How VW A/C Compressors Fail 

I just replaced the RCV valve. A bad RCV valve value cost ($70) yet dealers force you replace the whole compressor ($700). After the replace the dehydrator, other parts and labor it cost $1500. I fixed my AC for $220... The RCV valve can easily be replaced with compressor installed, As you say often reason the AC is poor in VW's... I had a foreign car shop down the street evacuate the system. I replaced the RCV, pulled vacuum for 45 minutes, no leaks, charge the system with 19.5oz of R134a. The pressures were good and cooling was now cool... I had no AC tools, so I bought a set of manifold gauges, nice vacuum pump for less than $150. With the tools, 20 Oz of 134a and the RCV part, it cost me about $250. That is what the shop would charge (me supplying part), but now I have the tools to work on AC systems. I also have a ROSS TECH cable. I am a Junior VW mechanic!!! Ha ha.

Cheers Charles! Just about to do this job for my mother in law on her Golf. Love your vids 🤙🔧💯

Great video and explanations. My MY13 Passat 125TDi 🇦🇺 model just packed up its ac. Spoke to VW and a $3,500 bill which includes condenser was quoted (should the system have debris through it) Ouch! With under 70,000kms I'm very disappointed. Amazingly dynamic to drive (fully optioned sports pack) and fuel efficient. Devastatingly expensive to repair...

After just being ripped for over $2k to replace my entire AC system on a 2013 Jetta I really appreciate you video. Will I buy another VW... Not in this life.

Thank you for clarifying that problem can be multiple ,

I loved that video! Thank you very much!

great video very helpful thanks

5:26 is exactly what started happening on my mk6 R, and shortly after that the compressor seized and stopped the engine while idling.

great video, i had know idea a drier could destroy a compressor.

Thank you brother.

great video as always. Can you show us how to change the shaft seal on this Denso air conditioning compressor🏆

Can you elaborate on how I would measure the input current to the compressor using an amp clamp? also how would I check for a compressor off code in vag com?

Is there any steps that can be taken to help reduce the risk of failure? e.g. Some kind of inspection or maintenance?

Great information. Will a failed or failing compressor leak refrigerant. My Freon was really low so I added r134a with the die. I have spatter marks around the compressor and passenger side engine bay, but no real sign of the leak location.

One question, I have a mk4 1.8t and when I turn on the ac the dashboard and cabin vibrates a lot and sometimes makes a high pitched whining noise. My fans work properly. Do you know why?

Don’t work on VW’s that much and this was a great video.

Wild (to me anyways) not having a clutch. A DSG style how it works video would be amazing IMHO on a new style compressor.

Question I have for you? Under data PIDs in snap on scanner I was looking at AC compressor status and it was reading 0 at all times. Does status means AC compressor is being not engaged (I am assuming yes). What is a good known value? Please let me know that would be great! Thanks!

Just for the time stamp why I watch the entire video Bless up

I understand the variable displacement and how it is controlled by the solenoid. But what controls the solenoid and varies the amount of displacement to control the temperature? Is it the fan speed switch?

Thanks for all the tech info. Your knowledge and videos help much. I have been working on cars for decades but, recently been having to work on ^(&(*&)) VW's and am trying to learn this stuff.. I understand that the N280 control valve is pulse width modulated but, am kinda of confused on how the controller does that. I see that one side of the valve wiring goes to a fuse and the other to the controller. So, does that mean the controller pulses the ground to the control valve to vary the duty cycle? Should the voltage on the hot side of the N280 always be battery voltage between it and chassis ground? If I check voltage between the two wires at the compressor system on, back probing, will it display a sort of average voltage dependent on duty cycle? High voltage high duty cycle, low voltage low duty cycle? Lots of questions. I do not have a scope or, meter to read duty cycle so, I am trying to diagnose this stuff with out one. Thanks again.

Can you explain how to read manifold guage and back pressure. How to know its only air inside a.c system not refrigerant.

i have code 00819 hot air blowing it was working fine any suggestions on how i can repair? or would i be able to replace that valve its a late model b6 2005.

Great clip. You need to know how much of your particular vehicle you need to disassemble in order to remove and replace the aircon compressor, BEFORE you think of replacing DIY, - and also in order to know if the mechanic has the actual know how to do the job. Or is this his first one? This degree of disassembly will differ a lot between so many VW vehicles which have the 1.9 tdi engine. For example, a Caddy is not a Transporter, a Golf is not a Jetta. But they all may have 1.9 tdi engines. Be wary of people who just regas the refrigerant and change the TX valve and drier, because they are sort of expected to do that each time they degas and regas anyway, and it often fixes nothing.

