Suzuki XL-7 A/C Issues - Any Thoughts?

[etrain16]

We've got a 2003 Suzuki XL-7, low miles (about 60,000) that we haven't been using much because the A/C is only working sporadically. Last year we had it in to a shop to repair a defective O2 sensor that was causing a failure at DEQ. While it was in, I asked them to look at the A/C issue. Their response was that they could find no problem with it - each time they took it out for a test drive, the A/C worked fine. They did not charge me for any work on the A/C since they could find no issue.

The car has been sitting more than it's been driven due to the A/C issue, and I really want to get this thing back into regular use, and not just on cooler days. The A/C is intermittent. Some days you can drive it and it works fine. Other times, it comes on, then spontaneously stops working, then may, or may not, come back on again. I borrowed a friend's refrigerant charging hose set and followed all the directions to see if the refrigerant was low - the gauge said the refrigerant did not need to be filled.

As I'm not much of a car guy, just wondering if you folks have any ideas on this issue? Or perhaps can recommend someone in the Oregon City, Gladstone areas that would be good with something like this? We used to have a Suzuki guy that worked out of his home that we liked to use, but he shut down a couple of years ago. I am capable of using tools and doing some repairs with some direction, unfortunately, my old standby, YouTube, hasn't been much help in this area at this point, though I plan to keep looking.

Any thoughts?

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[Member 34319]

Could be the clutch on the compressor.

That's all I got.

May be worth replacing.

 

[slimmer13]

Do you have a power probe? I would start checking relays.

 

[Member 5605]

Verify the low pressure switch is working. If it's not working or acting up, it will cause issues.

 

[etrain16]

Do you have a power probe? I would start checking relays.

I'm familiar with using a meter, so I know I can check relay continuity, I just need to locate the correct relay in the engine compartment. So far, I'm searching the net and there isn't a lot of info on the Suzuki's unfortunately, but I'll keep looking. I know there is a clutch/compressor relay, and I am wondering if that could be the cause of the intermittent operation, though my history with relays outside of vehicles says that most relays fail completely, not partially.

 

[etrain16]

Verify the low pressure switch is working. If it's not working or acting up, it will cause issues.

Don't know where that switch is, but I can certainly Google for it, thanks for the direction.

 

[etrain16]

Could be the clutch on the compressor.

That's all I got.

May be worth replacing.

The repair guy I took it to seemed to think the compressor and clutch were operating properly, but I can't say that's 100% correct.

 

[Member 34319]

The repair guy I took it to seemed to think the compressor and clutch were operating properly, but I can't say that's 100% correct.

That is the mechanical part. If they say those are good, it is likely electrical. Which I can't really help much with. Other than what has been said already.

 

[notazombie]

For an intermittent, my money is on a relay issue.

 

[etrain16]

For an intermittent, my money is on a relay issue.

Well as that is one I am more likely to be able to check myself, I will definitely start there.

 

[Stomper]

Could also be a loose electrical connection, things expand and contract as they heat up and cool down causing circuit breaks, which is a major culprit for intermittent faults like you describe.

 

[clearconscience]

Does it work after being driven a while?

I was going to the the compressor too, but I would try seapping out the relay first.

 

[jbett98]

When you lose enough of the refrigerant in an older vehicle, you have to pull the AC relay and jumper the power side to kick in the compressor to add the replacement refrigerant while it's running, because there is a low pressure switch that disables the AC clutch and prevents the compressor from burning up.
In your case, just by manually jumping the relay you can see if the AC will run cold without the AC relay in place.
If it continues to keep getting colder as it runs, then it's the relay.
Most relays can be pried apart to see if there is any physical damage to the contacts.

 

[etrain16]

Does it work after being driven a while?

I was going to the the compressor too, but I would try seapping out the relay first.

There is no discernible pattern as to when it will or won't work - sometimes it works fine after the car has been running a while, other times it works fine when I first start it. Engine hot or cold doesn't seem to have any effect on it.

 

[etrain16]

Well to help work this out, I just ordered a PDF copy of the service manual for my model/year. I'm going to pursue the relay issue first, since relays are something I'm comfortable with. If that doesn't do it, I'll look to the low pressure switch next.

As for loose electrical connections, that one did cross my mind, but I've got no idea how to trace that through the entire circuit. The service manual should help me with where things are running/connected.

Thanks everyone for the help/suggestions so far. I'm going to try and tackle this myself before I turn it over to a repair shop - maybe, just maybe save some $$.

 

[etrain16]

Could also be a loose electrical connection, things expand and contract as they heat up and cool down causing circuit breaks, which is a major culprit for intermittent faults like you describe.

That did cross my mind as I've seen it in electrical panels, etc. But trying to trace the entire circuit/wiring through the car to check each connection isn't something I'm sure I want to do. I may have to though.

 

[etrain16]

Okay, a little update. I ran out to take a look at the relays, found the one for the compressor and tried to remove it - no luck. I think there is some kind of release to get it to come out, but I couldn't find that and didn't want to force it - I'll look that up and see what comes up. It looks like there are 2 relays side-by-side in what almost appears to be a shared harness. But again, I didn't want to force it, so I let it go for now.

While I was out there, I started the car and no A/C. Looked at the clutch - it wasn't spinning. I tried cycling the A/C on/off a few times, with no change. Next I decided to go back to that relay, with the car running and A/C on, I lightly tapped the top of the compressor relay and the A/C immediately started up.

With that in mind, I'd say it's a high likelihood that the relay is the culprit. I'll get the number on it and order a replacement. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

 

[jbett98]

One of your AC relays controls one of the electric cooling fans.
It automatically kicks on when the AC clutch engages. The other fan is for engine coolant.
The stuck relay may be frozen in place with some corrosion and will need to be pried out of it's base. They come straight up out of the base and your problem may just be a bad contact in the bayonet socket.

 

[Joe13]

Certainly sounds electrical over mechanical.