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Chevrolet Malibu Climate Control/AC Issues
Here's something that isn't explained well in the owner's manual:
It states that when you're in defog or defrost mode, the AC compressor will run automatically. When I set the mode selector knob to one of those positions, I seem to hear the compressor kick on -- but isn't the indicator light near the AC button supposed to light up?
When I turn the temp knob to the cold range the air from the defroster outlets definitely feels cold so I presume the compressor is running as it should, but I'm just wondering.
See also: Edmunds Technology Tips: Air Conditioning
It states that when you're in defog or defrost mode, the AC compressor will run automatically. When I set the mode selector knob to one of those positions, I seem to hear the compressor kick on -- but isn't the indicator light near the AC button supposed to light up?
When I turn the temp knob to the cold range the air from the defroster outlets definitely feels cold so I presume the compressor is running as it should, but I'm just wondering.
See also: Edmunds Technology Tips: Air Conditioning
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Anyway, last month it was brakes, now it's A/C.
'00 LS, 61K miles. Have had control head replaced (switching back and forth between norm and recirc); it's not that. Have had fan speed control replaced (didn't work on speeds 1 and 2); not that. Am On 3rd alternator; not that. All of this has been done in the past.
Put approx. 500 miles on the car between yesterday and today. This afternoon, the A/C started making a noise (inside the car, not outside) which sounds like, well, not a bucket of bolts, but more like a bucket of nails. Very weak on Speed 1 and 2, sound gets louder as I increase fan speed. Not nearly as cool as it'd been. Also, car deposits HUGE amounts of water on the road at rest. That's it.
Compressor, possibly?
Guess I'm headed to take my rightful spot in the dealer's waiting room Monday morning.
I really am at the dealer once a month for something. This has been going on for the last year or more......
This is undesirable. If the AC is running, the light should be on.
Some vehicles have LED turn ON whenever A/C compressor is ON.
With other vehicles it only turn ON when the customer has requested A/C to be ON. It doesn't turn ON if the vehicle itself decides A/C needs to be ON.
Believe it or not this is sometimes a marketing call.
I will post back on subject when I get some more details.
When in floor and/or dash, the body control module remembers your last A/C request forever, until you change it. There were several times when I thought the A/C was not working and I then realized I had to turn on the compressor. Now I always check the LED to make sure it is lit when I want the A/C on.
if anyone out there who knows anything on these two subjects let me know I am worried this car maybe falling apart on me!
Thankx!
As far as the cost to fix it goes, I have no idea, because I traded the car off in 2003 without ever having fixed the issue. The problem had been happening for about a year, and I had already decided it was cheaper to just keep turning the thing back on when it cut off than replacing the control head, especially after discussing it with my local Chevy dealer's service department. :P
I drove 45 minutes to work and sometimes I'd have to do this several times in a row and sometimes i wouldn't have to do it at all.
I traded the car in and didn't disclose the problem. I figured the dealer ought to be expecting it to be broke anyways as common as this problem was.
Same thing happens with the recirculate button. Button goes off and switches to the other mode.
If I stick a coin under the button to hold it in on the on position it stays most of the time.
I took the climate control unit off and made sure the vacumn hoses were on securely.
Ideas?
Thanks,
Anyway, the on-line "home fix" is available at:
http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/AC_ControllersAreRepairable.pdf
Can't tell you how well this fix is, but I hope it helps.
Later
I've called to complain to the dealer, who referrred me to the GM consumer hotline. 800-222-1020. If you've experienced this problem also, contact GM and raise hell so that a product recall can be initiated (after Delco fixes the faulty ('dirty') contact problem.
I am having the same issue as you with my blowers 1-2 not working but 3,4,5 are working and my gas and temp gauges are also not working...Oh yeah, my AC isn't working eiether. I was wondering if you found a slution to the issue.
Thanks
Eric
I was told that I could expect around $1k to fix it (parts and labor? dunno, didn't go for it). When I told the mechanic that I'd just replaced the alternator for the third time and didn't want to spend another small fortune on the car (essentially making repairs add up to more than the car's value at that point), he gave me a box of the fuses (6 amps comes to mind??) and recommended living with it for a while.
I do not get this same result when the fan is actually blowing air or A/C into the cabin, only when it is off, and I am not refreshing the air.
You have the manual HVAC system, right?
The other thing is...and maybe this is because of the heat...but the problem appeared suddenly. It wasn't like it would do it once a month, then once a week, then everyday. No, it worked fine Monday, then Tuesday (for example), it was all screwed up, and doing it everytime.
Again, this points to something electronic, and doesn't really sound like there's just some dust in the buttons. I could be wrong, but logically it just doesn't sound like dust.
