Really? A/C Compressor Stumble Is Normal?

[NewPTCruiserInPA]

Can you smell Freon? And should you be able to? We had the A/C off since it isn't working right, and then it got chilly again anyway. This morning it was chilly enough to need the defroster on, and I immediately commented (jokingly) that it smelled like my mom's old refrigerator. Then it dawned on me that a refrigerator also has Freon and maybe that was what I was smelling. I don't remember smelling that smell before they replaced the compressor, so it made me wonder if there MAY be a leak somewhere else in the system that they didn't check. I will ask them tomorrow if they performed a dye test...

[NewPTCruiserInPA]

The latest news on this a/c shake/shudder/blow hot air in idle problem is that they will have to replace the Fan Control Module because it's not working. I asked if replacing this would correct the shuddering/shaking in idle, and he said yes, that there wasn't enough (power? pressure?) to cool the Freon, and it was causing it to cut in and out (the compressor, I guess?). I said I know the PT Cruiser has a two stage fan and which part wasn't working and he said the LOW speed. I thought that the high speed was the part for the a/c and the low was to keep the engine from overheating though, so I'm adopting the 'wait and see' attitude to see if this really fixes the problem. So far they've replaced the compressor, cleaned the throttle, updated the PCM (or whatever it's called), and now replacing the fan control module. I'm glad they did all that, since it probably would need replacing anyway, and it was all under warranty, but hopefully the latest will fix the problem for good. I'll let everyone know tomorrow how it drives.

I still want to get the wires and plugs changed, but will have my father handle that for me. Changing the wires and the plugs out myself won't interfere with the warranty, will it?

[Hooligan]

No, changing plugs or wires does NOT have anything to do with the warranty. Make sure you get performance wires and good plugs.

[sawdust123]

Let me repeat...

Check your valve cover gasket!

Pull your plugs. Check the threads. Wet threads indicate oil leaking into that cylinder. The oil is coming from the valve cover gasket.

Just yesterday my stumbling problem returned. Sure enough, the valve cover is leaking again.

[Lipsy]

I too had the same problems your describing(same symptoms and problems) on my 06' PT. Sometimes intermittently. Felt like it was gonna die and performance just wasn't right, engine light coming on then going out a day later. Alot of clicking going on under the hood. Been in and out of dealer 5-6 times in the last couple months. They had a hard time figuring it out. It was throwing wierd codes too. (Like Code 9118)
So here's all they did:
1. New plugs
2. New Wires
3. New a/c compressor
4. New fans
5. Fuel Flush
6. Cleaned T-Body
7. Told me to use better gas
8. Fan Control Module

All that, and it was still happening...heres what they did that finally fixed it!

1. Replaced upstream Oxy Sensor
2. Replaced downstream Oxy Sensor
3. Replaced MAP Sensor

BINGO!! No more clicking, no more stalling out, Idle is now normal, No compressors coming on wildly, performance is back. I'm Cruising again!

Hope this helps someone!

[NewPTCruiserInPA]

We've had the car back since Tuesday, and so far so good. We've been running the a/c (though it is only 60 degrees this week!) and it hasn't been doing the shudder/shake, threaten to stall thing. It seems like it is idling differently, like maybe there was a sound before that isn't there now. It seems better. Of course, I am still worried that the first hot day the problems will be coming right back, since everything started on the first hot day.

If it doesn't stay working, at least I'll have some ideas of other problems it could be from this forum. Thanks for all your help everyone!

[ackack]

please repost if this fixes it. i have an 04 with about 90k miles and it just started to do the same exact thing!!!! are they replacing a sensor or the whole fan unit?

[WinDaddy]

It sounds like your problem disappeared after the first dealer service. Maybe the latest ECM flash update you say they did had an update that better compensated for the compressor kicking on at idle. I suspect this is the case.
It's true the stock wires don't last long. Expect to replace them by ~40K miles. I started having a misfire with mine recently ('02 5spd w/120K miles)- the stock coil was going bad. I replaced it with an upgraded aftermarket coil. I was already using good plugs & wires. The AIRTEX coil is the good one (I got it from Rock Auto)- also sold under the ACCEL brand name when molded in yellow.

[newcastlemomma]

Has your problem been resolved? My 05 has been doing the exact same thing and I live in Ca and must have AC! I took it in a month ago and they changed something out but it didnt resolve it. I am taking it back tomarrow (Thur 5-8-08). I am curious exactly what they did and that it resolved the problems.
Thanks for the reply.
LeeAnna

[NewPTCruiserInPA]

So far so good. We got it back on 4/29, and as of today we have not experienced any of the problems that started this thread (shudder/shake in idle with a/c on). I am still waiting for the weather to get warmer (it dropped to the 60s as soon as we got it back, and it's still only in the low 70s) to see if it will occur again before I give it a clean bill of health. I did sit in it for 15 minutes yesterday with the a/c on in idle to see if it would do it, but there was no problem at all.

However, on two separate occasions we've experienced a single 'knock' sound when moving forward in drive. Kind of sounds like something shifted under the hood. We looked around under there to see if something was left off, like a cap or something, but didn't see anything. It has only done this twice, and I am wondering if it could be something with the brakes, maybe moving from brake to gas? Something else to keep an eye on, lol!