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Not cooling at idle

aggie05 on Mon June 30, 2008 2:10 PM User is offline

Year: 2003
Make: mazda
Model: 6
Engine Size: 3.0
Refrigerant Type: 134
Ambient Temp: 95
Pressure Low: 35
Pressure High: 300

I have not had a chance to pull readings from low/high side ports on this car but i will try to do that sometime this week. The vehicle cools fine when on hwy or driving aroudn town but sometimes not always at a long stop or idle the ac stops blowing cold. I replaced the fan control module as these are known for crapping out on this model but it did not help.

My question is there a way to test electrical fans besides just watching/ listening to them? It has one for the engine and one for the ac, im guessing if either one of these is not working properly it would cause these conditions.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thx

Edited: Tue July 01, 2008 at 6:34 PM by aggie05

bearing01 on Mon June 30, 2008 2:43 PM User is offline

Could be a bad compressor or could be poor air movement over the condenser due to bad fan or dirty coil fins.

Go for a drive with the AC on and get her cold. Come back & park in your driveway at idle and see if the vent air blows warm. If it does, hose down the front grill of the car with the garden hose and see if the temperature then blows cool. If it does get cool then it's poor condenser operation due to dirt or bad fan or a blockage. If no change then it could be a bad compressor.

I'm not familiar with your car. Usually there's a thermostatic switch screwed into the radiator that triggers on the fan. Just unplug the t-stat switch and jumper the connector pins with a paper clip (best to use a fused wire). That should trigger the fan on.

Chick on Mon June 30, 2008 3:05 PM User is offlineView users profile

A five year old car, could be a little low on refrigerant, pressures will be needed along with the above suggestion for cleaning the condenser, and also be sure the fans are working properly.. A recover/recharge may be needed to confirm that you do have the full charge in there..Hope this helps..

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Chick
Email: Chick

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Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose

mk378 on Mon June 30, 2008 3:18 PM User is offline

If the condenser is in series with the radiator (the same width), all the fans should run to cool it.

aggie05 on Tue July 01, 2008 10:17 AM User is offline

have not got ahold of gauges yet but did try the hose trick on the condenser and sure enough it got really cold as soon as the wet stuff hit it. Now i need to figure out which fan is acting up. Any ideas on how to test the electric fans? I doubt the condenser is clogged b/c it sits behind the front bumper/grill and is quite hidden from direct wind / bug and road debris contact, but i will clean in anyways to see if it helps.

Again if there es any way to test these fans let me know.

thx

mk378 on Tue July 01, 2008 10:26 AM User is offline

First check if you can spin the fan by hand, if it's seized up it's obviously bad. To test run, unplug the fan from the car harness and connect it to a battery with jumper wires.

aggie05 on Tue July 01, 2008 6:35 PM User is offline

Pulled pressures but im still thinking its the fan, as soon as i apply water on condenser it drops high side pressure drastically and cold air comes out of vents. Anybody know where to get these fans?

aggie05 on Wed July 02, 2008 1:56 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: aggie05
Pulled pressures but im still thinking its the fan, as soon as i apply water on condenser it drops high side pressure drastically and cold air comes out of vents. Anybody know where to get these fans?

Does that makes sense?

mk378 on Wed July 02, 2008 2:12 PM User is offline

Check if the fans are receiving power by back-probing the connectors. If the fans have power but don't run they are defective. No power to the fans would indicate a different problem.

bohica2xo on Wed July 02, 2008 2:26 PM User is offline

You have an airflow problem. Either the fans are not working properly, or the condensor is packed with bugs & dirt.

With the engine warmed up open the hood & idle with the A/C on, cabin fan on highest speed, doors open. The fans should be running, if not at first they should start within a couple of minutes. No need to short anything for a fan test.

If the fans run, then you need to clean the condensor air path. It may be necessary to remove the grille or bumper cover for complete access. Soak a cold condensor with a strong surfactant like Simple Green or Zep Orange. Spray it full strength deep into the fins. Let it soak for a few minutes - do not let it dry out. Rinse with a garden hose - no high pressure washers. The fins are densly packed on that condensor, and clog easily. They are very thin, and a high pressure washer can flatten them in a second.

If the fans are bad, you are looking at a dealer item.

B.

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"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
~ Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, An Autobiography, M. K. Gandhi, page 446.

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