[pjku79]

I have been searching for a few days now and haven't quite found what I am looking for. Seems there are several issues with the a/c on our beloved Lotus' and our course mine hasn't been working since I bought it. I have found a ton of individual posts about different issues, but is there one thread that has a list of things to go through. A/C repair for dummies (me) if you will...

Keep in mind I am not trying to make mine work better yet. I just want it to work.

Thank you.

 

[Doge]

It would help if you posted what the actual issue you are having with the a/c is.

 

[pjku79]

I was hoping for a more generic list of all issues that might help others as it would help me. I can search through the forums for how to fix a specific issue, but only if I know it is an issue.

More specifically, I bought my car without a/c. The heat, blowers, a/c light, recirc light all work. When I click on a/c I don't hear a relay click and the condenser does not turn on.

I have not checked the r143a levels yet. I was looking up how to check the a/c relay and might try to do that and the fuses today.

 

[Doge]

I was hoping for a more generic list of all issues that might help others as it would help me. I can search through the forums for how to fix a specific issue, but only if I know it is an issue.

More specifically, I bought my car without a/c. The heat, blowers, a/c light, recirc light all work. When I click on a/c I don't hear a relay click and the condenser does not turn on.

I have not checked the r143a levels yet. I was looking up how to check the a/c relay and might try to do that and the fuses today.

I think you mean the compressor doesn't kick on. Alot of times this means the freon is too low (unless it's an electrical issue such as a fuse popped or a short in the wiring) for the compressor to come on. If all fuses are ok, you could swap the a/c relay with another relay and see if that does anything. If not, I'd have a shop suck it down and see how much is recovered and have them run a leak test and inject some dye when they recharge it. I wonder if the PO messed with any of the a/c system.

 

[glb]

It is almost never the fuse...darn it.

It is almost always low refrigerant. Don't do this yourself, bring to any shop at all.

Ensure they use dye to trace leak later if req'd.

 

[pjku79]

Thanks guys. I was planning on having someone leak test it for me. I just wanted to get all of the basics our of the way prior.

I pulled off the passenger side cowl yesterday and looked in there for a relay, but didn't see what I was expecting to find. Does the lotus relay look different that a typical car relay? I saw the fuse box and figured I would check all of the fuses while I had it open (all good). I saw some wires going to a box that was near the wheel liner, but it didn't look like a relay that I had ever seen before. Was that it? If so, are they cheap to replace?

 

[Doge]

The compressor relay is built into the a/c and fan control module.

 

[pjku79]

Oh, so you have to replace the whole module? Sounds like it would be cheaper to check the refrigerant. Is there anything else that would be useful to check prior to checking the refrigerant? I read some where the other day that there is a fuse that controls the a/c and ecu which could be pulled for a few min to reset the system. If the refrigerant is low, the compressor would at least come on for a few cycles. Maybe this is a way to make sure the fuel/relay/compressor/module is working correctly. Does that make sense?

 

[Doge]

If the refrigerant is low, the compressor would at least come on for a few cycles.

If the refrigerant is low enough, the compressor will not cycle on.

I would get the refrigerant level checked if all fuses are good.

 

[SirLotus]

It is easy enough to bypass the compressor relay contact to test it.
Michael

 

[aschen]

My car was recently low on refrigerant. There are no serious leaks in the system as it held a vacuum for 4 days straight. In an ideal world a charge would last for ever but I think for these cars maybe something more like 8 years is normal.

I recharged it to spec 4 months ago and is still fine. I put a bit of dye in the system in case I need to troubleshoot it later but could not find any traces.

 

[aschen]

It is easy enough to bypass the compressor relay contact to test it.
Michael

The relay is part of the switch pack module right? I am sure it is listed here somewhere which contacts are appropriate to hot wire. It was easier for me to check the static pressure first.

With 4 cars in texas and the youngest one being my exige, a set of service gauges and vacuum pump have been a very worthwhile investment for me.

 

[SirLotus]

The relay is part of the switch pack module right? I am sure it is listed here somewhere which contacts are appropriate to hot wire. It was easier for me to check the static pressure first.

With 4 cars in texas and the youngest one being my exige, a set of service gauges and vacuum pump have been a very worthwhile investment for me.

No the relay is not part of the SPM.
Michael

 

[pjku79]

The relay is part of the switch pack module right? I am sure it is listed here somewhere which contacts are appropriate to hot wire. It was easier for me to check the static pressure first.

With 4 cars in texas and the youngest one being my exige, a set of service gauges and vacuum pump have been a very worthwhile investment for me.

I guess you are right. Maybe I should go buy a cheap set of gauges from harbor freight.