Can A Burned Out Condenser Fan Cause AC To Work Intermittently Without The Car Overheating
Posted in Air Conditioning | Asked on Jan 21, 2012
Below is the question about Can A Burned Out Condenser Fan Cause AC To Work Intermittently Without The Car Overheating, I’ve had my a 2003 Honda Element for about a year. It has about 170,000 miles on it. The AC has worked great. One day I noticed my AC will work good for about 10-15 minutes then go warm. It doesn’t fade into warm. It is almost an instant switch, and it is warm, not hot. I turn off the AC for about 5-10 minutes then turn it back on and the AC will blow very cold again for about 10-15 minutes.
I assumed the system was freezing up and that’s why it works after I turn it off for a little bit because it thaws. I called a friend who used to be an HVAC guy and he said my assumption sounded about right, and he said check the system pressure, I may be a little low on refrigerant.
I went to the Honda Dealer and told them what it was doing, and I wanted the system charged, and they said there was a TSB about the car saying that sometimes too much moisture will get in the system which will cause the symptoms I have described. The remedy is to vacuum the system and recharge. They said my pressures were right on the money prior to them evacuating the system. After the service they said it is still doing the same thing, and they said they tested it further and my compressor and everything is working properly, but my condenser fan is burned out. They said they hooked it directly to power and it did not turn on. They told me if I replace the condenser fan motor this will fix my air conditioning problem.
Here’s the thing. My temperature needle never moves any higher than where it normally sits. I realize if the fan is not working it is bad, however I do not see how this could cause my symptoms without the engine running hot, so I am reluctant to fork out the money for this repair, because I think I may also have a different problem, so I am not convinced this will fix my problem completely even though the dealer says yes it will.
They wanted somewhere around the ballpark of $470ish for the repair. They said the fan motor itself is about $250. I found the fan motor from another Honda dealer for around $150. I have also found an aftermarket fan made by TYC on amazon for $38. I read the reviews and they say it rotates the correct way, and has the OEM plug and mounting.
I can change the fan motor myself.
So here are my questions.
Is the dealer correct? Can this really be my only problem with the AC? Will replacing the fan make my AC work correctly?
And…
Is the TYC fan ok, or should I just buy the OEM Honda fan motor?
I have read a review of the TYC fan and it said it rotates the correct direction, and has the OEM plug and moutning.
However, I am leary of buying cheap aftermarket parts. I am concerned that if I replace the fan myself with an aftermarket fan and it doesn’t fix the problem, and I take it back to the Honda dealer they may say something like oh yeah, that’s because you replaced it with cheap junk.
I need my AC to be dependable because I have 2 dogs and I have to leave them in the car sometimes.
I realize the explanation is long, but here’s the short version.
My AC charge was not low. The pressure was fine.
The dealer said it was NOT icing up.
They said my problem is due to the condenser fan not working.
I didn’t understand how that could be the problem without the temp ever running hot.
The airflow is not restricted when it starts blowing warm. the only difference in the air is the temperature of it.
There are 5 Answers for "Can A Burned Out Condenser Fan Cause AC To Work Intermittently Without The Car Overheating"
I didn’t read your whole description, but it sounds like the evaporator coil under the dash is icing up due to a low refrigerant charge. When you first turn the A/C on, the ice starts to form on the evaporator coil until it totally plugs it up so air can’t pass through any longer. Then you turn the A/C off and the ice melts. Then you turn the A/C back on and it works fine until the ice forms again. The same thing happens to a home refrigerator when the electric defrost heater element fails to melt the evaporator ice from the evaporator coil fins.
I did read your entire question. Aftermarket parts are what I always use and they seem to be fine. I would install the fan myself. If that doesn’t help then I would go to an independent shop and not back to the dealer. They over charge lots.
Do you still have good air flow when it turns a
Warm?? If you do then ur probably not iced up, that would restrict flow. Possibly a thermal switch causing the fan to shut down.
Yes.
A non-functional condenser fan will cause your symptoms, and the off-brand part will work just fine. Warning: Running your AC in this fault condition puts excessive pressure on the high-side of your compressor and you run the risk of damaging it. Whatever you do, replace the fan before running the AC.
The thermodynamics that explain this are not too complicated. You’ve heard that evaporation is a cooling process? This is what happens in the evaporator behind the dashboard, and it’s how the air passing through it is cooled. Under the hood the opposite is happening.
Condensation is a heating process, and it’s the job of the condenser to push heat into the air passing through it with the help of the fan (or when you drive fast enough to push air past it). When that fan doesn’t spin, a little bit of condensation still happens but only to the extend allowed by the ambient temperature difference and free convection. Normally with forced convection from the fan, all the incoming gas from the compressor collapses into a liquid and this helps to lower pressure. When the condensation is inadequate, much of the incoming gas remains a gas and keeps the pressure high – too high for what the compressor was designed for. Only a little bit of liquid is produced and sent down to the evaporator, so you only get a little bit of evaporation cooling there.