Can a auto parts store test an AC relay?

So today I turned on my air conditioner in my 2015 for the first time this yr. and after 5 min no cold air. I first want to test the ac relay. If I pull that out and take it to advanced auto do they have a way of testing it.

I haven’t really tried anything yet or even pop the hood, it’s to hot out.

 

do you have a multi meter and a couple small jumper leads?

 

Yes

 

Just swap the A/C relay with another one just like it that isn't needed just to test like the headlight relay. If the A/C works then it's the relay if not you've got something else going on. When you turn the A/C on does the light flash or anything?

 

When I turn the ac on it just blows warm air, no lights flash on dash.

 

My guess is you are probably low on R134a usually the A/C relay just doesn't go bad from sitting all winter.

 

Yea, who knows, I thought I would check what I can, and hope it was the easy stuff

 

Agree, its refrigerant charge almost 95% of the time.

 

Yea, Your probably right. I guess I’ll take it in and say. Fix it and soak me.

 

That is kinda the easy stuff. The hard stuff is chasing an electrical gremlin, intermittent issues with the control panel, poor cooling efficiency due to partially clogged condenser, etc. You just can't check it yourself unless you have a set of gauges. A/C is really not all that complicated of a system.

 

Check your fuses.

 

If its just low I usually only charge 130$ canadian for a recharge and test.

If its a leak at your condensor it could be a big bill.

2nd gens are known for compressor failures as well, but we won't worry about that.

 

I hardly ever use the ac, that’s probably the cause.

 

I am sure you can find on youtube instructions on testing a relay it is very simple. You could use a test light but with a test light the problem is you can not see voltage drop which is critical to know. So I advise not to use a test light you can get incomplete info and go down the wrong path. Yes you could swap the relay but if it still does not work you are back to square one.

 

Tomorrow am when it’s cooler out I’ll check all the fuses and let it run a little with a thermometer in the vent and see what happens.

 

I already looked at those and saw the guy put individual wires on the relay, then pop the relay back in and test it with his multi meter, I’m not going to do that cause I also read that may not actually prove it’s bad.

 

Swap the horn relay

 

My compressor has been a rattling for a while pretty sure it's just the clutch assembly though. Just this yr. I've started to get the hissing around the evaporator the expansion valve seems to be dying on me. Thankfully it's still blowing cold when it stops I'll replace that stuff.

That's dirt cheap. Most shops around here charge that much US or more.

 

Yep, I’m going to check fuses and swap a relay. If that doesn’t work its going to the dealer as much as I hate to do that.

It kind of torques my butt, only 20k miles and hardly use the ac. When I go to use it, it’s broken.

 

Other than internal compressor wear, the rest of the system, at best, doesn't care if you're using it or not. Things with moving parts like the relay, clutch, and probably the expansion valve for that matter, are going to work better if anything, as they could (not necessarily will, but could) corrode in place.