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2015 Kia Forte LX AC WENT OUT

6.1K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  carl_2112  
#1 ·
Bought this Kia at 97k miles the AC was cold a little bit but now at 118K miles the AC went out. Only cool air or hot air occasionally. I attempted to do a recharge of the AC but was told by the gauge my car already has a good amount of refrigerant. (AC PRO). I can see my compressor spinning and the engine idles up when I turn it on. The AC does somewhat have a whisper noise . Please any suggestions all auto shops near me are booked for weeks.
 
#2 ·
Ahhhhhhhhh...the joys of car ownership...:)

Without being able to physically diagnose your car we can't really help much.

How much do you know about Auto AC systems?

Do you have a set of gauges to see what the pressure readings are when the AC is on (@200psi high side/40psi low side)?

Could be a defective low or high pressure sending unit or a bad Schrader/Expansion valve.

Schedule your car and let us know the outcome.

Good Luck - hopefully something simple.
 
#7 ·
To check AC compressor while on vehicle, remove the belt, unplug the connector, disconnect battery. Or remove the AC compressor if you want, just remember evacuation & recharge will be needed to AC system.

With jumper wires, spaded connected wire, or donor plug that fits your vehicles AC compressor plug as jumper wires.

Plug the modded jumper wires to AC compressor & then connect to 12V battery or 12V source.

When 12V current is on, the AC compressor should click on & off whenever one is the on/off switch (battery post touching on of the wires).

If AC compressors clutch is working, you will see & feel the clutch click/engage up & down & it will lock itself. You shouldn't be able to turn/rotate the clutch/pulley at all. Until 12V current is removed.

If one can rotate clutch while 12V current is on, the AC compressor is no good.

This bench testing can be done at your local junk/salvage yard before buying. Use your 18V, 20V imoact/drill battery pack or portable vehicle jumper battery pack. Don't forget the jumper wires.
 
#9 ·
I finally spent some time looking at my ac issue. I am 99% certain it's the compressor. The clutch engages, but the high and low side pressures remain equal, so the compressor isn't doing anything.

I just took my girlfriend's Cadenza in for an oil change, so I asked the parts guy how much the compressor is for my car. He printed out a quote... $700! Then I noticed it said "REMAN", and he said yeah, it's a remanufactured unit. He looked again, and a new one is available for $1300! Just for the part. I found the same, new, OEM compressor for $282 elsewhere, so I'll be getting that (and a new expansion valve and receiver dryer), and I'll just do the work myself. I have a vacuum pump, so I just need a recovery tank for the refrigerant.
 
#11 ·
I finally spent some time looking at my ac issue. I am 99% certain it's the compressor. The clutch engages, but the high and low side pressures remain equal, so the compressor isn't doing anything.

I just took my girlfriend's Cadenza in for an oil change, so I asked the parts guy how much the compressor is for my car. He printed out a quote... $700! Then I noticed it said "REMAN", and he said yeah, it's a remanufactured unit. He looked again, and a new one is available for $1300! Just for the part. I found the same, new, OEM compressor for $282 elsewhere, so I'll be getting that (and a new expansion valve and receiver dryer), and I'll just do the work myself. I have a vacuum pump, so I just need a recovery tank for the refrigerant.
Post the site for the oem at buyable price.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, the blower motor works fine.

To diagnose my issue, I hooked up my manifold gauge set to monitor the low and high side pressures. That's how I know the compressor isn't working. The two pressures are equal at all times, even with the compressor's clutch engaged.
 
#14 ·
Two years later... I finally found a shop that would use parts I bring in. So I bought that Hyundai OEM compressor from rockauto, thankfully still only $288. I also bought a new condenser ($75) and expansion valve ($20).

Replacing all that wasn't difficult, just a bit time consuming. I helped the mechanic do a lot of it. You have to remove the front bumper (easy, just follow the FSM). I had to remove the strut tower brace I added to get access to the expansion valve. Removing that is just 3 bolts. Replace all o-rings on all AC lines that have them.

The shop had the proper refrigerant extraction/storage device to empty the system, of course.

Removing the compressor wasn't bad at all. Just remove the drive belt, unplug the electrical connector, remove the two AC lines, and there are just 3 bolts holding the compressor in place. Doing this on a lift was so nice.

The condenser took a bit more work. You have to remove the top radiator support bar. It's just a series of bolts that hold it all in place. The FSM shows where they are. Then the condenser just slides right up. It's not bolted onto anything. There are 4 tabs that slide into holders on the radiator. Again, replace all o-rings you encounter.

We also replaced the high and low side valves. You need a special tool to unscrew/screw those valves.

The mechanic calculated how much PAG oil needed to be added to the system, so I trusted him on that. We added the PAG oil to the condenser and tilted it back and forth to get it all in and distributed a bit.

Before we put everything back together, we charged the system and fired it up to test. No leaks, AC immediately began blowing cold air. We then adjusted refrigerant to get the pressures right. The drive home in 95+ heat was so nice and cool.

I ended up only taking a few photos.

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