My a/c problem ?

[G-Rose93]

Hey guys good morning,

So the weather here in toronto has been pretty damn hot and so i noticed my a/c would be cool air at first. Then after about 10 minutes it would just fan air. Basically blowing humid air in my car. So i bought a refrigerant and valve and thought that would be the problem and charged my a/c but it still didnt work. So i took it to my mechanic and he said it was my a/c clutch that isnt working and i had overcharged it. So the pressure was high and he had to let some out.
So now it appears it is my a/c clutch but now my car doesnt even cool anymore. Not even for 10 minutes like it used too. Did i do something wrong? Or did the a/c clutch just screw up on me?

Any opinions would be great. Thanks guys

[Dave_The_BMXER]

What kind of refrigerant did you top it off with? Can you feel the compressor kick on anymore when you turn the AC on?

[Jackal]

Did you ask the mechanic how much it would be to fix the ac clutch? Did you use the refrigerant from CT?

[Dave_The_BMXER]

You can't fix the clutch on the 3. It's not sold separate.

[G-Rose93]

Thanks for the posts guys,

And Well i used duracool refrigerent thinking it was all the same thing, but the mechanic said it would depend if he can only get the a/c clutch or it will also have to come with the compressor. I just dont understand why now it doesnt even cool at all. Before it would. Now it doesnt.

[Mr Wilson]

Because the clutch wore out and now doesn't engage properly.........

[mazdabetty]

Chances are it was probably already on its way out for while now. My clutch finally gave out last fall too :( Sucks, but you can get a used compressor at a junk yard for like $200-300. There's not always a guarantee that it will work but it will save you about $1200 if you're looking to get it fixed.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Thanks for the posts guys,

And Well i used duracool refrigerent thinking it was all the same thing, but the mechanic said it would depend if he can only get the a/c clutch or it will also have to come with the compressor. .

Comes with compressor. 1200 new, or like mazdabetty said 200ish for used.

Or if you are lucky like me you can find one for 250 new after about 2 years of searching.

[gabbygenier]

Or if you are lucky like me you can find one for 250 new after about 2 years of searching.

WOW thats a good find haha.

as mentionned, get a used one with a warranty on it and youll be fine. i swapped mazdabettys on her car and its fairly simple to swap. youll need the compressor and a new ac dryer/accumulator (about 30$) and youre good to go.

one thing to watch out for is even if you empty the lines. carefull when taking the lines off the actual compressor. if there was a clog somewhere in the lines, the gas is still under pressure and will come out. just keep your face away from it when you take the lines off.

once those 2 are replaced. go to the dealer and get them to take the moisture out and fill it up and youre good to go.

it took longer to replace my starter on my 3 then to swap the compressor and dryer

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Yeah found a guy on the mazda 3 forums who bought everything then got rid of his car and just wanted it all gone.

The swap is incredibly easy.

[peterm15]

I believe this was most likely the original problem. From there over charging probably caused other problems.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71083