Aircondition not working

[wREI]

I have a -05 MAZDA 5 and It has been working perfect for 3+ years and it was on overhaul every year.

Now that my warranty is gone and the car is on its 4th year they suddenly find all those problems wich i have hard time beliving happend since last overhaul wich was 12 months ago. from brakes to gaskets that needed change wich would cost total 1200$

And that is not the biggest concern for me right now. my biggest problem is the AC isnt working that fan works fine and the heat too but theres no cold coming out. With 90+ degrees outside and little over 100 in the car its almost impossible to survive.

They think it might be some leak somewere and if its really bad it can cost up to 1600 to fix it.

imho if the AC is leakin shouldnt that be fixed on the warranty even if its past 3 years?

Is ther a way for me to look at the ac see if anythink is disconnected? maybe they forgot to reassamble something since last overhaul?

[AIMWO4]

Is the compressor clutch engaging?

[wREI]

Is the compressor clutch engaging?


Nope, nothing that i can hear... i Think i could hear the AC engaging before but not now.

Just found a company who can do pressuretest for about 60 bucks.

[AIMWO4]

I am sure I've heard of this AC clutch problem before. My memory must be going, because I can't remember if it is 5-specific, or not...


Nope, nothing that i can hear... i Think i could hear the AC engaging before but not now.

Just found a company who can do pressuretest for about 60 bucks.

[mazdadude]

When my compressor went out on my 06, I was at a stop light. There was a big cloud of gas/smoke that came out from under the hood. When I opened the hood and looked at the compressor, there was a lot of oily residue on the frame rail by the motor mount.

Sorry to hear you are out of warranty...(sad1)

[wREI]

Well i bought one of the first Mazda 5 in December 2005 and its manufactured july 2005. Might be some kind of early production problems?

Never buy a new car again specially a new model, wich is was kinda Premacy --> 5.

Well anyway they gave me appointment in 2 weeks, hopefully i wont die in the heat.

[mazdadude]

Mine is an early one also, 08/2005 Production date.

While mine failed under warranty, since the dealer "fixed" it, it has never been the same. It feels like the air is operating at 50% of capacity, and the A/C compressor cycles about every 7 seconds. I took it back and complained twice to the dealer before my bumper to bumper warranty ran out, however they said it was operating within specs. (chair)

[wREI]

Mine is an early one also, 08/2005 Production date.

While mine failed under warranty, since the dealer "fixed" it, it has never been the same. It feels like the air is operating at 50% of capacity, and the A/C compressor cycles about every 7 seconds. I took it back and complained twice to the dealer before my bumper to bumper warranty ran out, however they said it was operating within specs. (chair)



That would be more annoying than my problem... you dont have another mazda workshop near you?

i have 3 diffrent Mazda authorized workshops in 20 miles radies. If i had your problem i would take it to another and complain (gun)

[MS3_KIDD]

your best bet for A/C work, especially if your out of waranty is to go to a reputable independant repair shop that does A/C work

unless you are experienced in working on mobile A/C systems, dont touch anything, do not waste any money on any diy stuff, and just bite the bullit and pay

if this isnt an option, you always have jamacian A/C

[mazdadude]

That would be more annoying than my problem... you dont have another mazda workshop near you?

i have 3 diffrent Mazda authorized workshops in 20 miles radies. If i had your problem i would take it to another and complain (gun)

Up here in North Northern California, it is a Mazda Deadzone. I have to drive 2 hrs one way to get to the nearest dealer. (cryhard)

But you hit the nail on the head, it is very annoying. As it is anytime the dealer "can't replicate your complaint."

[MS3_KIDD]

Ah I love when shops tell me that, the best response for that is

"so your not smart enough to find the problem now? You want me to wait till it gets worse then come back? When I brake down, will you find the problem?"

That always shakes them up a bit

[thaxman]

mazdadue,
If mfr date was 8/05, don't you have a minimum 1 month left of the bumper-to-bumper? Mine was mfr in Oct/Nov sometime, I haven't verified, but I am using the warranty to its best. But, like you, I have complained about the lousy delivery temps since the compressor was replaced, only to hear its w/i spec.
So, I guess it is time to use prtoge_kid's line:
"so your not smart enough to find the problem now? You want me to wait till it gets worse then come back? When I brake down, will you find the problem?"

Maybe it will work this time. Who knows?

[AwaKeN]

The warranty is not from the mfr date but when you bought your car !

[mazdadude]

mazdadue,
If mfr date was 8/05, don't you have a minimum 1 month left of the bumper-to-bumper? Mine was mfr in Oct/Nov sometime, I haven't verified, but I am using the warranty to its best. But, like you, I have complained about the lousy delivery temps since the compressor was replaced, only to hear its w/i spec.
So, I guess it is time to use prtoge_kid's line:
"so your not smart enough to find the problem now? You want me to wait till it gets worse then come back? When I brake down, will you find the problem?"

Maybe it will work this time. Who knows?

I have around 55k miles now, so no more factory warranty.(sick)

[thaxman]

I forget about the mileage limitations. We typ. rack up less than 10K per year per car.

