My 4.3L Vortec on my 2002 Chevy Blazer is acting up. The AC compressor clutch keeps short cycling, and I’m not sure why. I think it might be low on Freon, but not 100% sure. Has anyone dealt with this before? Appreciate any tips or advice—thanks in advance.
Yeah, sounds like low Freon. When mine did that, I topped it off, and it worked fine again. Have you checked for leaks?
Page said:
Yeah, sounds like low Freon. When mine did that, I topped it off, and it worked fine again. Have you checked for leaks?
Could also be the pressure switch acting up, but I’d check for leaks first. That’s usually the culprit.
Page said:
Yeah, sounds like low Freon. When mine did that, I topped it off, and it worked fine again. Have you checked for leaks?
I had the same issue! Turned out it was leaking Freon at the Schrader valve—used a sniffer to find it.
If it’s not leaking, maybe the AC pulley bearings or clutch assembly are going bad. Some compressors let you replace them separately.
Leith said:
If it’s not leaking, maybe the AC pulley bearings or clutch assembly are going bad. Some compressors let you replace them separately.
Good point—I’ll check that out. Hope it’s not the whole compressor needing replacement, though.
You might wanna put some gauges on it to check the pressures. That’ll tell you if it’s undercharged or if the switches are faulty.
Palmer said:
You might wanna put some gauges on it to check the pressures. That’ll tell you if it’s undercharged or if the switches are faulty.
Second this! Process of elimination is key. My system was just overcharged and kept tripping the high-pressure switch.
When my AC was short cycling, it turned out to be the evaporator leaking Freon inside the cabin. Dye didn’t show it, but a sniffer did!
WHITFIELD said:
When my AC was short cycling, it turned out to be the evaporator leaking Freon inside the cabin. Dye didn’t show it, but a sniffer did!
That’s a good tip. I’ve heard of leaks at the evaporator being a pain to find—thanks for sharing!
If it’s winter where you are, maybe just top it off with Freon to get by until spring. No need to spend big bucks yet.
Zane said:
If it’s winter where you are, maybe just top it off with Freon to get by until spring. No need to spend big bucks yet.
True—it’s not like I’m blasting the AC in the middle of winter. Might just try that for now.