Air Conditioning Problem

[Polish Thug]

I seem to have developed an AC problem this summer. At idle the AC will blow ice cold all day long, but when I start driving it will blow cold then regular then cold and so on. I can feel the compressor kicking on and off when I am driving. I really have no clue where to start on this? My car has a CEL because of my race header for the secondary 02 sensor. I am running a defouler and the CEL will come on for a day or two then it will go off. So fellow hatchers where to I start on trying to fix my ac problem. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Luke

[SC61Boosted]

Hey Luke…if you haven’t checked to see if your Freon is low, then I would start there. If you’ve already done that the next thing you could try is to check the self-diagnosis function on your heater control panel. I can send you a Word Document with pictures from the Si manual on how to perform the self-diagnosis test if you will give me your e-mail. I cannot seem to attach it to a message on this forum.

Basically, to run the test:
1. Turn the fan switch OFF
2. Press and hold the recirculation control switch and the rear window defogger switch (or buttons) down
3. Turn the ignition switch ON
4. Release both switches. The recirculation indicator and the rear window defogger indicator come on. The recirculation indicator goes off 3 seconds later and the A/C indicator comes on, then the self-diagnosis will begin. About 10 seconds later, the self-diagnosis will finish and the A/C indicator goes off
• If any trouble is found, the recirculation indicator blinks the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) to indicate a faulty circuit or component
• If the system is OK, the recirculation indicator stays off

RESETTTING THE SELF-DIAGNOSIS FUNCTION
Turn the ignition switch OFF to cancel the self-diagnosis function. After completing repair work, run the self-diagnosis function again to make sure that there are no other malfunctions.

DTC Troubleshooting Index:
7 blinks indicate... an open in the air mix control motor circuit
8 blinks indicate... a short in the air mix control motor circuit
9 blinks indicate... a problem in the air mix control linkage, door, or motor
10 blinks indicate... an open or short in the mode control motor circuit
11 blinks indicate... a problem in the mode control linkage, doors, or motor
12 blinks indicate... a problem in the blower motor circuit
13 blinks indicate... a problem in the EEPROM in the heater control panel; the control panel must be replaced
14 blinks indicate... an open in the evaporator temperature sensor circuit
15 blinks indicate... a short in the evaporator temperature sensor circuit

In case of multiple problems, the recirculation indicator will indicate only the DTC with the least number of blinks
In case of an intermittent failure, the heater control panel will store the DTC until the ignition is turned off
this is taken from the 2002-2003 service manual hatchback

[SC61Boosted]

I just found a thread under "how to's" called "ep3 helms shop manual for free." This might be the same manual i got my info from. If you download it, then you can go to Chapter 21-Heater and ac, pages 8-10 I believe, and thats where you'll find the info that i gave you

[Polish Thug]

I just found a thread under "how to's" called "ep3 helms shop manual for free." This might be the same manual i got my info from. If you download it, then you can go to Chapter 21-Heater and ac, pages 8-10 I believe, and thats where you'll find the info that i gave you

Thanks for the info. I ran the self-diagnosis and nothing came up. Took it by a buddys shop to have the check the r134a level. It was somewhat low, so i got it recharged and it works like a charm. Thank you for your help.

[SC61Boosted]

Awesome! No problem! I'm glad to hear that it was an easy fix.