maddog5461

Hello,
I have a 2002 Cavalier with the vin code 4, 4 cyl motor. Recently, when the air is on, and the car is in Drive, the electric fan (the one that cools the motor) stops running, and you can hear the AC relay kicking in and out, the RPM's go from about 600, to about 1000, back and forth. I believe the AC compressor is kicking ON, and OFF. Heres where it gets WEIRD. It only does this when the car is in DRIVE. If I shift it to neutral, I can hear the electric fan kick on, and the thing idles perfectly, and the air works GREAT (the air works OK when it is in drive as well, except for the kicking on and off), same thing If I am in Reverse, it doesn't kick on and off, and the electric fan still runs, does OK in park as well, electric engine cooling fan works, and the AC compressor doesn't kick off and on, idles smoothly. Everywhere I say electric fan, I MEAN the one that cools the motor, NOT the fan that blows the cold air from the AC, the AC blower motor does NOT cycle off and on. The only time the fan that cools the radiator will turn off, is when I shift into drive, and I believe it is supposed to run constantly when the AC is ON. I have added R134a, and replaced the 20.00 AC relay under the hood. ANY SUGGESTIONS?? I KNOW there are some people in this forum that are smarter than I am, and I have been working on cars for YEARS, this one has me befuddled!! ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks in advance, Len P in SO Illinois

beckeruti

does the car over heat any
when u are in drive
is there anything wrong you sounded like it all works ok
or are you just worried that something might not be right
and you are trying to fix ti before it gets worse

maddog5461

This is new. I bought the car in 2002, and it had 26,000 miles on it, it never did this before, so I assume something is wrong. Before with the AC on at idle, it idled smoothly, now it surges from 600 rpm to about 1000 rpm, constantly while at a stop sign, and you can hear the AC relay clicking on and off, WHY it only does this in drive is beyond me. I can sometimes tell that it is also doing it at low speeds, 35 mph or so, I can feel the car kind of surging, but it seems OK at highway speeds, If it is cycling off and on at highway speeds, it is unnoticceable, and so far the car hasn't overheated. Hope this answers your question. Thanks for replying, Len P

chuckles

Wow - I was out on the net and found your pfoblem - I have had the same issue with my 2002 vehicle and have not found an answer. Apparently the garage I take my vehicles to is stumped as well!! Have you found a fix? This problem with the surging is paticularly unsafe as I have had the car actually pull out into traffic while at a stop sign. The issue there is that I'm not ready for the increase in rpm and it catches me off guard. I also checked on other forums and have not found and fixes. My understanding is the Chevy knows about the issue and has published documentation as such but, no fix for the problem....?

chuckles

SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE:

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:AIR CONDITIONER

TSB #020138003 -- AIR CONDITIONING MAY BE INOPERATIVE OR MAY OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY, ENGINE HESITATION/SURGE. *TT (NHTSA ID #10006114, SEPTEMBER 01 2002)

TSB #290702 -- A CUSTOMER MAY COMPLAIN ABOUT AN INOPERATIVE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM OR A HESITATION MISFIRE UNDER ACCELERATION WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. *TT (NHTSA ID #637335, JULY 29 2002)

I thought I hit the jack pot with these but apparently the garage - a dealer near me - has no idea of how to correct the issue...?

chuckles

okay, here is what I found to correct the issue....?
You'll need an ac pressure sensor and connector (wiring and connector).
These parts cost 48.77 and 54.72 respecively w/no tax.
Labor is about 80.00 an hour not including taxes and diagnostic time - this is a gotcha depending upon how busy the garage is ...haha
I was told the code that should appear durig diagnostic is p0530 - whic is for a misfire.???

Now, I looked in my haynes repair manual and can't find the sucker... anyone have any pictures?
Thanks

Bigchief45

thats how it runs cause u cool it when u move my 94 was like that and it over heated cause the fan didnt work just like that and i ran a troggle switch to it it fixed it but ppl always asked questions

tgweb00

Thanks chuckles for the heads up- I had this same problem on a '02 Cavalier and your advice fixed it! There was a bad electrical connector at the A/C temperature sensor. I noticed that the problem got worse when I jiggled the wire leading to that connector. I replaced the connector and problem solved. The part # is 88988301 - it wasn't cheap, $56 at the Chevy dealership. Rockauto.com has it for $31. Standing in front of the car, the connector is in the front left area of the engine compartment, right above and in front of the serpentine belt. Look for a group of 3 wires coming off of the main wiring harness and going to a metal a/c pipe. Here is a pic from rockauto.com:

http://198.208.187.182/internet/Part...partnbr=PT1825

txdiy

Exactly the same problem/symptoms on my 02 Cavalier. Initially pulling out the connector, shoving and jiggliing the wire and then gently putting it back on will get me afew weeks of relief, followed by the A/C system competely not coming on (i.e. no clicking sound or cold air although he A/C light on the inside panel comes on). Try driving wiht the connector disconnected...same effect. A few rounds of this and finally it stayed dead.
Finally sprung $31 + $8 shipping for the spare connector.Thanks tgweb00 for the post above. It looks different from the stock Cav connector but works fine. Installed & working ...so far. The connector I removed did not have electrical connection at the red wire, confirming the diagnosis. Also notice that Chevrolet made this pigtail section short so that it does not get loose and wander into the serpentine belt.This probably subjected the wires to being pulled when the engine revs under load & over the years the red got pulled apart I suppose.

Naxcar

Can anybody(TXDIY?) tell me exactly what's involved with the replacement?
Do I have to follow the wires thru 4 feet of the engine harness or can I just splice and plug?

Thanks!