Questions and Answers

Chevy S-10 Blazer A/C Problems Q. Hi Vince, Your web site is very helpful and the best I have found on the Internet! I could use your help in diagnosing an A/C problem I have. Recently the A/C stopped working altogether so I had it checked at a dealer and they recommended a new compressor and accumulator. I had a local Goodyear shop do the work and installed a rebuilt A/C compressor with the associated parts.

It worked for a few weeks but then started not working all the time. It would take a long time for it to start cooling. It sounds and feels like it is engaging when I turn the dial to Max A/C (manually operated A/C). I looked under the hood and the compressor is being turned by the serpentine belt.

As luck would have it when I took it back in to the shop who worked on it, the A/C started back up. Since then it has gotten worse and I have found out that if I 'punch' the accelerator and it gears down the A/C will start up but then it will stop cooling by itself.

I have even figured out that if I am driving on the highway at 70 mph in overdrive the A/C will stop and when I shift to third gear it will start up again and then I go back to overdrive, again, it will eventually stop cooling and I repeat the cycle to keep it cool. As you can imagine it can get annoying especially when the A/C won't start up for 5 to 10 minutes in a hot North Carolina summer with two small kids in the back!

What do you think could be the problem ? It seems to be RPM related. I am guessing there is a centrifugal force actuated switch somewhere acting up or a sensor not working, right? Help! I want to make sure I know what the problem could be as the shop said it could be another problem and I am worried they could be running up my repair bill.

• 1997 Chevy Blazer S-10 4x4
• 403 liter Vortec V-6
• Automatic transmission
• 68,000 miles
• ABS brakes, P/S , A/C , Cruise control

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

A. I sure hope you like the service that the shop gave you. Sounds like you'll be back there soon. I would have gone for new parts. Most remanufactured stuff I've seen just doesn't seem to last as long as the money you saved to install them.

I would definitely take this back to the shop and make sure you drive it with a service manager so he can see and feel the problem. There is no centrifugal switch. There is a low pressure cut out switch which may be shutting system down due to a leak and low pressure in system. Make sure they added u/v dye to the system so if any leaks arise they can find them.