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05-29-2007, 06:21 PM | #16 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Glad you're good to go on that low switch. Yeah, it's a common poop out on your model year. GM did issue a replacement. Many dealers will replace for free in or out of warranty if you set it up via GM customer svc. It's not like trying to get GM to replace the fan clutch after the warranty expired.
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06-07-2007, 02:05 PM | #17 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
I just noticed mine doing something similar...1st real hot day here. MIne seems like it takes a long time to cool, especially the rear air, however the front takes a while too. Also noticed a clicking sound coming from engine compartment. No time to track down source of click yet. It was a steady clicking, it stopped before I could get the hood up to investigate. Sounds like the same thing discribed here. Where exactly is this Lo/High switch located? Max said trace the lp line, is it the line that runs to the drier on the right just aft of the air filter box?
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06-07-2007, 02:33 PM | #18 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
I meant accumulator, not drier. Does the lo/high switch screw into the side of the accumulator? Rockauto has pics of various GM sensors & switches, not sure of what I'm looking for though. Would this switch cause the symptoms I am having as per my discription? Sounds close to what others have described on this thread. I know the lines don't feel very cold to the touch, today was the 1st day I heard it click like that. How often should the system be recharged with refrigerant/oil? I would think if there is no leak it shouldn't need evacuated and recharged. I am not very good with HVAC systems, need your help guys. Thanks Carp.
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06-07-2007, 02:36 PM | #19 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
The compressor occasionally cycles off and on, and you will hear a click when it does this. If it's doing it a LOT, and that's what the clicking is that you hear, it COULD be this switch, but it could also be low on refrigerant. You should take it to a service garage (if you can't do this yourself) and have them check that the refigerant is full and that there are no leaks. They can inject an ultraviolet-sensitive dye into the system, and then shine a blacklight on it to look for leaks.
You can get a simple to use kit at auto parts stores that comes with a gauge and a can of refrigerant-and-oil-in-a-can. It will have instructions telling you where to screw the gauge on and how to read it. If it's low on refrig, you can add some with the kit. If that fixes it for a while, but the problem comes back in a week or two, you definitely have a leak, and you need to get it fixed. If the system is full, and the compressor still doesn't run (and you get warm air), then you can think about the switch. The switch is on the passenger side of the engine compartment, near the firewall , screwed into the side, near the top, of a large silver metal vertical canister (I think this is the drier/accumulator). It looks like a small plastic cylinder with a 2-wire connection on the end of it. The 2-wire connector pulls off, and the switch itself just unscrews from a connector. Just as you pull it off, you'll hear a quick "sssssst" of gas escape, but no more. The switch is screwed on to a schrader valve that will close when you remove it, so you won't lose refrigerant. I determined that mine was at fault because I KNEW the system was full, and it would go warm for many minutes, so I was able to rap on the switch with the rubber handle of a screwdriver, hear the compressor click on, and STAY on, and that pretty much convinced me the switch was hosed. |
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06-07-2007, 04:29 PM | #20 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Thanks for all the helpful info. I need to have the system checked for low refrigerant anyway. Who knows when this was last done. Only had the truck for about 6 months & it seems all the preventive maintenance was neglected. I am slowly working my way through it all though. Hopefully a recharge is all it needs, but will keep said switch in mind if not. I sure appreciate you pinpointing it for me. Thanks
Carp
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06-07-2007, 04:43 PM | #21 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Not a problem. I had to recharge my 1998 Silverado 2 years ago. It was 7 years old with about 100,000 miles on it. If it does have a leak, it would have to be awfully slow because I haven't had to do it since, and it still runs cold.
It was not cooling well at all. I bought one of those kits, checked the pressure with the gauge, and it said it was low. So I added "some" (about 1 can), then checked the pressure and it was in the middle of the "good" range. This is definitely a homeowner-style fix with these kits, not as precise as they'd do in a service garage, but it does the job. |
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06-08-2007, 12:26 PM | #22 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Yes, that's where/how you R/R the hi-lo switch.
