Dealer told me they dont know how to fix it!
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 248
From: Indianapolis
Re: Dealer told me they dont know how to fix it!
I know this thread is old, but this past poster gave me a thought. The A/C compressor in the HCHII is itself 'hybrid' in nature. By that, I mean that it has both an electric motor AND a mechanical clutch/pulley to spin the compressor. This is kind of the 'old school' way of doing it, as most or all other hybrids have moved on to purely electric drive motors (less weight, less complexity, but they need the full 280V system to work).
I wonder what the behavior might be if the clutch has failed (or the clutch wiring, fuse, etc.). In that case, the compressor will be pulling ALL it's energy from the IMA system. I think that under heavy loads (or low charge), the car prefers to use the clutch. If you've lost your IMA system completely, it still seems strange that your A/C should cut out at all, as it has the mechnical clutch to use instead.
You should be able to look underhood and see the clutch to tell if it's engaging or not. To find a more peak load, you might want to try it with the temperature setting at the lowest point, Auto everything else.
I wonder what the behavior might be if the clutch has failed (or the clutch wiring, fuse, etc.). In that case, the compressor will be pulling ALL it's energy from the IMA system. I think that under heavy loads (or low charge), the car prefers to use the clutch. If you've lost your IMA system completely, it still seems strange that your A/C should cut out at all, as it has the mechnical clutch to use instead.
You should be able to look underhood and see the clutch to tell if it's engaging or not. To find a more peak load, you might want to try it with the temperature setting at the lowest point, Auto everything else.
another issue happened the other day. The power steering light came on and i had no power steering. I had to restart the car to get the power steering back. I believe this is also a hybrid mechanical / electrical component.
Energy Independence
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,282
From: Richardson, TX
Re: Dealer told me they dont know how to fix it!
That's what I was trying (feebly) to say, Rob W!
If the AC system is (wrongly) tapping into the IMA system for all its power, all kinds of heck could be occurring BECAUSE of such a drain to the IMA battery.
This may not be the problem, but if the AC stops working when the IMA battery "goes to zero" I think that's an issue with the AC right there. It should then swap to using the conventional clutch/belt driven AC components - NOT stop working completely. Right?
If the AC system is (wrongly) tapping into the IMA system for all its power, all kinds of heck could be occurring BECAUSE of such a drain to the IMA battery.
This may not be the problem, but if the AC stops working when the IMA battery "goes to zero" I think that's an issue with the AC right there. It should then swap to using the conventional clutch/belt driven AC components - NOT stop working completely. Right?
Wo ai Zheng!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 654
From: Columbus, OH
Re: Dealer told me they dont know how to fix it!
I think that's the theory... that something is *preventing* it from using clutch+belt, and therefore it's sucking on the IMA 24x7.
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