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Chevrolet Cavalier Climate Control/AC Issues



  • jrmnjrmn Posts: 2
    had same problem . Turned out it was the serpentine chain that should have been replaced as manual said. One garage told me the S belt is fine, went to another place and told them i wanted it replaced and problem was fixed. To be fare to first mechanic the belt LOOKED fine on car but once off you could see it had to go.

    I am no mechanic just telling what happened to me . Good luck
  • hams1hams1 Posts: 4
    Thanks I will check it out. Hams
  • My father and I just replaced the a/c compressor and condenser on my 2000 Cavalier. The a/c hasn't worked for years and I finally decided to fix it myself as opposed to pay serious $$$ to have someone else do it.

    The problem is that we can't get the compressor clutch to engage. The relay seems to be working and we hear it when we turn the a/c on from inside the car. We tested the old compressor after we took it out by running wires directly from the battery to the compressor and it engaged. That made us think that maybe the a/c wasn't working NOT because the compressor was bad, BUT because it wasn't getting enough juice to engage the clutch.

    Does anyone know how many volts the a/c compressor needs (at the compressor terminals) to engage the clutch?

    email me at

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright CaliforniaPosts: 45,990
    Now you know it won't engage unless you have the proper amount of refrigerant in there, all charged up, right?

    If you're charged, then I'd suggest you find the pressure switch and test it by bypassing it. If the compressor engages when you buy pass it, then that's your problem--the switch (or low refrigerant if you haven't tested refrigerant pressure).

    You can also test everything electrical right at the compressor's electrical plug-in by by-passing the pressure switch and reading voltage at the compressor.

    Try not to run the compressor if you have little or no refrigerant.

    If you are fully charged, and if you've bypassed the pressure switch, and you still get no clutch engagement, then you must have a bad HVAC control module in the dash.


  • its a 3 way pressure switch what 2 do i use to bypassing it
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright CaliforniaPosts: 45,990
    Since I don't have an actual electrical diagram for your car, I'd hesitate to tell you on the Internet to start crossing wires...sorry....I don't want to cause you to burn something up.


  • i got it the black wire was broke on the 3 way pig tail and the cooling fan relay was bad it works good now

    thank you for your help

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright CaliforniaPosts: 45,990
    There you go---good job! Nothing works like some persistent snooping.


  • I have a '99 chevy cavalier and suspect that my a/c system has a leak on, I took it to a shop and they said there is no leak at all just low on refrigerant. They charge the system and after two months the system doesn't blow cold anymore. I change the compressor and accumulator, charge the system with refrigerant again and it blows amazing, after 1 year the problem shows up again. The question is: If I change any part in the system, (hoses, condenser, etc.) should I need to replace the accumulator again? I'm trying to find the problem by my side. I understand that moisture is bad for the system and gets in once the system is open.

    Thanks. :confuse:
  • Does anyone have an answer or opinion about this? Please...
  • Hi everyone. I have a 2003 cavalier. Its a 4 door, just a standard. No ls or sport or anything. Its a 4 cylinder engine. One day I was using the AC and it was fine. I went to work and when I came out it no longer cooled the air. A co-worker said it might be low on freon. He hooked it up and said it was low so he put some in, however it did not solve the problem. He says it shows as full. He believes it might be the low pressure sensor switch that is at fault. Does that make any sense? If so, is it a hard fix? Could it be a blown fuse?
    I'm trying to resist taking it to a shop and spend hundreds to find it was a switch that is screwed on with two wires to unhook and hook back up or if it was a blown fuse.

  • Hello everyone. Just got a cavalier 2000 base model. The climate control is acting funny. Fan blows to maximum speed whatever knob position is. AC is also activated even if I don't select it (can't deactivate it). Is this system controlled by one unit? If so, where is it? Is it expensive? Thanks in advance from a newbie!
  • I have that problem, if i turn the AC/Heat to the OFF position, then turn it to defrost fast, it goes on defrost. But if i turn it to the vents then back to defrost it stays on the vents till i turn it off.
  • lew413lew413 Posts: 1
    Hi Teddy,

    My '03 Cavalier is doing the exact same thing. Were you ever able to figure out what was wrong with the A/C? We filled it up with freon and it didn't help the issue.


  • kb9mnmkb9mnm Posts: 2
    I had a 92 that was stuck on vent mode. I traced the vac line to the manifold and it was leaking. I cut off the bad part and re-attached it and it worked great. As far as it blowing hot all the time, sounds like the exchanger door(?) to go from hot to cold is stuck on hot.
  • I am the original owner of a 2000 Chevy Cavalier with only 51,000 miles on it. I have been reading the forum posts and see that A/C problems are frequent with other owners. I don't know how to do anything to my car, except put in windshield wiper fluid and gas. So, I have to count on my mechanic for everything. I had to pay $109 diagnostic fee for the A/C problem and also for the electric window motor problem. The estimate to replace the A/C compressor and various related things is $1100. The estimate for new electric window motors and regulators is $410 each.

