Why won't air conditioning turn on ? ? ?

[Johnniev57]

2011 yukon denali XL

all was well.
then recently we thought the fan was turning on high on it's own then back normal.
The air worked....

Now no air.

I bought a recharge can and was ready to do a charge.

Now... I can't even turn on the air conditioner....
when I hit the button, it blinks a couple times and turns back off.
I can hit the recirculate button so that comes on, then I hit the air button and same thing
it just blinks a couple times and turns back off again......
I don't get it.

I can't recharge when the air is off - it is suppose to be on......

I don't get it....
Any help is greatly appreciated.....

 

[Doubeleive]

let's start with some basics. Is the AC belt on? if the belt is gone or has came off that could be the problem, if it is just gone it could have simply broke, if is present and just dangling that could be a sign of the compressor seizing, if the compressor/clutch seizes up it generally will kick the belt off, BUT... not always.

 

[Johnniev57]

Belt is on... and looks fine.

I put the AC charger on it again for the heck of it.....
Now the AC will turn on.
I "charged" it I think..... but the needle goes up and down and the compressor runs and then turns back off....
Now the needle goes into the red as in take it in for service.......

Now the AC light stays on. the compressor engages and disengages on and off..... but no cool air.

I'll just be calling my repair guy!

Thanks for the info.

 

[Doubeleive]

Bummer it's not something simple.....

 

[OR VietVet]

Seeine the gauges when the problem is happening is key. If you have no a/c knowledge and the workings of it, you should have diagnosed at a qualified shop.

 

[RST Dana]

Belt is on... and looks fine.

I put the AC charger on it again for the heck of it.....
Now the AC will turn on.
I "charged" it I think..... but the needle goes up and down and the compressor runs and then turns back off....
Now the needle goes into the red as in take it in for service.......

Now the AC light stays on. the compressor engages and disengages on and off..... but no cool air.

I'll just be calling my repair guy!

Thanks for the info.

Some systems have pressure switches to prevent the compressor from running without Freon. If yours was completely out. One can may be only teasing the system. I would take the advice of seeking professional help.

 

[CaptainAmerica1]

Blower fan blowing air at all? Sounds like the bad connection at the blower motor resistor or the blower motor resistor is on its way out.

 

[swathdiver]

Gotta see the codes and what it's doing internally with the scan tool. If you don't have a Tech-2, then off to the repair man.

 

[Johnniev57]

blower works
no codes

It is now working......
Dcmaynor - yeah I think I just teased the system.......
but it does work now - I'm going to put the gage on it again just to make sure it isn't too full.....

Yeah I'll just leave it alone and if it acts up again, yeah I'll take it in.
Thanks!!!!

 

[Johnniev57]

disregard - It does NOT work... Hot air.......
Anyone have knowledge on AC systems and can tell me where to look online for troubleshooting?

I will probably take it in, but I'd still like to understand the system.....
I was told expansion valves are expensive.....

it has freon.
compressor comes on.
even the aluminum line gets real cold.
but hot in the vehicle.....

Thanks!!!

 

[gooffeyguy]

Bad blend door actuator?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[swathdiver]

disregard - It does NOT work... Hot air.......
Anyone have knowledge on AC systems and can tell me where to look online for troubleshooting?

I will probably take it in, but I'd still like to understand the system.....
I was told expansion valves are expensive.....

it has freon.
compressor comes on.
even the aluminum line gets real cold.
but hot in the vehicle.....

Thanks!!!

John, you need the right tools to diagnose and fix this properly. Adding cans can overfill the system and ruin it. The system has pressure switches and if bad, will not turn the compressor on. If the head unit is bad, there will be internal trouble codes stored for a technician to see. Who do you know with a Tech-2 or other bi-directional scan tool?

 

[BG1988]

John, you need the right tools to diagnose and fix this properly. Adding cans can overfill the system and ruin it. The system has pressure switches and if bad, will not turn the compressor on. If the head unit is bad, there will be internal trouble codes stored for a technician to see. Who do you know with a Tech-2 or other bi-directional scan tool?

he will just blow out the pressure release tab if it was over full(newer A/C have them so the compresses does not "explode" ) he claimed the line was cold so the actuator is probably bad..

i wonder if he tried the manual reset by pressing the ICE and recirculate button.

 

[DenaliReyes]

he will just blow out the pressure release tab if it was over full(newer A/C have them so the compresses does not "explode" ) he claimed the line was cold so the actuator is probably bad..

i wonder if he tried the manual reset by pressing the ICE and recirculate button.

Manual Reset?
I have the same problem. My ac pump turns on but stops, then turns on and stops. Alsmot as if it knows not to stay on. The line is coldAF going into the firewall, but hot after the orifice tube? Is that what it's called? I am goi g to check the actuator. Manually turn the blend door and see if that's the case. Save me some cash for now.

 

[swathdiver]

Manual Reset?
I have the same problem. My ac pump turns on but stops, then turns on and stops. Alsmot as if it knows not to stay on. The line is coldAF going into the firewall, but hot after the orifice tube? Is that what it's called? I am goi g to check the actuator. Manually turn the blend door and see if that's the case. Save me some cash for now.

Seems to me the pressure is not right and that is telling the computer to turn off the compressor (pump).

 

[eholl]

Hi... sorry to hi-jack your thread, but I'm having an issue with my AC on an '09 Yukon XL SLT... I push the ice button and it blinks 3 times and the AC does not come on.

The air blows, but not cold. I tried a couple of things already.

1. Replaced the sensor on the compressor (but it didn't come with an o-ring so I left the old one on.)
2. Tried the manual reset by pressing the ICE and recirculate button (but I didn't know how long to hold them in so I held them for 10 seconds.)
3. Undid the power supply from the battery. Waited 10 minutes, discharged the line by touching to ground. Restarted car, ran for 5 minutes and turned on air. No luck.

Question -

Will the AC light blink 3 times if it is simply low on freon? If so, I'll try adding some.


I've already resigned myself to taking it into the shop, but wondered if there were any other 'common' things to try on my own before hand.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[OR VietVet]

Basics first. Need to know the pressures in the system and if compressor is cycling.

 

[eholl]

An Update: I had a little freon in a can and added it to the system. The compressor then started, and the AC (ice) button no longer blinked and was a solid light again.

So, bottom line, if your freon gets low it can cause the 'ice' button to blink 3 times.

Maybe that information was readily available in the owner's manual.... I don't know. I usually do my looking on the internet.

I never could find anything that said if your freon level is too low it will cause the 'ice' button to blink 3 times and the AC won't turn on.


Hopefully this will help someone in the future with a similar problem.

 

[OR VietVet]

That is wht I was saying we need to know the pressures.

The owner's manual is vehicle specific. I would learn to start there for flashing lights or check engine lights meanings.

 

[Rocket Man]

An Update: I had a little freon in a can and added it to the system. The compressor then started, and the AC (ice) button no longer blinked and was a solid light again.

So, bottom line, if your freon gets low it can cause the 'ice' button to blink 3 times.

Maybe that information was readily available in the owner's manual.... I don't know. I usually do my looking on the internet.

I never could find anything that said if your freon level is too low it will cause the 'ice' button to blink 3 times and the AC won't turn on.


Hopefully this will help someone in the future with a similar problem.

Anytime the AC system won’t start it blinks 3 times and turns off. If you have the controls set to defrost, if the outside air is too cold, if it’s low on Freon, etc.