Ac compressor not running, low side high

Post by **Dosmastr** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:29 am

Hi,

Wifies 2011 rogue had the ac quit working as she was stomping on it to merge.

When I turn on the AC, the cooling fans turn on immediately, the compressor does not.

The compressor turns by hand, not freely but not too too hard.
I was about to change the clutch because I could smell something burning when I looked after right she got home, then called a mechanic, he told me to check for leaks first.

I see dye inside the fitting for the low side, I hooked up a recharge kit, the low side is off the chart, 150psi.

Just for some kind of base I also hooked it up to My car and with engine off, it read like 125psi. So… Don’t know if both cars are overcharged or I got a bad gauge or what.

The manual I got on here says change the compressor...but it also seems to assume it's running but incorrectly... It's running at all.

Could it be just the clutch? I'll look for fuses today.
Cant find a non-Chinese clutch that's not 400bucks.
Is RYC decent? I don't see on rockauto but website looks domestic "since 1989"

Post by **VStar650CL** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:54 am

Dosmastr wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:29 am
When I turn on the AC, the cooling fans turn on immediately, the compressor does not.

The compressor turns by hand, not freely but not too too hard.
I was about to change the clutch because I could smell something burning when I looked after right she got home, then called a mechanic, he told me to check for leaks first.

I see dye inside the fitting for the low side, I hooked up a recharge kit, the low side is off the chart, 150psi.

Just for some kind of base I also hooked it up to My car and with engine off, it read like 125psi. So… Don’t know if both cars are overcharged or I got a bad gauge or what.

The manual I got on here says change the compressor...but it also seems to assume it's running but incorrectly... It's running at all.

Could it be just the clutch? I'll look for fuses today.
Cant find a non-Chinese clutch that's not 400bucks.
Is RYC decent? I don't see on rockauto but website looks domestic "since 1989"

Static pressure doesn't really tell you anything, but the fact that the fans turn on does. If the fans didn't spin then almost everything is fair game, but the spinning fans tell you the IPDM is trying to turn on the compressor. That means the BCM is getting the A/C signal, the ECM sees acceptable refrigerant pressure, and in a word, everything is okay except for the compressor failing to engage.

There is a fuse for the compressor, it's located in the IPDM (the funny fusebox-looking module sitting upside down underneath the intake tube). It isn't uncommon for clutches to fail short-circuit and pop the fuse repeatedly. It also isn't uncommon for them to fail open-circuit but pop the fuse once as they give up the ghost, or to fail open and never pop the fuse. Once you know the fuse is good, test the circuit by taking the connector loose at the compressor and putting a test light on it (bulb-type test lamp, not a meter). If the bulb lights brightly then your clutch is causing the issue. If it lights dimly or not at all then the problem is the wires or IPDM. The IPDM has a relay for the compressor, but that isn't serviceable. If the relay is shot then the IPDM has to be replaced.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:32 am

All fused Checked OK.
Both blowers and "elec acc" in the interior, and both fuse boxes under the hood.

EDIT: I ordered the RYC clutch, it's reman which means it should be OE fitment right?
Arrives sat or sun..... Hope wifie doesn't mind driving my car for that long...

Post by **Dosmastr** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:36 am

For the light test... Those pins are teeeeny am I rigging up some bent staples to get into the connector?

Post by **VStar650CL** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:01 pm

These should be all you need to diagnose it. Dunno how you checked the fuses, but if you didn't use a test lamp, use one. Fuse 51 for the A/C relay should be hot on both sides with key on or key off. If it is, put the light on pin 55 of the IPDM with the A/C switched on. You should get a bright light. If no light or dim light, your IPDM is bad. If bright, go down the wire to F121 and check there (F121 is a wire-to-wire in the bundle of connectors right near the IPDM, it connects the Engine Room harness to the EGI harness). If that's dim, check the pins in the wire-to-wire connectors. If bright, check both sides of the compressor connector. You'll find a discontinuity or high resistance somewhere along the path.

: 11 S35 AC Compressor.png (14.83 KiB) Viewed 4119 times

: 11 S35 IPDM.png (29.65 KiB) Viewed 4119 times

: 11 S35 Conn E15.png (18.27 KiB) Viewed 4119 times

: 11 S35 Conn F121.png (15.55 KiB) Viewed 4119 times

Post by **VStar650CL** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:03 pm

Dosmastr wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:36 am
For the light test... Those pins are teeeeny am I rigging up some bent staples to get into the connector?

I usually use safety pins. But yah, small staples, paper clips, etc will work fine.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:42 pm

Update: compressor turned kinda easy for a a out 45 degrees, now it's pretty hard to do with one hand.
Best guess is that Normal?

Planning on Dropping the car off tomorrow for diagnostics, mechanic said he would charge me half hour at labor rate. If a pro can tell me he's sure it's that clutch, I'll have it sat or sun, doesn't look terribly hard to do

Edit:
Posted before I saw all you put up.
I pulled and visually inspected but that's all.

Hm... I'll do all this and then see if I still have to drop off!

Post by **VStar650CL** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:58 pm

Good choice. It isn't a rocket-science circuit, a test lamp in the right places will tell you everything you need to know. If the tests I described all pan out, it's the clutch. Pretty simple.

