2004 Buick Rendezvous AC not working

Tiny
SDENTON
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 BUICK RENDEZVOUS
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 228,000 MILES
I just bought my car from a private party. I was told the ac had been "disconnected" by the tow company she bought it from. When the car is running there is no power in the climate control and no fans blowing. Not even the ac light comes on. This is the same for the heating. Under the hood the compressor belt is going but the compressor is not engaging. I've checked the fuses and anything I can visibly see and nothing looks disconnected. The passenger side headlight is new and it looks like they replaced the bumper. Can anyone tell me what prepares would have been made to require disconnection of the ac and how I might reconnect it. I've taken some pictures of what I can see from the top.
Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 AT 2:47 PM

12 Replies

Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,152 POSTS
Check the A/C CLU RELAY 51, located in the underhood fuse block (front of right wheelhouse above the battery)

Check the A/C CLU fuse (10A) located in the underhood fuse block (front of right wheelhouse above the battery)

Also check IGN 3 HVAC Fuse (10A), located in the Center Console fuse Box (in the floor console)

If all of those are OK, have a technician to check the pressures in the system, it may be low on refrigerant.
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Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 AT 3:20 PM
Tiny
SDENTON
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I will check those thank you :) do you think that could be the "disconnection"?
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Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 AT 3:38 PM
Tiny
SDENTON
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Would those fuses and relays cause the no power issue?
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Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 AT 3:42 PM
Tiny
FREEMBA
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Yes. If those fuses are bad that would cause a "No Power" issue. However, remember that you bought this car used and sometimes people can "create" reasons for items not functioning, So keep in mind that this may be a problem which is more involved than simply a "disconnected" A/C system. Why would someone disconnect the a/c anyway? If it wasn't needed, it'd be easier to just not turn it on.
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Thursday, July 31st, 2014 AT 5:46 AM
Tiny
SDENTON
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The plot thickens.I just talked to the man who looked over the ac for the seller. He suspects it needs a new blower motor. He said it is unplugged behind the controls. He plugged it in and that didn't fix the problem so he left it unplugged. That would be why there is no power inside I'm guessing. Does that make sense to you? The part is inexpensive but not sure how to get to it.
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Thursday, July 31st, 2014 AT 9:00 AM
Tiny
SDENTON
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This was in fact unplugged. From what I've seen online this is where the blower motor etc is located?
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Thursday, July 31st, 2014 AT 9:26 AM
Tiny
FREEMBA
  • MECHANIC
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Did you check the fuses I mentioned to see if they have power to them? (If a fuse or relay is bad the A/C nor A/C controls will have power to them.)

Remember, the easiest way to check the A/C CLU RELAY 51 is to switch it with an identical one. (There likely is and identical one, in one of the underhood fuse boxes) If after the relay is switched the blower and A/C works them the relay is faulty and needs to be replaced.

If the fuses and relays check out OK, check for power at the RED wire of the blower motor with the ignition switch ON and the blower speed setting on HIGH.
If power is present, the blower motor is likely bad or the connection at the blower motor is bad. (Wiggle the connector to check for a bad connection).

Let me know how these checks go, then if needed I'll tell you what to check on the HVAC control unit.
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Thursday, July 31st, 2014 AT 5:20 PM
Tiny
SDENTON
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I will check those first thing in the morning. Of course it was raining all day so I couldn't work on anything :( I will let you know tomorrow :)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2014 AT 5:34 PM
Tiny
SDENTON
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I pulled out the dash and climate control and everything seems to be plugged in. I notice this white plug in the picture attached to the other wires but nothing is plugged into it. I can't find a loose wire it should be hooked up to. I also checked the fuses under the hood and all seem fine but still no power. I'm looking for the fuse you talked about in the console fuse box. They aren't labeled the same so I don't know which to look for. I took a picture so hopefully you can direct me. I haven't pulled out the blower motor and resister yet. None of the wires behind the climate control look damaged.
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Friday, August 1st, 2014 AT 10:10 AM
Tiny
SDENTON
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I think I'm missing a fuse. Lol a very important one from what I know
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Friday, August 1st, 2014 AT 10:48 AM
Tiny
SDENTON
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The 46 IGN 3 (40 A) didn't have a fuse in it so I moved the 40 fuse from the empty space but still no AC :/
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Friday, August 1st, 2014 AT 10:52 AM
Tiny
SDENTON
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Just an update. Fuses are all good. I pulled out the blower motor and tested it with my circuit tester and it didn't start blowing. I have tested the blower motor resistor cables with my circuit tester on bare metal. The positive red and orange wires light up red on my tester but none of the others. I did the same test with the electrical plug that goes into the blower.
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Friday, August 1st, 2014 AT 1:09 PM

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