Car
2001.5 A4Q 1.8t

Story:
Took the car in to "Tires Plus" to get an Oil Change and rotate for $32 .... not a bad price for an change and rotate plus I needed the a/c looked at.
I wasn't getting any cold air so I thought and hoped that it only needed recharged.
Tires Plus called me up and said that the compressor for my A/C was "seized up"

Now I have had a CEL for a while (took it over to a friends... doesn't have a VAG but he has some other software that will read the CEL (he drives a Saab)) The code came back and it was a "secondary air pump" so I'm a college student.... don't have all the much money I have put off really getting it check out and fixed.

I went to Auto Zone and asked if they would run a diagnostic on my car the one I went to said "we can rent you the took for $100" I said well can't you run it yourself for free. They said "yea but we can't give you the code".... so I was like WTF is the point in the diagnostic then and walked out. Tonight I'm going to try a couple other Auto Zones and see if that one was just being a b****.

Question:
What does it mean the the compressor is seized up? Is this fixable or will I need a new compressor
How hard is it to install a new A/C compressor? I have a bentley Manual but havn't broken it open yet and don't seen any DIY or this.
What does the "Secondary air pump" do?

Thanks!

 

If the compressor is siezed up and you turn the A/C on the engine should stall from drag on the belt.
You should own a code reader.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...&category0=

 

Search "secondary air pump". I think it dumps extra air into the system until the car is warmed up. Its under the air intake box.

The compressor siezed up means it needs replaced. The compressor turns by a belt from the engine. Usually siezed up means the pully will no longer spin, so it is not working, and will either break the belt or put a load on the engine because its no longer spinning, its "locked" for some reason, i.e its broken.

 

If you need an A/C compressor, try www.car-parts.com and find a used one. 2 weeks ago, I bought one using the website for my girlfriend's Jetta (she was in an accident and the A/C compressor pulley wasn't running true so I didn't know exactly what was wrong, I bought the whole compressor just in case). The dealership quoted me about $620.00CAD for a new one and I got it off car-parts.com for $200.00CAD. It turned out that I only needed to change the pulley. Used parts rule when you're on a budget.

 

So I went to Autozone lastnight and got the codes.

The only code that showed up on their test was the P0411 Code.

If the A/C is really f'ed shouldn't there be a code for this... or is that something only a VAG would find.

Also does anyone know about the VAG stuff the sells on Ebay? Good, Bad, Ugly?

 

I bought a cheap OBDII cable at first and it wasn't long before I bought the genuine Ross-Tech one. In my opinion, it's worth every penny, they offer great support to registered users.

 

16795 P0411 Sec.Air Inj.Sys. Incorrect Flow Detected

Chances are the pump is either going out, or the plastic hose has a leak, or is falling apart. It has NOTHING to do with the AC.

 

I know that the code has nothing to do with the A/C I was asking if the A/C should throw a code of some kind if the compressor is dead and what not.

Also I have read that if you turn your car on.... or turn the key so the electrical is working (can't remember which) that you can hear the pump running on the passenger side of the car.... I have done this and heard it running therefore I don't believe it is the pump..... does anyone have any pics of the likely hoses I can checkout. I know the 1.8 is riddled with vacuum hoses but a good place to start looking would be sweet.

 

I would start at the source, the secondary air pump, so remove your intake air box, and follow the lines from there.

I dont know if the A/C problem would throw a code or not.
If the car is running with th a/c off, and you turn it on, what does the car do?
If you remove the belly pan, and look under the car at the compressor pulley, is it spinning? Does there seem to be a huge load on the car if you are driving and you turn on the a/c?
You might try taking it somewhere else, if none of these things are occuring. Maybe it just needed charged and they are b.s.ing you to charge you more money.

I wouldnt trust a tire change / oil change place to diagnose the air conditioning. Take it to an import / VW shop (or dealer as a lastr resort) and have them look at it and give you an estimate. They dont charge to give an estimate, its just the hassle of doing it.

 

If the AC is dead, it might throw a code, but it might not be a compressor code, it might be a pressure, or other sensor under threshold.

The SAP only runs on cold starts for around 1min. There are 1in ribbed plastic hose that come from it, to the combi valve. Really you can't miss it, it's not a "vacuum" hose, it's a hard plastic one. It can pop off at either end, or it just breaks down from the heat. I put shrink wrap around mine, so if they crack, the shrink wrap will seal them.

THe combi valve has a vacuum hose on it, if that has a leak, the valve will not open, and you will get low flow does also.

It in NO way affects performance, or any running condition at all. It's only function is to inject air into the cat to heat it up quicker. Don't put all that much into it.