Ummmm......kewl?

 

Hi Adran

You mentioned if he changed the compressor relay, what does the compressor do if it has a bad compressor relay. The reason I'm asking is because my compressor works it turns on when I first turn on the car and close the doors but it shuts off after a few seconds. would this be a bad compressor relay?

 

Usually a bad relay means something won’t work at all. I’m not sure Abran’s line of thinking on that one. For your issue, codes would be very helpful.

There are quite a few reasons why the compressor would shut off after a few seconds. Typically it is something to do with the various sensors throughout the system detecting a problem, like pressure not increasing or the vehicle not moving, and it cuts power to the compressor. As aggravating as the air system can be, it’s one of the simpler systems to DIY repair and usually very affordable to fix.

 

A failing compressor stresses and can burn up the relay. So the book recommends changing the relay when changing a compressor, especially one that was under stress and failed. A relay is cheap, its just a standard one. So its good practice but not required. You can swap with another relay for testing.

And agreed, need codes. Otherwise its a guess. The system is heavily monitored from pressure rates to the amount of amps the compressor is using.