Of course the warranty begins with the vehicle purchase (or should I say delivery?) so without a mileage cap, the EARLIEST Mazdadude's 5 warranty would expire timewise, was month of mfr. If it was US built, theoretically, it could be in his hands w/i 30 days.

[wREI]

Update:


I took the car to a real AC shop, They tested it and said the AC is fine and theres no leak but theres electrical problem so go to your Mazda dealer shop to fix it.


I went back to the Mazda shop and told the, exact same thing, they said sit back and we will look into it. 30 min later they come out "this could take several hours for troubleshooting". i said well ok ill come back later but call me before you do any work so i know how much it would cost.

4 hours later they call me and says your car is ready and fixed, i go there and they say "the problem was a electrical cable that wasnt inserted". they charged me 385 bucks for putting back a fucking cord.


what i believe and still think is that they pulled the cord on purpose last time i was there doing overhaul which was june. I mean how big is the chane that a freaking electrical cable just unplugs itself?

[Robotaz]

If they performed the maintenance on your car and left a wire unplugged then they shouldn't be charging you to figure out that it's their own fault. I must be missing something.

[wREI]

If they performed the maintenance on your car and left a wire unplugged then they shouldn't be charging you to figure out that it's their own fault. I must be missing something.

exactly but if they did it on purpose to gain more money, becuse i had to go back there to fix there mess. Then it is hard to argue with them, i was there for like 30min yelling at them but i gave up, payed the money and i dont intend to go back there anymore.

[Robotaz]

[QUOTE=wREI;4810433]exactly but if they did it on purpose to gain more money, becuse i had to go back there to fix there mess. Then it is hard to argue with them, i was there for like 30min yelling at them but i gave up, payed the money and i dont intend to go back there anymore.[/QUOTE

Did you talk to the manager? The owner? I would casually explain to them that you have no choice but to report them to the Better Business Bureau if they don't correct their mistake. To get the black eye off their record they have to make you happy and fix it right, otherwise everyone gets to read your story about their abuse.

[wREI]

[QUOTE=wREI;4810433]exactly but if they did it on purpose to gain more money, becuse i had to go back there to fix there mess. Then it is hard to argue with them, i was there for like 30min yelling at them but i gave up, payed the money and i dont intend to go back there anymore.[/QUOTE

Did you talk to the manager? The owner? I would casually explain to them that you have no choice but to report them to the Better Business Bureau if they don't correct their mistake. To get the black eye off their record they have to make you happy and fix it right, otherwise everyone gets to read your story about their abuse.

Yes i talked to the manager himself and he was absolutely hard to argue with. when this kind of shit happend, one tend to get tired of all shit and all i wanted was the AC to work since its almost impossible to be in the car when it is hot outside, ofcourse you can roll down the windows but when u are in tunnels or when theres car jam the hot air will kill you.

I never had energy to take it the next level becuse of their act i was just tired of all :(.

[Robotaz]

[QUOTE=Robotaz;4810448]

Yes i talked to the manager himself and he was absolutely hard to argue with. when this kind of shit happend, one tend to get tired of all shit and all i wanted was the AC to work since its almost impossible to be in the car when it is hot outside, ofcourse you can roll down the windows but when u are in tunnels or when theres car jam the hot air will kill you.

I never had energy to take it the next level becuse of their act i was just tired of all :(.

Oh i SOOO hear you on getting sick of it. That's why I'd file an online complaint with the BBB just to break it off in him and move on. You may just get your money back so that he can clear the complaint off of his record. I'd do it man.

[Clevor]

I had the same problem when I took my '99 Premacy to a body shop to have the front end fixed after an accident. When they replaced the front fascia you have to unplug a connector that goes to the cooling fan for the condensor at the front of the car. They forgot to replug it in after they finished.

Since I'm in Okinawa where it can get brutally hot and humid, I figured out the A/C wasn't working the same day so I took the car back.

Back in the States, I had all the equipment and gear to work on my own A/C system on an '86 5-liter Mustang. It is not for the feint of heart. You need a quality high vacuum pump (runs around $300-500), a quality freon gas detector for leaks (runs around $400), a set of high/low pressure gauges, as well as various connectors and adapters. I also had the help of a pro A/C shop who gave me advice for free.

When your A/C goes away, take it down to an A/C shop and the bill may run $900-2000. There's a lot of ripoff shops around that will tell you the evap needs replacement (which requires removing the whole dash) when all it is is a minor freon leak which can be fixed by replacing a $5 o-ring, then recharging the system.

When I bought my V-8 'Stang, the A/C was dead. The A/C shop quoted me $900, saying the evap was bad. Instead I used the money to buy pro tools and fixed it myself (there are some manuals around that tell you how to do it). The A/C shop was a crook, because I removed the dash, cut into the evap box with a hot knife, and found out the evap was fine! I replaced it anyway and hot-glued the box back (a tip the pro told me about). I then converted to R-134, which you don't need a license to buy.

It's great to do it yourself since you can do the job right: replacing all the o-rings when the system is down, as well as the expansion valve since it's cheap, and I put in a new canister (forgot what you call it). I also cleaned out the condensor well with solvent and compressed air.

