Resolved 2G - AC shutting itself off

[Event Horizon01]

I have a 1997 Eclipse GS that had perfectly working AC. One day out of nowhere the green light on the AC button began shutting off even when its pressed on. The compressor would shut off with the light intermittently as well. If I leave it on, sometimes it comes back on for a split second and shuts off. Sometimes it doesn't come back on at all. If I leave it alone for a few days, the AC starts working again for a while before it eventually does the same thing again. I checked my relays, cleaned a few contacts and it still happens. Any leads? Note: AC button is not flashing like when belt slips. Its shutting off and staying off

 

[luv2rallye]

Your blower switch may be getting intermittent since it must be working to provide power to the AC switch which powers the AC light and automatic compressor-ECM. The blower switch also provides power to the Defroster switch which also powers the same AC light and automatic compressor-ECM.

 

[Sirius1995]

Your blower switch may be getting intermittent since it must be working to provide power to the AC switch which powers the AC light and automatic compressor-ECM. The blower switch also provides power to the Defroster switch which also powers the same AC light and automatic compressor-ECM.

I was also thinking about this

 

[DSMPT]

I don't know if GS and GSX have the same circuit but my 2g does the same kind of behavior sometimes. In my case, the blower controller switch is the cause like @luv2rallye mentioned above. Technically always working great but sometimes when the car gets vibrations/shocks from the road while driving or when I move the knob, the green light goes off and it stops blowing the cold air, like the video below.

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[pauleyman]

I have a 1997 Eclipse GS that had perfectly working AC. One day out of nowhere the green light on the AC button began shutting off even when its pressed on. The compressor would shut off with the light intermittently as well. If I leave it on, sometimes it comes back on for a split second and shuts off. Sometimes it doesn't come back on at all. If I leave it alone for a few days, the AC starts working again for a while before it eventually does the same thing again. I checked my relays, cleaned a few contacts and it still happens. Any leads? Note: AC button is not flashing like when belt slips. Its shutting off and staying off

The light won't flash when the belt slips.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The light won't flash when the belt slips.

+1 on this. You could remove all of the AC components besides the button, and that light will still illuminate when pressed.

 

[Event Horizon01]

I want to thank everyone for their replies, I figured out the issue was simply a dirty evaporator. I noticed that when the blower was put at full blast the AC compressor shut down less often. This led me to believe at lower speeds there is not enough air moving through the evap and it ends up freezing and raising the pressure of the system to unsafe levels, therefore shutting off my AC. All I did was drop the glovebox, took out the blower resistor to see inside and lo and behold that evap was clogged with dust bunnies and whatever else. I cleaned it with coil cleaner twice, rinsed and let dry. My AC is blowing colder and harder than ever now and works at all speeds. Makes my wonder why these older Japanese cars don't have a cabin filter, its far cheaper to replace than an a rotted evap.

 

[Dericsh]

I want to thank everyone for their replies, I figured out the issue was simply a dirty evaporator. I noticed that when the blower was put at full blast the AC compressor shut down less often. This led me to believe at lower speeds there is not enough air moving through the evap and it ends up freezing and raising the pressure of the system to unsafe levels, therefore shutting off my AC. All I did was drop the glovebox, took out the blower resistor to see inside and lo and behold that evap was clogged with dust bunnies and whatever else. I cleaned it with coil cleaner twice, rinsed and let dry. My AC is blowing colder and harder than ever now and works at all speeds. Makes my wonder why these older Japanese cars don't have a cabin filter, it’s far cheaper to replace than an a rotted evap.

Nice, thanks for coming back and letting us know what fixed it!