AC button non-functional - fuse maybe?

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radeonDEUS
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AC button non-functional - fuse maybe?

Postby radeonDEUS » Thu May 26, 2016 9:08 am

Hey everyone - I did a bit of searching on the path here and I have not called the dealer yet just to be up front.

The AC button does not light up in my '11 R51 when I put it on. Nor do I hear the compressor kick on, so I don't think it's just the lil LED that died...max AC does nothing either.

I tried pulling the fuse but I'll be damned if I can figure out which fuse it is. Might be the one in slot F8 but not too sure, it's labeled as 'AC CLUTCH' - only thing I could find that even remotely could be related.

Anyone else have this problem?


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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Fri May 27, 2016 4:48 am

Soooooo it now works again...


Have an oil change scheduled for Tuesday so will have the dealer look at it and see if they can see why it wouldn't work...

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri May 27, 2016 10:52 am

Unless your refrigerant level is borderline to the point where it is causing the low pressure switch to "open," it'll probably be hard for them to diagnose if the system is working when you get to them. Intermittent problems are the hardest to figure out.

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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Fri May 27, 2016 3:51 pm

thanks smj!

is there anything I can have them check specifically when I bring it in? Can they check refridgerant levels (without refilling and overcharging)?

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Postby smj999smj » Sun May 29, 2016 10:43 pm

radeonDEUS wrote:thanks smj!

is there anything I can have them check specifically when I bring it in? Can they check refridgerant levels (without refilling and overcharging)?
Putting a set of A/C gauges on it will tell them if it's undercharged simply by checking the static pressures.

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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Tue May 31, 2016 9:09 am

The dealer wants $100 to diagnose the issue. It's funny, because it does work most of the time now. It worked all morning on the way to the dealer, and when I got there and showed the receptionist guy, it worked on blower setting 1 but then shut off when I upped to 2 or higher. I played around with it on my way home, and got it to stay on with the blower on full blast, and the air is definitely cooled, so IDK whats going on. The receptionist guy thinks it might be an electrical issue with the control panel, IDK though. Going to continue to drive it around and use the AC as normal until it doesn't work, then will pony up the dough. Unless someone has any idea what is going on...

I will need to replace the in-cabin filter on the next oil change - dealer wants $30 for the 2 foam blocks. Any other sources for this part? Also what engine air filter does everyone recommend? Probably not the right section for those questions, but I am laaaazzzyyyyy....

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue May 31, 2016 1:50 pm

Rockauto.com has cabin filters by a number of companies, both regular and charcoal embedded. One kit will have both filters and most of the aftermarkets are pretty similar in quality. They also have a wide assortment of air filters. Fram is actually pretty close to the original air filter. Purolator Pure One is very good and the Purolator Classic is decent. Purolator also makes some of the smaller brands, like Pronto. If you want to go to a drop-in, re-usable, cloth media filter, a lot of people like Amsoil's.

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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:28 am

Awesome, thanks again smj!

So on my way home from work yesterday I left the AC cranked and the lights stayed lit but the air went from cool to...not cool lol. I am betting that the refrigerant is low/gone. Would that cause the indicator light to not light up when initially turning the AC on as described below? Makes sense, and I think that all I need to do is recharge the system. There may be a leak, but if so it's probably really small/slow, yes? Should I have the dealer recharge the AC or buy the cans from Wally World...or what?

smj I will totally be taking your advice and purchasing my filters from Rockauto - dono how I forgot about that site. I guess my Pathy is so maintenance free! I don't hate it! :D

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Jun 03, 2016 8:53 pm

If the pressure gets low enough to cause the low pressure switch to "open" the circuit, it "may" cause the light to not illuminate. I can't say 100% without looking at a wiring diagram. The refrigerant has dye in it from the factory, so I would have the lines inspected, especially those that run along the right frame rail if you have rear A/C. They have had some problems corroding through and causing leaks.
Any repair shop with an A/C machine should be able to charge the system for you, so, it doesn't have to be a dealer. As far as the cans, they only come with a low side gauge, so they don't give an accurate read of the system as you don't know what the high side pressures are.

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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Mon Jun 06, 2016 1:09 pm

nice, thanks again smj!

headed to the dealer tomorrow again to have the system charged. new fun - the pathy started making a nice, fan-bearing-going type scrapey noise directly following picking it up from the same dealers for an oil change. this oughta be fun. :evil:

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Postby smj999smj » Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:02 pm

On the V6's, I have heard of a few "fan bracket" bearings going bad. The fan and clutch assembly mount to a bracket mounted with three bolts on the front of the engine, as one can't be put on the water pump as it's located under the timing chain cover. We've also had a few fan clutches fail, as well. In either of these cases, there have been problems with the aftermarket replacements, so stick with the genuine Nissan parts, if you can.

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radeonDEUS
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Postby radeonDEUS » Mon Jun 13, 2016 5:34 am

Welp. 2k later....

It was the compressor bearings. The ac not staying on was related to some $75 relay, replaced that too. So compressor, relay, drain and charge the refrigerant, and I did do a full front and rear and tranny drain and fill as well as finally getting the full sized spare tire replaced (was still a 245/75/16 and the other 4 are 265/75/16) AND replacing the serpentine belt came to 2k. FUN TIMES.

Also, apparently when I bought it, the dealer 'forgot' or neglected to submit the actual Nissan Certified Pre-Owned paperwork cause Nissan Corporate has no record. Not that this would have been covered, but kinda sucks to have to hunt this down.


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