But then again, I do all my own automotive work like rebuilding and blueprinting race motors, rebuilding transmissions, as well as doing autobody work and refinishing. (yes) Rebuilding automatic transmissions is another can of worms that requires specialized tools, but I already had the precision measuring instruments like mikes and dial indicators from engine rebuilding.

One final thing: I asked the pro shop about these ads by A/C shops asking $75 to do an A/C system 'check'. He told me the best thing to do is leave the system alone, because when they do that check they stress the system out, so it increases the chance of blowing an o-ring (it's a system pressure and vacuum check). They don't care they are hastening the need for A/C work!

[SGT_OKINAWA]

I had the same problem when I took my '99 Premacy to a body shop to have the front end fixed after an accident. When they replaced the front fascia you have to unplug a connector that goes to the cooling fan for the condensor at the front of the car. They forgot to replug it in after they finished.


Since I'm in Okinawa where it can get brutally hot and humid, I figured out the A/C wasn't working the same day so I took the car back.
Clevor, sorry to butt in here, but only because I’m in Okinawa, and after reading all your “work” below, I’m amazed you did not do the above “fascia work” yourself over at Typhoon motors or KAB Auto Hobby Shop?
What base are you on?
Have you seen my Premacy before?

Back in the States, I had all the equipment and gear to work on my own A/C system on an '86 5-liter Mustang. It is not for the feint of heart. You need a quality high vacuum pump (runs around $300-500), a quality freon gas detector for leaks (runs around $400), a set of high/low pressure gauges, as well as various connectors and adapters. I also had the help of a pro A/C shop who gave me advice for free.

When your A/C goes away, take it down to an A/C shop and the bill may run $900-2000. There's a lot of ripoff shops around that will tell you the evap needs replacement (which requires removing the whole dash) when all it is is a minor freon leak which can be fixed by replacing a $5 o-ring, then recharging the system.

When I bought my V-8 'Stang, the A/C was dead. The A/C shop quoted me $900, saying the evap was bad. Instead I used the money to buy pro tools and fixed it myself (there are some manuals around that tell you how to do it). The A/C shop was a crook, because I removed the dash, cut into the evap box with a hot knife, and found out the evap was fine! I replaced it anyway and hot-glued the box back (a tip the pro told me about). I then converted to R-134, which you don't need a license to buy.

It's great to do it yourself since you can do the job right: replacing all the o-rings when the system is down, as well as the expansion valve since it's cheap, and I put in a new canister (forgot what you call it). I also cleaned out the condensor well with solvent and compressed air.

But then again, I do all my own automotive work like rebuilding and blueprinting race motors, rebuilding transmissions, as well as doing autobody work and refinishing. (yes) Rebuilding automatic transmissions is another can of worms that requires specialized tools, but I already had the precision measuring instruments like mikes and dial indicators from engine rebuilding.

Again, not calling you out or anything, but with all this work you’ve done, above how hard was the body work, that you could not do it yourself? Was it not your fault and let the Insurance pay for it, not enough time, too hot, etc.?


One final thing: I asked the pro shop about these ads by A/C shops asking $75 to do an A/C system 'check'. He told me the best thing to do is leave the system alone, because when they do that check they stress the system out, so it increases the chance of blowing an o-ring (it's a system pressure and vacuum check). They don't care they are hastening the need for A/C work!

That is new to me, thanks for the tip and FYI you can do A/C over here in Okinawa in a snap all the auto hobby shops have A/C equipment you can use free.
Peace!(rei)

[Clevor]

Sgt Okinawa, all my tools and equipment are back in the States. Although I live off base and have a nice big house here with four parking spaces, the landlord lives across the driveway (wow). I only found that out after I moved in.

Besides, I only like (and know how) to do work on 5-liter Ford Mustangs (1986-1993). Pretty hard to find any around now, even in the States. I was looking for a post 2005 V-8 Mustang which I can take back to the States, but wasn't any available when I was looking for a car.

I never liked getting dirty and greasy working with cars anyway, and with the humid climate here in Okinawa, forget it!

Over here, all I do on my Premacy is change oil and wax the car, because I paid $3500 for it, the most I've ever paid for a car. I want to get a decent resale value when I sell it. I bought my '86 5-liter 'Stang for $1800 in the States, and fixed it myself (that was in 1992). The mag rims on it alone was worth $800. Had to get the A/C working, put in a stereo system, replaced the dash and rusted out trunk lid, and fixed all the dents but the stock motor was strong and didn't eat a lick of oil at 110,000 miles. I was going to put a 355 Clevor in it (now you know how I got my name) putting out around 375 HP, but the car is all rusted out now sitting in the driveway. A Clevor is a Windsor V-8 block with Australian Cleveland heads. It's was a popular motor for dirt track racing. Or I could put some aluminum racing heads on the Windsor with a Vortex supercharger for around 450 HP.

I am pleasantly surprised with the 1999 Premacy, because it's a tiny little wagon but has an 1800 cc engine, pretty big for cars nowadays. Has more than adequate getup-and-go. Slap on some sidedraft Webers, headers, and a racing cam and it may give some Skylines a run for their money. But no speed parts for these engines, and the car has an auto trans anyway :(.