Situation: 2003 G35 Sedan has had great AC since they day we bought it. I made the mistake of telling someone how great the AC in the car was, and of course now it sucks! While driving it cools enough but not as good as it did....stopped it gets warm but the car temperature doesnt change...no over heating. Noticed the cooling fan wasnt turning on. Took it to the shop to have it diagnosed today. They called and said The lines are full, so we know there isnt a leak. The compressor turns on and off, but they think the compressor could be internally failing. They said it looses substantial PSI when turned on, but no leaks are found. They claim the cooling fan doesnt turn on because it never reaches the point where it needs to cool. They want to replace compressor, condenser, and a few other parts for $1600. "That should fix it." OF COURSE it will fix it...you are replacing the majority of the AC system!!! Seems to be a lot of money to spend on their thoughts. I just want cold AC in the hot Florida weather, but would like to exhaust possibilities before spending that kind of money.....I'm just a guy looking for some answers.....anyone have any?

 

Get a 2nd opinion.. Where in Florida are you? I may be able to recammend you to a decent mechanic.

 

I'm in Tampa. Everyone wants to charge $85-100 just to diagnose...Always Fun!

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Titan Automotive in Pinellas Park accross the bridge has never steered me wrong nor overcharged me. I think the owners name is Rob. The reason for cost of the diagnoses is the dye they inject for leaks. Explain to him what the other place said and he can prob do a pre diagnoses. Did they check high side and low side? Maybe one side is done for, thats what happened to mine.

http://www.bbb.org/west-florida/busi...rk-fl-90003939

and some more personal recammendations, stay away from z-fever.. they robbed me and i had no choice for my coilover install and trans-go. the trans go they overfilled tranny by 2 quarts (costing me over $30 for nissan fluid) and broke a line.. and on the coilovers they didnt set them right and had to pay Titan to adjust my a-arms since they messed them up. S&R is recammended by alot of people on the forum and Bobby is a decent guy from there. Greg at Hot Wheels systems is also crooked for wheel painting, painted my wheels "bronze" that was all gold and then could not get ahold of to resray after he said he would. hope that helps you out.

 

Thanks for the info. I will go check out Titan and tell them what was said by the other mechanic. Maybe they can help. $1000 just for the compressor seems high, but I guess thats what you get when you buy an Inifiniti...

 

Sounds like they are just throwing parts at it.

When you turn an A/C system on, the low side does lose pressure that's kinda how A/C systems work. The pressure drop across an orifice causes a huge drop in temp.

You say when you turn the AC on the cooling fan doesnt turn on? that's a major issue right there. No airflow across the condensor and the ac won't get cold. You need to fix this. Infiniti extended the warranty on the fans to 100K miles/8 years. Might want to look at this first.

 

That was my thoughts as well. They said there wasnt enough pressure to cool for the cooling fan to turn on.

Infiniti told me I am not under this warranty. Starts with '04 models

 

Cooling fan is not pressure dependent. It's electrically tied to the HVAC system. You turn AC on, the fan goes on. Car can be ice cold in the AM and it will still kick on with the AC.

 

That is what I originally thought the problem was, but put it in the shop to check to see if there was a problem with the computer or fuse (Couldnt find it) the operates the fan. The fan itself seems pretty easy to change out, So i had planned on it, but didnt want to replace it if it was just a fuse or something I couldnt find.

 

Well try this. Start engine and stand near the engine. Have someone put the A/C on, if the compressor clicks on, but the fan does not turn on, then the issue is the fan is not working?

Why not? I dunno you'll have to troubleshoot. You can try unplugging the fan and putting 12V to the terminals, but i haven't seen the connector to tell you if this is a good idea or possible to dp

 

I have tried this, and heard the compressor kick on.....thats why i have a hard time believing that the compressor is failing internally. Certainly possible, but an expensive conclusion for just a guess to me.

Havent tried the terminal check. Could the local parts store do this? DO they typically have this equipment?

 

I would think that using a VOM to check for voltage going to the fan once compressor clicks on would work.
If you have voltage present but the fan doesnt kick on, swap it out. If you have no voltage, trace it back.

 

2003 G Sedan...

Hmmm....


Ok,

Simply question, does the A/C cool down in the highway?

 

If you answer yes to this question... Go to autozone, ask them if they can hook up the OBD scanner and when it's plugged in ask them to check the "view data" function. Look for coolant temp. If at a standstill the temperature is over 190 your fan clutch is bad.

If it's not, then you may want to check the a/c condenser to see if there is any obstructions in the way (it be dirt and grime or a bag or dead bird)

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/general...lp-please.html

check out this thread while you're at it.