2002 Protege AC not cooling

40

Asked by Hrichard Aug 28, 2022 at 11:18 AM about the 2002 Mazda Protege LX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Just bought 02 protégé 4 - 2.0. AC light
comes on, fan blows on all speeds but no
cold air. Compressor DOES come on.  Fuses
both inside car & under hood both good.

I added 1 can of R134 freon thru L port but
the gauge on the hose never moved. I thought
even if gauge was defective (bought new) the
AC would still have SOME freon in it and
would cool just a bit even if have major leak. It
didn’t cool any. The metal hoses DID frost
over when I added that 1st can of freon and
the can hit freezing cold so I knew freon
coming out if can into hoses.   I waited about
2 days then added another can of freon and
hoses frosted over again but still no cold air
coming out. Just the ambient temp from
outside. The HEATER works great on all fan
speeds and blows hot air like it should.

The Mazda dealer says they can flush system
and recharge for close to $200 but that’s just
going to tell me 1) if it has right amount of
freon in it and if there’s a leak ( which I already
assume there is?) but may not fix my problem.

Could it be a bad compressor even though it’s
coming on?  So, experts, need your thoughts
please.  Thank y’all!!

3 Answers
157,855

James answered 2 years ago

On a 20 year old vehicle you could be looking at an air conditioner that hasn't worked for a decade, or more! In my opinion the "flush and recharge" from the Dealer is just a money grab! The fact that the compressor is coming on tells us there's something in the system, probably air, that is turning the low pressure switch on to turn on the compressor. That's not good. Air has moisture in it so you can assume the accumulator or receiver dryer is saturated. What you need to do is have a shop pull down the system into a vacuum and see if it holds the vacuum. My guess is it will not. The next thing to do is charge the system with an ultraviolet die that will tell the shop where the system is leaking. Once the leak is found it will need to be repaired, the accumulator or receiver dryer and the expansion valve (if equipped) will have to be replaced before the final recharge. You're probably looking at $500 or more to fix it correctly! Hope that helps! Jim

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • 2002 Protege AC not cooling 3 Answers

    Just bought 02 protégé 4 - 2.0. AC light comes on, fan blows on all speeds but no cold air. Compressor DOES come on. Fuses both inside car & under hood both good. I added 1 can of R134 freon thr...

    2002 Mazda Protege LX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • 2002 mazda protege parking brake not working 1 Answer

    On my 2002 mazda protege DX drum rear brakes Automatic trans. Ok so I changed my brake on the car I know I did it right Everything went back like it came out. I changed the shoes and The wheel cylin...

    2002 Mazda Protege DX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • 2002 Mazda AC Problem 15 Answers

    2002 mazda protege ac problem When i turn the AC on while the fan is on level 1, you feel it gettin cold so its workin as normal, but soon as we turn it up to 2,3 and some times 4 for more air, the ...

    2002 Mazda Protege LX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • mazda protege 2002 repair cost for water pump: is $450 a fair price 8 Answers

    2002 protege lx with 185,000 miles has leaking water pump and the car has overheated. Towed to local shop. they want $450. When alternator died last week the repair people said low/no pressure on...

    Mazda Protege

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • Mazda protege dx 2002 5 speed 3 Answers

    2002 Mazda Protege Question: I just bought a mazda protege dx 5 speed at 70,000 miles. Any advice? I had the rotors replaced, and am wondering what else should be given my attention. The check engine ...

    2002 Mazda Protege DX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

Protege

Looking for a Used Protege in your area?

CarGurus has 2 nationwide Protege listings starting at $2,999.

Postal Code:

Shortcuts

Search Mazda Protege Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    James Kithuka
    Reputation
    470
  • #2
    Craig Barton
    Reputation
    410
  • #3
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    290
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Mazda Protege5
1 listing

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.