Ac problem.. Car turning off..

[Papa13]

Whenever I turn the ac on a few minutes later the car will start to die.. The car will turn off, sometimes it will come right back on. The only warning that I get is an ignition malfunction.

Anyone every have this problem? Or have any ideas what it may be?

Thanks a bunch guys.

[6MT_Addict]

Originally Posted by Papa13

Whenever I turn the ac on a few minutes later the car will start to die.. The car will turn off, sometimes it will come right back on. The only warning that I get is an ignition malfunction.

Anyone every have this problem? Or have any ideas what it may be?

Thanks a bunch guys.

Not sure how our compressors are driven but off the top of my head try looking into...

-compressor, could be seized
-alternator, may not be able to generate power to handle the extra load on the engine
-idle, PCM may not have the idle correctly set, so the extra draw on the engine causes a stall at idle
-battery, if dying and unable to charge correctly, cannot produce the power needed to handle the extra load.

These are shots in the dark though, get the codes pulled, and show a video of what happens both inside the car and outside. I assume this happens in gear (if AT) at idle..?

[Hellkite]

More then likely your compressor is starting to seize

[Papa13]

Originally Posted by 1AddictsAnonymous

Not sure how our compressors are driven but off the top of my head try looking into...

-compressor, could be seized
-alternator, may not be able to generate power to handle the extra load on the engine
-idle, PCM may not have the idle correctly set, so the extra draw on the engine causes a stall at idle
-battery, if dying and unable to charge correctly, cannot produce the power needed to handle the extra load.

These are shots in the dark though, get the codes pulled, and show a video of what happens both inside the car and outside. I assume this happens in gear (if AT) at idle..?

Thabks for the reply. No codes are pulling up. Alternator chexks out good. It's a new battery. Only real thing that I can think of is the compressor. That's the next step I am going to take. It happens when driving and coming to a stop. Never really at idle.

I'll get a video of it soon as I'm back in town. The only warning that pops up (and it's doesn't pop up Everytime the car does it die thing) is an ignition malfunction.

Do you think it could have something to do with the key fob slot? Or sometbing else wit the igbition? Just doesn't make sense why it would only happen when the ac is turned on.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply guys. It's been in the shop multiple times over the last year trying to diagnose the problem but we can't seem to get it figured out. I may just take it to the dealer and see if their computer will find something my normal shop can't. Any other suggestions?

[6MT_Addict]

Originally Posted by Papa13

Thabks for the reply. No codes are pulling up. Alternator chexks out good. It's a new battery. Only real thing that I can think of is the compressor. That's the next step I am going to take. It happens when driving and coming to a stop. Never really at idle.

I'll get a video of it soon as I'm back in town. The only warning that pops up (and it's doesn't pop up Everytime the car does it die thing) is an ignition malfunction.

Do you think it could have something to do with the key fob slot? Or sometbing else wit the igbition? Just doesn't make sense why it would only happen when the ac is turned on.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply guys. It's been in the shop multiple times over the last year trying to diagnose the problem but we can't seem to get it figured out. I may just take it to the dealer and see if their computer will find something my normal shop can't. Any other suggestions?

Not sure what the shop is using to check codes, but if there is an ignition malfunction warning, a code will be stored with more information. You need INPA to pull the codes.

If it only happens with the AC on, my assumption would still be to check the compressor, if seized it's likely stalling due to the additional power (energy, not electricity) draw at the engine.

If it happens randomly, it's probably ECU or wiring related. If it's been into the shop countless times and they can't diagnose it, try a shop that specializes in European cars, or the dealer. If nothing else you could ask them to increase the shift point into second gear, or whatever gear the stall occurs at. For example if it shifts from 3 to 2 at 700 RPM on the factory settings, get them to alter the shift point to something like 1000 RPM. In theory. This will prevent the engine RPM from getting low enough to stall, with a marginal sacrifice to fuel economy.