On that clicking sound, I hope it's just the compressor kicking in/out due to a defective switch. But a clicking sound from under the hood, particularly at start-up, is also associated with a failing fan clutch. It seems every '02-'04 Trailvoy owner in America has experienced it or will. The other common symptoms of a bad fan clutch are a jet engine-like howl at the front of the engine and the transmission requiring extra-high revs to upshift. Many owners have mistaken a bad fan clutch for a failing transmission. Good luck. |
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06-11-2007, 08:08 PM | #23 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
I need help. My AC went out aprox Dec of 2005. the system to the back seat blows cool air, the system to psgr side blows cooler air ( not cold ) and the system for the driver blows hot air. This was the way it was acting in 2005. I checked the refrig and it showed full. At that time the repair shop where I had it fixed said it was the controls inside the dash. That cost me aprox $1100.00. I now am having the same problem and the repair shop that I took it too said it was a leak in the evaporator. And it would only cost me aprox $850.00 to fix it again ??? I checked the refrig today and when the compressor is not kicking in the gauge shows in the blue, when the compressor IS kicking in the gauge reads almost in the red, which with my limited understanding means the system is full and there are no leaks> does anyone have any ideas???
Last edited by Walter Joe Stanley; 06-11-2007 at 08:38 PM. |
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06-14-2007, 10:33 AM | #24 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Mine only clicks after it has ran for a while and only on the hotest of days. I am familiar with the fan clutch symptoms and am sure that is not it. (yet) I drove a brand new Ford 15 pax van this week at work and my TBs ac was WAY colder than that! That thing only had 1,400 miles on it and at idle it was barely cold at all. It definatley sounds like compressor clicking, it may be normal, but it is pretty loud. I am leaning toward the Hi/Lo switch, something for me to keep in mind if it gets worse. Thanks for your input.
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06-17-2007, 10:57 AM | #25 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
To Walter Joe Stanley....if the a/c is blowing cold out all the vents but the drivers side, the problem is not with refrigerant. Chances are there is a bad mode actuator or temp door actuator in the airbox that is not directing the cold air properly. In my experience, this is a job better left to the dealership. They can diagnose and install this much easier than a shadetree...or most of us common folk.
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07-08-2007, 11:41 AM | #26 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
when i start the truck it take a while to cool u think it's the low/high switch
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08-23-2017, 06:27 PM | #27 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
My 2008 Trailblazer AC works intermittently, and at the same time the ac doesn't work, neither does my engine temp gauge. When the gauge starts working, so does my AC. When working the AC does a good job of cooling. Is this a major electrical problem?
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05-26-2018, 03:30 PM | #28 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
thanks to all who contributed to this topic. My 2002 GMC Envoy has the same intermittent problem. I took it to the Chevy dealer that services my car and asked them to replace the Hi/Lo switch.
One thing to note is that not ALL of these cars (TB and Envoy) have the pressure valve that prevents the freon from escaping. Mine didn't have it, so the system had to be evacuated and refilled. So do be careful if trying to make the repair yourself. Now to see if that actually fixes the problem <grin> |
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05-27-2018, 10:16 AM | #29 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
Have to be careful when jumping on old posts......
We have gone from a 2003 TB to a 2008 TB to a 2002 Envoy.....and the 2008 was a different problem..... As for the Envoy, there is not a hi/lo switch, only a low pressure switch......it also has a 3 wire pressure sensor..... Make sure you have enough refrigerant before replacing the low pressure switch..... |
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08-02-2018, 08:49 PM | #30 | |
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Re: 2003 Trailblazer - a/c air conditioning intermittent
ok we have had several vehicles that a/c works fine at idle, then as you give it gas , the a/c stops,
1. low on Freon, 2.bad pressure switch, 3 fan not working ,or bad, fan switch bad, 4 high pressure default, 5, bad a/c compressor clutch.. 6 lines in a/c restricted or clogged, 7 bad orphis valve or tube, 7 restricted a/c condenser, 8 electrical fault, the last trailblazer had been worked on by the owner and they had the orphis tube in backwards, this caused the a/c compressor to build high side pressure and kick the switch out , we removed it, cleaned the system and replaced, it , vacuumed and recharged.. |
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