Q: Symptoms of an AC condenser going bad.
The AC in my wife's 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan (V6 - 3.3) would occasionally stop blowing cool air for 10-15 minutes at a time. It was not a gradual change between temperatures. It would be a sudden switch to uncooled air, then a sudden switch to cool air, with no change in sound or van/engine performance. We took it to our mechanic and were told it was a failing condenser. They replaced it and recharged the system. Within 1 day, the same problem occurred. We took it back and were told it was the electrical plug. It apparently was not connecting well. They put some electrical grease on it, and it seems to be working again. Is it possible that this "poor connection" with the plug could have been the original cause of the intermittent cooling? Is this "on/off" cooling a symptom of a failing condenser? Just trying to figure out if we replaced the condenser unnecessarily. I appreciate anyone's advice/wisdom they're able to share. Thank you!
My car has 149500 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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The condenser if it was not cooling properly, will cause the switch to shut off the A/C, and then once it cools enough, will allow the A/C to come back on. It would be hard to know if connection was the problem from the beginning since the cooling fan also operates from this same switch and would cool the condenser. If you need to have this taken care of, a professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose your A/C system and make the appropriate repairs.
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