I was comparing what I call the "manual" AC system found on Base and LS models with the "automatic" AC system found on the LT. I have those models correct, right? I don't normally call them by that terminology.
The "manual" system although still basically electronic in functionality doesn't have access to information about the vehicle that the automatic system does. So the "thing" that decides whether you are in "outside air" or "recirculation" mode (besides which button was pushed) really doesn't know how fast the vehicle is going. It does know when the fan is OFF so I guess it could have some timer which would reset back to outside air after a certain amount of time.
Hope that helped
Has anyone else noticed that the defrost may display the same problem as the A/C light blinking? In other words, the compressor clicks on and off randomly whilst using both defrost and the A/C button?
Good catch, you found something I didn't know about - LOL
Kurt: my steering starting twitching slightly last year in parking lots only. It also was still during the cold winter months. I had the column replaced and alignment done like pao said. It has been flawless since. Now, if my dealer could only find the squeeking noise I have up front (which I believe is from the new steering column.........if it is, I'm leaving it alone since it is working better than the last column)
http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/AC_ControllersAreRepairable.pdf
Tells you how to clean the control unit on your malibu
Globe199
Instructions for cleaning the AC control unit for chevy malibu...
http://www.imcool.com/articles/aircondition/AC_ControllersAreRepairable.pdf
After cleaning it works fine. Took me about a half hour. Pry off trim. 2 screws hold the module. 4 plugs unplug from the back(5 min). Take apart module carefully, clean with denatured alcohol and cotton swabs, use pencil on contacts, snap it back together(20 min). Put back in car(5 min). Took me longer to find the alcohol than to fix the problem.
Trickiest part is opening the module. 4 push buttons are loose, so keep track of where the go. 4 plastic tabs hold the face plate in the housing and there seemed to be a little adhesive on the ends of the face plate so take your time. Small screwdriver worked fine.
Getting the dashboard apart was easier than I thought. (It probably helped that it had been done once before -- I didn't need a pry tool except for the ignition switch bezel). I switched the transmission into first gear to get the shifter out of the way. What I didn't realise is that you can't turn the car off or get the key out unless the tranny's in P or N. I panicked for a few minutes thinking I'd screwed up the ignition switch! I shifted back into P after prying the trim panel off and all was well. I think that should be documented somewhere for this procedure.
Anyway, we disconnected the HVAC controller and brought it inside. Here's where it became far less interesting. After getting the controller apart, I was very sceptical as to whether cleaning it would help. I could find almost no dust or dirt inside the module -- the buttons and selectors were all pretty clean. But I cleaned the contacts on the board and the copper contacts in the selector well. I used compressed air to dry them. And then I put a little graphite on everything.
I reassembled it and drove around with the A/C on for about 1hr 15min -- and everything seems to work. The light didn't blink once. Seriously can't believe it!
I think I could do it again in probably under a half hour if I needed to. I may keep the 7mm socket in my car just in case!!
Thanks to everyone for your help. :shades:
Globe199
Thanks for this post!
The wire from the AC clutch was causing the fuse to blow. The clutch was replaced and I finally have the AC working along with the temp and fuel needles and all the different light in my dash console. I also noticed my automatic lights worked again when since I drove through a tunnel.
The price I paid was parts, labor and tax and included the 1/2 hour inspection/diagnostics.
Hope this helps. Best wishes to ya in getting everything fixed with your vehicle.
The car I had with these problems was traded off shortly after I was told that the problem required the compressor to be replaced (quoted $1000+). Either the dealership was attempting to scam me (didn't work, traded elsewhere, and did NOT pay for a new compressor), or they hadn't discovered that the AC clutch can cause this problem at that time. I might have actually kept that car a few years longer if the repair was $300. On the other hand, maybe not- those regular $x00.00 repairs had been adding up over nearly the whole time we owned the car.
Cruzzing
I think you have to remove the blower motor and cut away part of the dash mat to access the screws to remove resistor.
The base system in 2004+ Malibu also has a blower motor resistor card but it is a different part (fewer speeds). The auto ac system doesn't use a resistor card, it has a "linear power module" or LPM which is an electronic device which gives you more control over blower speed. It mounts in same location as the blower motor resistor.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If Musty then typically dealer would look for any debris build-up in air inlet or wet carpeting. Then they would start looking at air conditioner components. They have a procedure to deoderize system. Finally the Malibu has a built-in "afterblow" function which can be enabled by dealer with service tool - this automatically will run the blower motor at high speed for a few minutes after vehicle shut off to help dry off ac evaporator core.
Hope that helped - but I am sure there are others here with more experience on this that live in warmer climates.