I have a 2002 sebring 4dr LXI 2.7L. The AC is intermittent, when it is not working the clutch is not engaged. The system has a full charge and the pressure switch is good. Are there any procedures to check out the system more. I see in the wiring diagram from the Haynes manual that there a a couple of other sensors and relays. I am not sure were they are all located and don't want to tear half the car down trying to locate. When the system is running the air is very cold.

I would appreciate any procedures or tips.

Thank you in advance

Jim

 

It's not supposed to run all the time. If it's not keeping the car cool, then there's an issue. If it keeps the car cool, stop worrying about it.
If you want to fully understand the system, buy a shop manual for the car. The Chrysler shop manual. It's about five volumes.

 

I understand that the compressor turns on and off for normal cycling of the system, but it should not take 20 minute breaks or more before engaging the clutch. I am not looking to understand the whole system, just would like to know where the other sensors that control the clutch engagement are located. It should not be overly complicated that I should need 5 volumes of manuals. I thought the point of the forum was to get advice and tips from others who have had experience that they can share. I have a very good understanding of refrigeration systems and have rebuilt many AC systems. The refrigeration system is fine and can cool the car on 100 degree days with no problem as long as the ac clutch is engaged, but when the clutch is not pulled in at all there will be no cooling.

 

The "pressure switch" you mentioned is not a switch, it is a Transducer. It sends a pressure signal to the PCM for the high side. Unless you can read the data on a scan tool, you will never know what pressure it is reading. If it is bad and reading too high then the PCM will stop the clutch. It's mounted to an AC line and has a long grey connector. The lowside switch IS a switch though.

 

Thank you TNtech,

Can I read the erro codes from the PCM with a generic code reader, or they only available with the fancy dealer computer?

Jim

 

There won't be a code unless it's out of the high.low voltage range. If it is reading wrong and within that range, the PCM is dumb to it. You should be able to read the high side pressure on the PCM data and match it to the reading on the high side guage.

 

There's also an icing switch located at the evaporator coil. You can get to it through the glove box opening. It will kick out the compressor if the temperature it reads is below 34°. It should kick back in at 36°.
As TNTech says, the PCM (with some additional inputs) makes the call as to whether the clutch engages or not.

 

I have the same car ('02 sebring)with the same problem. Sometimes the compressor will kick in, and the a/c works fine, sometimes it doesn't. However, the compressor will always kick in when I switch the controls to windshield defogger and I can get cool air then, but it will only blow on the windshield and floor, not out of the vents in the dash. When I switch it back to the a/c, it starts to blow warm again.

Whether the a/c works or not seems to be completely random, some days it works perfectly while drivng around for hours. Some days it won't work at all, and other days it works for a while, then stops, then it will work again.

I'm in for answers, I will try the transducer first and hope for a miracle.

 

As always, check the refrigerant level first. The compressor will always kick on in front defrost/defog mode...or partial defrost mode. If you're getting cold on top but not on face level, you may be looking at a problem inside the dash. Maybe even the control head is flakey.

 

I put a "new" heater control panel in that I got from the junk yard today. They had a half price sale today and it only took 30 seconds to get it of the dash out so figure for $10.00 its worth a shot. It seems to have fixed the problem, but since it was intermittent to begin with I can't be sure. I will report back after a few days to let everyone know if that completely fixes it.