03 eclipse a/c problem PLEASE HELP

Ok - i am new to this forum, andhave a problem. I recently purchased a 2003 eclipse gs- beautiful car, but ive been having some a/c problems. it works , then at stop signs or at slow speeds or id hot weather, it stops working. i took it to my mechanic, who is a very honest man (friend of the family)and coulndt find anything wrong with it- of course. it worked fine for him when he had it - but just the ther day i was driving and the ac was not working - of course , but i still had it on to see if it would eventually kick on. it was hot that day and all of a sudden black smok started coing through the vents. i shut the car off immediately and it smelled like burnt wiring or something. i let it set for a few minutes and drove back to work. i caled my mechanic right away and he had never heard of that before. the radiator fluid is full, and there is no leak in the ac system. he had charged it the first time i took it to him so it wasnt that. it is not too full to where it would shut off compression nor is it low! the car only had 40,000 miles on it and runs great besides the a/c. still worried about the smoke that came through the vents. he said the last thing he could think of is an "orfacis" valve that is bad? my check engine light has not come on - SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP! Lorin in colorado springs

if the orifice was/is plugged, he would have got a high reading on the gauges, and therefore would have known that pretty darn fast. As far as the black smokw, I have never heard of that either. Sure the blower is working right? Sounds to me like the problem lies with the blower. Just my .02.

Help! my mechanic says its not the blower or the a/c clutch - what is it? should i take it to a dealer & pay out of my a**?

Have him change the orifice then, maybe ya might get lucky.

Does the a/c clutch on the comperssor click on and off quickly?

When you say click of & on quickly - what kind of sound does it make? now i did notice a clicking sound but i thought it was the fan? - and yes i does - quite frequent when it isnt blowing cold air...... ? what do you think this is?

Turn on the a/c and pop the hood. Look for the a/c compressor and see if the clutch turns on and off fast. If it does that means you have a low charge in your a/c system which also means you got a leak.

could also mean the pressure limit switch/switches are bad

would a bad switch cause it to run hard when the a/c is on? it seems like it looses power when the ac is on, i mean more than usual, like it runs hard- its not right, whatever it is. ?

yes it would, if the switch is bad and doesnt kick it out. But that may not be the case here.

what do you mean when you say it may not be the case? do u think there is something else wrong with it? by the way this only happens when its hot out. i can use my a/c in the evenings and early mornings (when i dont need it) and its perfectly ok. wish i knew what was wrong with it. my mechanic says that the radiator is fine, and there are no leaks in the a/c because it lets out pressure when he tries to release some of the a/c gas, or whatever it is called . lorin

more heat= more pressure.(which is why it may be doing it when its hot out). I was just meaning that the limit switch/switches may be going bad. (and therefore cycling the compressor too often)

Although I would start at changing the orifice.

I Take it to my mechanic today, again - so i should mention the "switches" to him? i know he is going to change out the orphasis valve , i guess he has to empty the a/c stuff to do it. geez , i hope this takes care of it. I have not driven it now for over a week for fear of blowing up the thing. thank god for my second car- my del sol has been so reliable. thanks man - Lorin

Please help me! ok its been over a month, that i have not really driven my car- thankfully i have a second. My mechanic STILL was not able to fix the problem anybody please please help. I guess i should just break down and take it to mitsubishi. It was not the Orphasis valve- nor the switches- nor the blower- its ben re-charged now twice!- emptied and filled back up. WHAT COULD IT BE? its 101degrees here in colorado today, and its gonna gt hotter! i need A/C. also , seems like the temperature rises as well when i try to get the ac to work, and seems like the car is bogged down more than the norm when the ac is on - it feels like its gonna blow. anyhow any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Lorin

Anybody?

Hi signtist2004!
I have read the entire post, and the biggest problem is that you can't nail down the problem! That is... there are several different systems working to give you cold A/C. Recharging the A/C system is not always the solution (you found that out). Also, your mechanic may be a nice guy, but pressing a schrader valve to tell you that the system doesn't need charging because something is coming out... well, let's just say that it NOT a very accurate or professional diagnosis. If he doesn't do a/c, then you should consider a qualified shop in your area.

I am not sure about the 'smoke' from the vents. That could be several different reasons. However, the no cooling issue is probably a little easier to nail. You say the A/C is working well in the mornings, or when you really don't need it. When it's hot, it's not working. That is usually a sign of a low charge. Now, you claim it was charged by the same mechanic that did the 'press the valve' diagnosis, then I have to say that I can not really trust the charge. You know, letting air in the system could be causing this problem. That alone could be where your no cooling problem is.

Having said that, it's also possible that the clutch coil is bad. In a lot of cases, the coil windings are cracked or damaged so they work some times, but when they get really hot and expand.. they go 'open circuit'. That means there is no magnetic field to 'pull' or engage the clutch. Therefore, no a/c.

In short, this really has to be diagnosed by somebody who is an a/c service professional. I would strongly recommend that you look up a local radiator and A/C shop in your area. These people are probably better at A/C than the local mechanic and will have access to aftermarket parts (if you need any) that will be priced better than the dealer. You may find a local shop at our the listings on our site at the World Wide Auto A/C Service Directory.

Hope this helps!

thanks for your reply!, im taking it in again tommorrow , susposed to anyway but i think ill make an appointment with a a/c specialist like u said, but now what do i tell them so that they dont start from the begining? this is sooo frustrating. oh - if one of the things you said were wrong with it, would it cause it to bogg down more thatn normal? Thanks, Lorin

It sounds to me like your blower fan (for the heater and airconditioner) may have burned up.

When a car is moving and you are not in recirc mode, you may get a ram-air effect, but when you come to a stop there is no ram air.

Does your heater work? I don't care whether the air is hot or cold, just whether air blows through the vents when car is stopped.

BTW, I am not familiar with you vehicle, so I am talking in general, but some cars have resisters used for controlling the speed of the blower fan and they are in the same area as the fan. One or more of those resisters could also have burned up and have been the cause of your smoke.

Thanks for the reply i tried private messaging u - i dont know if it works. anyhow i do get air through the vents even when im stopped - now wheather ist hot or cold depends on the wheather- Lorin

There is no need to PM me. Like I said, I am not familiar with your model car. But I am familiar with AC in general. All I can give you is some rough ideas. You need a person who has the ability, qualifications, test equipment and most importantly, access to your vehicle.

These forums can be very helpful, but there is a point regarding many issues that first hand experience and the ability to run tests on the actual vehicle is the only way to make progress toward fixing the problem.

May I also suggest that you don't start a new thread, but continue your old one until the problem is corrected. I had to search for the old thread in order to read what was done in the past after I came upon the new thread. It is also a good idea that if and when the problem is solved, that you post the fix. That makes it easier for us to help others in the future.

I found an automotive place who specializes in a/c. I take it in tommorrow and is going to cost me $79.00 just to diagnose it, but i guess its worth it - omg i hope its nothing serious. I know the blower is working, because, well it blows. What is the most expensive thing that could be wrong with it? anybody know, id like to go in expecting the worse, you know? would any of these problems have anything to do with me screwing up my engine? thanks Lorin

I finally got an answer to my problem!! anybody want to know what it was?