked venturi or pressure switch problem.
I took the car to my local garage, expecting a large bill. They gassed up the A/C system and found that it worked, but the single Radiator Fan Assembly was not running when the A/C came on. It was an electrical fault they couldn’t trace immediately.
I am an electronics development engineer so I thought I would give the troubleshooting a go. Power was reaching the fan motor, but it did not turn. I spun the fan by hand and found that it moved freely, but only for a fraction of a turn. It was jammed by a pocket telescoping inspection mirror stuck in the back of the radiator! The handle looked just like part of the fan support. It must have been lost there almost a year earlier when the car was in a body shop. With the local cool conditions and only using the A/C on a run, the car had been OK for a year without a working cooling fan!
Always check the simple cheap bits, however unlikely, for faults before going deeper.
Brian in London, UK"
The beginning sounds exactly like what happened with me.
