Hi,
My 2016 Mazda 3 was in an accident, passenger front wheel hit curb and got demolished, Right curtain air bag deployed and right rear wheel scuffed. No other noticeable damage. took it to a repair shop to get the car repaired. They replaced the headliner, right curtain airbag, right side rims and tires and a wheel alignment. I went to pick up the car 2 months later and the AC wouldn't turn on, the fan wouldn't even blow. . The repair shop mechanic investigated and 3 weeks later tells us the compressor is bad. Is it possible for the AC to completely die sitting in a shop? Would a bad compressor cause the AC to not turn on? Since the shop had to replace the airbag and the battery should have been disconnected in the process to safely replace the airbag, could that have something to do with the AC not functioning now? The AC worked perfectly fine when I dropped the car off at the repair shop...

 

I would be looking for blown fuses.

 

Grim_reaper thanks for the reply, I took a quick look at the fusebox under the hood while at the repair shop and the fuses all looked fine. I wasn't able to check the fuse box under the dash. The car started up fine, the Tire Pressure sensor and airbag lights were still flashing even though they supposedly replaced the TPM and calibrated it. They replaced the airbag but likely didn't run a scan to see if the modules were OK. Now a month later, they supposedly replaced modules but the AC still won't turn on. Blaming the compressor...

 

I'm wondering if there wasn't a shock to the a/c lines on your car. I don't have a 3, but my CX-5 ought to be similar. Popping the hood showed my high and low pressure lines run along the passenger side inner fender. It's possible you might have a slow leak.

If this were my car, I would jumper the safety switch on the receiver/dryer and see if the compressor will engage. If it does, I'd recharge the system with some UV dye in it. The recharge may take care of it, although your car is new enough that you may have a leak. If you do, a UV test light (don't forget your safety glasses, eyes are REALLY expensive to fix. Don't ask me how I know that.) will show where it is.

Now, if jumping the safety switch doesn't engage the clutch, run wires from the battery to the clutch. If it doesn't engage, then you may have a bad compressor. If it does, you have a wiring issue.

I suspect the impact jiggled a line and one of the O ring seals sprung a leak. When it sat for a while, it leaked off. Hidden damage isn't unusual. I really doubt your compressor is bad. It could be, but I doubt it. I've got a 40 year old pickup and the factory a/c is still going strong. I run it for 5 minutes every month to keep the seals pliable.

 

Grouch, thanks for the feedback. The car sat for about 6 weeks after the accident and when we loaded it onto the flatbed for delivery to the shop, the AC was still working. I have a feeling it could be electrical issue. We installed an amp in this car amd when done, the AC did the exact same thing as it is doing now. The stereo technician performed a capacitor drain to rid the system of residual electricity and when we reconnected the battery, the AC started up and worked fine. I am suspicious that this is the same problem. I suggested a capacitor drain to the shop, don't know if they understood it or even tried it. Still a supposedly broken compressor would not explain the system to not blow and turn on at all right?
I don't have access to the car yet as it is still in the shop being figured out. Will post an update when it is resolved. Thanks again for the valuable feedback

 

Okay, you didn't say the system was down, just that it wasn't working. It may just need the battery unhooked and wait a bit then reconnect the battery. I know when I replaced my battery I had to reprogram the automatic power window. I'm not sure what a capacitor drain is, but that might be it. Don't let them replace the compressor though. I really doubt it has failed. Unhook the battery for 10-15 minutes and it may reset any memory in the system.

 

I would jumper the safety switch on the receiver/dryer and see if the compressor will engage. If it does, I'd recharge the system with some UV dye in it.





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