So my car is getting older.. yay its a 2000. only 65k miles tho.

I have this problem that has started occuring, when I turn my car on now about 50% of the time the a/c doesn't start up right away. It takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes before the thing starts cranking out air. when it comes on it seems fine and it stays on and blows cold. its just that it doesn't always turn on right away.

I have started turning the controls of the a/c and stereo to off before i turn the car off but that doesn't seem to help.

any ideas?

is the whole shebang on the way out?

is it something with the electrical system maybe?

a belt like the serp belt going out?

i'm lost.. and jeez i hate when stuff on cars stops working correctly!

 

where did all the experts go?

 

Could be pretty complicated to be honest. I would check to see if there's power at the a/c compressor clutch while the a/c switch is on but it's not working. If there's power there then you have a bad compressor clutch. If there isn't then you might have a bad high pressure switch or maybe even a leak. I doubt you have a leak tho since you've probably never opened up the a/c system for repairs.

 

okay i'll dig around for some info on the compressor clutch. if that is what it turns out to be then the compressor itself is likely okay? i gather that the compressor is the more important part and is more expensive to replace and the clutch for it is maybe designed to wear out (like the clutch clutch) and would be a less expensive repair?

thanks for the info.

 

Can you hear the click coming from the engine bay when you first push the A/C button? have someone do this test:

turn IGN to ON, but not start. see if A/C button is lit. If yes, turn it off, fan on
Is the air coming out? if not, prolly bad A/C/Heating fan.
Then go to the open engine (hood up) and with the car started, fan on, have the helper turn the A/C on. There should be an audible click, and engine sound might change a bit. That means the clutch is ok. If not, check the fuse and the relay.