Failing Battery and Air Conditiioner

JoeB-JKURX

New member
Had a strange set of circumstances recently. As the wife and I were leaving a concert Saturday night, I noticed the engine turn over with the starter several more times than normal (and it seemed a bit slow). Got home, however, and all seemed pretty normal. Yesterday the car started slow again but seemed to run normally. It was pretty hot here (Albuquerque) so I turned on the AC. It didn't seem to cool down as quickly or as much as normal and, eventually, didn't seem to be cooling at all. This morning, I went out to go to the auto parts store to get the battery checked and it was a dead as a door nail. Jumped it from the other car (was so dead, I had to wait 10 minutes for enough charge to start the engine). Went down to the auto parts store. They put the tester on the battery, confirmed the failure, and swapped in a new AGM battery. As I was leaving the store, I was thinking about what I'd have to do to get the AC working properly. It started out hot like I expected and got a bit colder in a minute or two. As I continued driving, however, it continued to get colder and colder until it seemed to be working normally. It doesn't make sense to me that there would be a connection between a failing battery and the AC but it sure does seem like they are linked in this case. Has anyone else had an experience like this?
 

Bear_JT

Hooked
I just had to replace my battery last week also before we made a trip to Albuquerque. Same issue you described with longer starts but the AC is probably just coincidence. You may just need a recharge.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

jdofmemi

Active Member
Failing battery, voltage may have dropped low enough that it could not hold the ac clutch engaged, and fan speed probably suffered as well.

That said, you should check the alternator to make sure it is charging, as it should keep things going with the engine running.
 

JoeB-JKURX

New member
Failing battery, voltage may have dropped low enough that it could not hold the ac clutch engaged, and fan speed probably suffered as well.

That said, you should check the alternator to make sure it is charging, as it should keep things going with the engine running.

I didn't put a meter on it but the battery had a bit of a charge when I got to the auto parts store (it started the engine after I shut it off). You may be right about the AC clutch. I didn't hear or feel the clutch engage when it wasn't cooling properly. Good thought. Thanks
 
Top Bottom