AC Unit blowing cold air intermittently
 

I assume most shops (even at Canadian Tire) works on AC unit of car, but is there any shop that members have good experience with (or bad) that they would recommend?

The problem with my car is that the AC unit seems to work half the time. Sometimes it blows actual cold air, while other times, it feels like just fresh air (not cold at all).

Thanks!

What kind of car is it?

This is pretty common if it is a modern to the larger honda/ acura. have you recently replaced your battery?
I replaced this A/C compressor clutch at least 2 times already..
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BACKGROUND

The A/C compressor clutch wears out, causing one or more of the following symptoms:
•The A/C performance is poor and it blows air that isn't very cold.
•The A/C doesn't work or blows warm air.
•The A/C makes noise that seems to come from the compressor area.

American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C compressor clutch to 7 years from the original date of purchase or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The warranty extension does not apply to any vehicle that has ever been declared a total loss or sold for salvage by a financial institution or insurer, or has a branded or similar title under any state's law.

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

Owners of affected vehicles will receive a notification of this warranty extension starting in November 2012. An example of the client notification is included at the end of this service bulletin

Before doing work on a vehicle, verify its eligibility by doing an iN VIN status inquiry.

CORRECTIVE ACTION

Replace the A/C compressor clutch (armature plate and rotor pulley) and, if needed, also replace the field coil.

Is the condenser and rad clear of debris? AC fan turns on when AC is activated? Odd noise coming from the compressor? How long has this charge lasted?

08' Audi A4.

I haven't replaced my battery recently. Unfortunately I don't know where the condenser is, the unit sounds normal, it's just blowing wind, not AC cold air.

Summer is coming around already, (and I'm already late), that's why I'm hoping I can bring it to a shop as soon as possible to get it fixed before I melt :(

Check if the AC actually turns on, possible AC relay?

Yup, AC turns on, or it at least works, but not all the time. Like I mentioned, sometimes it's actual AC air, and other time, it's just ambient temperature wind.

I know on my BMW, when the battery was dying, it would disable things like the rear defroster or the AC if there wasn't enough power.

Once the battery was replaced, everything worked great again.

You know, I notice that sometimes, my car stutters quite a while before it starts up, and I always thought maybe it's the spark plugs, but could this all be related to the battery?

edit:
Just checked car battery with multimeter, 12.6V, so I think it's still good.

Need to load test it to determine whether or not it's still good.

Hmmm, I looked it up I need a loader, would I be better off buying my own, or is there a shop that charges a small fee that could check it for me?

Some shops do it for free

Edmonds Batteries
We will not sell you a battery that you do not need! | Edmonds Batteries
Kal Tire
https://www.kaltire.com/how-can-you-...a-new-battery/
Phil's Batteries & More
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call up canadian tire or costco to see if they'll test your battery. For sure if you bought it from them they'll do it, but not sure about other brands.

+1 for KAL tire. i once bought rims that were warped from CL (unknowingly ). anyway, ever since KAL tire identified it, they spin the wheels for free before i buy them. i now meet sellers at KAL lol

I will bring my car to the shop tomorrow to get it checked out, thanks!

Here's one at Princess Auto pretty cheap too
https://www.princessauto.com/en/deta...er/A-p8494031e

Just got back from Kal Tire, the battery is good, so it's definitely the AC.

Are there any decent shops in Vancouver area for AC?

I actually have the same problem...pretty much since the car was brand new too. (16 VW GTI)

When I have the AC on during the summer, once in a while it would stop blowing cold air for a few minutes then come back on.

It happens so intermittently...(2-3 times out for the whole summer last year)
I feel like it'd be useless bringing in back to the dealership. (They will probably say they can't replicate the problem)

I'd be interested to know the cause tho so I can talk to the service adviser when I bring it the the dealership...

are you guys using auto a/c or manual?

if auto a/c, could be a bad ambient sensor or bad / broken connection to the ambient sensor that is reading the cabin temperature incorrectly. easiest way to tell is to see if the problem persists when you use manual hvac vs. auto.

Could also be a bad a/c pressure switch. a bad switch could read the level of refrigerant incorrectly at times and turn the compressor off.

Port Moody Auto & Air on Moray in PoMo does good work we've brought all of our cars there.

Most likely a bad AC clutch that engages intermittently

I'll try manual mode and see if that works.

Unfortunately, Port Moody is a bit far, I'm in Vancouver. I was going to go with Speed Syndicate if there weren't any other suggestions.