Post by **dougiefresh2012** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:34 pm

look at your cabin filter also... same thing happend to my 2015 rogue ac quit workin did a bunch of diagnostic and nothing. i pulled cabin filter and it was plugged to all hell.
changed it and problem solved.. ac works again.. this happend again a year later filter was plugged to all hell again.. ac is not getting enough air movement so condenser or compressor overheat and shut down is my guess

Post by **VStar650CL** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:55 pm

dougiefresh2012 wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:34 pm
look at your cabin filter also... same thing happend to my 2015 rogue ac quit workin did a bunch of diagnostic and nothing. i pulled cabin filter and it was plugged to all hell.
changed it and problem solved.. ac works again.. this happend again a year later filter was plugged to all hell again.. ac is not getting enough air movement so condenser or compressor overheat and shut down is my guess

That can happen, but it won't generally kill the compressor immediately. You'll get a short cycle or two until the lack of airflow freezes the evap. There's also a dead-ringer clue to blocked airflow, which is that the blower will sound like a jet warming up but nothing comes out. That's a situation like putting your palm over the hose of your vacuum cleaner, the motor spins wildly because with no air to push, the impeller isn't doing any work.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:34 pm

.... Had to purchase a light circuit checker.
Will Diag more Tomorrow when it arrives

Thank you so much for all your help.
Not done and will update but thank you here and now

No jet engine in the cabin

Got any recommendations for a decent pully puller?
I have learned not to trust the auto parts stores to have anything useful to lend out...

https://youtu.be/tIAvkbpWdRI
Also anything off the top of your head that this guy missed?
The clutch plate spinning... Could I use my plug in drill?

Post by **VStar650CL** » Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:20 am

Dosmastr wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 30, 2021 5:34 pm
Got any recommendations for a decent pully puller?

I recommend skipping it and getting a rebuilt compressor. If you get one online, it's almost as cheap as a clutch and a whole lot less trouble.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:26 am

Clutch for 100, I don't want to vent the coolant and need to buy a vac pump and all that.

Doing the work today!

Hank1371 · Post by **Hank1371** » Fri Jul 09, 2021 6:19 am

Dosmastr wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:26 am
Clutch for 100, I don't want to vent the coolant and need to buy a vac pump and all that.

Doing the work today!

Did that fix the problem? Was it relatively easy?

thanks
Hank

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:36 am

Thanks to FedEx I didn't have the part any kind of on time.
(due Friday, delivered next Tuesday...)

I'm beginning the attempt now

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 10:38 am

VStar,

Im curious, you say a whole compressor is less trouble,
It looks like the pita is the snap ring and pully pull off.

For the whole compressor wouldn't you need to evac the whole thing and recharge?

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:22 am

Well off to a great start... Tensioner not movinv

Post by **harryg** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:27 am

I did the Ac compressor clutch change out last year. I bought one of the chinese pulleys/clutch kits off ebay and it works perfectly fine a year later. Hardest part is pulling off the pulley and getting that snap ring off.

Make sure you save the washers that come out as your new clutch may or may not have new ones. you may have to play around with the number of washers you use.

Overall I'd say its a a 4-5/10 in difficulty just because of the small amount of room you have to work with. You save lots of money not having to replace the compressor/recharge the system. Couldn't get a traditional gear puller in that space so used Harmonic Damper Pulley Puller to get it off.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 11:40 am

I hope this doesn't mean what I think it does.

System is holding pressure last I Checked tho

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:01 pm

If that's PAG oil and dye, then yes, it means what you think it does. New compressor time.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:26 pm

Great....
Thanks for your help guys I'm not going to vent this to fix it, I'm a more law abiding type...
Time to give it to a pro...

The tie rod end puller I got from advances auto seemed too small to really grip correctly but my 6inch pully puller was also too big to fit in there.

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:31 pm

See this arm is hard against the mddle piece but the other arms arent

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:06 pm

I also seem to remember a wise man saying skip this and just do the whole compressor...

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:37 pm

Dosmastr wrote: ↑
Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:06 pm
I also seem to remember a wise man saying skip this and just do the whole compressor...

(Sigh)

Post by **Dosmastr** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 3:28 pm

Other caveat that I would share with anybody else trying to do this:

you're not loosening the bolt on the tensioner.
you're using the bolt as a fulcrum to release pressure. It should move when you try to "tighten" that bolt. You will feel it bottom out

Post by **Dosmastr** » Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:22 am

So the mechanic told me he had issues with the belt tensioner and then suggested that it get replaced.
I'm not a professional but it felt fine to me, pretty strong.

He says it might be old and weak and it when the new AC compressor kicks on it squeals real bad before working itself out.

He also charged me OEM Price Plus 100% for a line and four hundred bucks for a compressor which also looks like a hundred percent markup except aftermarket.

What a guy.

Ac compressor not running, low side high

Ac compressor not running, low side high

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Re: Ac compressor not running, low side high

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Re: Ac compressor not running, low side high

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Re: Ac compressor not running, low side high

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Re: Ac compressor not running, low side high

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Re: Ac compressor not running, low side high

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