    I don't know what else to do, but get these things fixed. I'm on a fixed income and can't afford to buy a new car. This is the second time that I've needed a new motor for my driver's side electric window. I didn't see anyone else in the forum with this problem. At first, one of the mechanics told me to get the dye to check for leaks in my A/C. Later the other mechanic told me I needed a new compressor. I hope that I am making the right decision to have these items repaired. Any thoughts?
  • i have a 05 chevy cavalier that the a/c was working fine, and recently it has not been blowing out of the vents as hard as it should. It is still very cold but barely blows out. Is there any kind of filter or line that could be clogged, I have always ran it on the setting that recirculates the air inside the car instead of the vented air, not sure if that has anything to do with it or not. Any help or hints would be greatly appreciated.
  • Do you get any difference in fan speed when you place fan speed switch in any other position? It is very possible that your blower motor resistor is defective. These aren't too expensive to replace. The resistor is located inside the car under the instrument panel on passenger side on the bottom of the heater case.
  • Yes Alyssa, I did. It was a bad evaporator. To top it all off, its a $900 to $1000 repair because they had to take the entire dash board off and get to it behind the glove box. I'll hope for you that its not the same thing as it was a very hard decision to put that much money out to fix it, but I would have been in a very bad comfort zone if I went through the 110 degree heat Nebraska heat index.

    Then after they fixed that, I began hearing a clicking noise in the same area. They claim it was the fresh air door that was not closing properly because the motor went bad. What lovely timing. They unpluged the motor so I won't be able to turn the dial to get outside air, I can only get recirculated air. Big deal...I can live with that small problem, so that won't be getting fixed.

    Good luck on yours.
  • I have a 2004 Cavalier. I haven't had heat or air in at least 4 years. I figured it would be too expensive to fix so I have just dealt with it. I have a new baby (with 2 older children) and we live in Florida. No A/C is really not an option any more.

    If I have the air turned on (as long as I am moving) cold air will seep through the vents, but the fan will not blow. So the compressor is doing its job in cooling. I bought a new blower motor and tried to replace it, but it seems that there is no power getting to it. The power switch works since it does kick on the compressor and the light comes on to indicate the air is turned on. So it's not the switch. I've tried replacing some fuses but it still doesn't work. I've tested the pigtail that runs right into the blower motor as well as another one from the same area and neither are getting power.

    Single mom with these three children. I only know enough to be dangerous when it comes to cars. If you tell me what to do, I can do it. But I have no idea what to even look for at this point. I've tried doing searches online and keep coming up with nothing.

    Thanks for any help you can give.
  • shadow48shadow48 Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 cavalier that is getting no power to the coil in the blower motor relay. I know all the numbers and letters pertaining to the heat/air control panel wiring and such, but unfortunately dont have it in front of me...I have power from the fuse to the relay port, i have a ground to the relay coil in that port...i can put a jumper wire from the fuse side in that relay port, to the blower motor (orange wire) in that port an the blower motor will work on all speeds...I NEED TO KNOW what triggers that positive side of the relay coil. I have changed the whole control assembly...i wished i had better schematics than what the Haynes manual gives because it is not the same wiring schematic or control panel thats in my car...PLUS i put a jumper in the relay port on the signal wire to the coil and cannot get continuity on any wires back at the control head...I DO have power at the control head with the key ON...Any ideas, gotta be simple, i just dont have the correct schematics...
  • htbf1964htbf1964 Posts: 1
    if your system is empty (0psi) in system then do a standing pressure test with nitrogen to 150psi. let it stand for 2 hours minimum 4 hours is what id do. if u lose pressure u have a leak. standard microbubble leak solution is needed on a/c systems to find leaks of 2oz/year. if you do have a leak and have it located u can then find your solution. cars do lose refrigerant thru the compressor seal but it should be at a rate no more than 4oz a year. if you dont have a leak pull a vacuum to hold at 1000 microns and recharge system. dont let refrigerants in a system that does not have a vacuum pulled.
  • I have a 1997 Chevy Cavalier. Recently, the passenger floor, both the front and the back, becomes very wet when I run the air conditioning. I suspect the issue is a blocked condensate drain. Where is the condensate drain located on the 97 Cav and what is the best way to clear out the debris? If you can be specific as possible and/or include pictures, I would really appreciate it. I'm not a car genius and would appreciate any help. Thanks!
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