Hello @HumbleMechanic If I apply power to the N280 valve, I can hear it clicking as I put the power on and off, does the clicking mean the the valve is still good, or could the valve still have issues eventhough it is clicking ? I finished (95% 😉) my rebuild of my Bentley GT, the engine, transmission and ecu's all came from a 2011 with 11,000 miles, the AC was the last item I did before my first road trip, I vacuumed the system as it was already empty, I the weighed in the r134a within the +/- of 20 grams, all was great, I did a 270 mile trip without issue, the air was ice cold, it was in the 90's outside, I arrived at my destination and parked the vehicle for 2 or 3 days, then went on a ride around town and and all was good, except for a brief moment when it blew out warm moist air, then went back to great, but on my ride home it quit completely, just hot air, again, it was hot and humid, plus then rain downpours... I evacuated the system and weighed what came out, I lost nothing, so no leaks, I then weighed in the 134 again, I noticed that if I let the engine idle and the blower motor on it's slowest speed, I would get somewhat cool air and the suction line would get cool to the touch, eventhough a hot engine compartment, not ice cold but cooler than being off, the high and low pressures static at engine off of course, when the engine is running the high is 140psi +/-, and the low starts at 120psi and goes down to about 104psi, the high made it to 165psi, I can watch the low dropping to the 104, but if I just wait or just lightly touch the throttle, the pressures fall almost back to static, this happens no matter if I use Ross-Tech VCDS to activate the N280 valve via output test, or the same with ODIS. I have no fault code for the HVAC except that the control module in the Instrument cluster is on comfort CAN, BUT, I had that way before and during the road trip, and the AC was great, I tried applying 12 volts to the N280 while everything was off and I could hear it clicking, I then applied ground to the proper pin in the 14 pin plug while the ignition was on, again I could hear it clicking, so I did this with the engine running and a call for AC, the pressures remained static.... Any thoughts are appreciated ! Johnny HotSpur GT

I am getting a high pitch squeaking sound when I turn on the AC with only moderate cooling. I replaced the a/c clutch about 2 months ago. Does this sound like a total compressor replacement?

Hello I have a 2010 Audi A5 2.0t and my ac does not blow cold air. I replaced the condenser and I had it professionally vacuumed and filled but still no cold air. Is there a way to diagnose the control valve? Or should I just replace the entire compressor? Thanks

I need to know when my expansion valve on a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0 is

My 2012 Golf had a noisy aircon compressor (only 56,000kms) and the franchise dealer quoted me NZ$2650 to replace, very glad that the warranty covers full replacement. It still worked fine but was a little noisy.

My ac has been switching cold then hot then cold then hot. I took it to a mechanic of course they say they need to replace the whole compressor. I have a 2012 VW Jetta 2.5L I just ordered this solenoid and will do it at my buddy shop . I keep you posted.

I'm getting a VCDS 08-Auto-HVAC 00898 - Control Circuit A/C compressor 010 - Open or Short to Plus code. I am assuming that this would shut down the compressor. Can this fault be caused by a bad compressor control valve? Can I use a volt meter to test if I am getting voltage to the control valve? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

at 4:08 is the valve that this compressor had? or its from another compressor?

The A/C system on my 2013 GTI has a leak, likely since the car was new. The dealer can't find it. Any suggestions on the most likely place to look?

A/C issue, MK5 TDI BRM 5M. A/c takes a while or not to blow cold. Sometimes it works perfectly, sometimes as driving it goes off, on, off.. One time it was doing it on a timer, 30 seconds on, 50 seconds off, while driving 60mph cruise control, nothing varied. System has freon from last year proffesionally installed, and from scantool i got 6.6bar in the system. Help ? Ideas? i was thinking that valve.

Can solenoid failure result in AC blowing too cold? I.e. valve is stuck full open? I had one occurrence of AC blowing hot but it’s not reproducible. But mainly I see it’s too cold. Adjusting the temp control up doesn’t seem to have any effect until I get to 80F.

Hey thanks for the vid. Do you know if it’s necessary to replace the receiver drier or accumulator too when the Ac solenoid valve is changed?

+humblemechanic they replaced my ac valve, and my compressor flush and recharged it and my ac is still not working right. What else can it be?

From 2015, in Europe, VW has the control valve available in ETKA

Sir, a couple of questions please relating to a 2012 Touareg. 1. Sometimes when we get in the car the ac will run....or not. If we leave it in the auto mode it may start as we travel. Lately it has been getting worse and runs less. Suggestion please? 2. We have an orange "ACC and front assist not available" so we can't operate the car in ACC. I guess it is a sensor problem. is there anyway I can troubleshoot which sensor it is? How does VW dealership do it, do they have a computer that can interrogate the system. Cheers

one other thing if my low side is 52 and the high side is 190. I had it blowing 35 40 degrees in AZ where it gets up to 120. but the other night it quit blowing on that drive and then it will blow cold again that's a sign of the control valve acting up. check the harness connection if it's good look for a control valve where? I'm okay with changing the parts. I work on heavy equipment. but we all need a mechanic at times.

Hi Charles, the AC on my 2012 Golf makes a hissing Darth Vader-ish sound which I am not sure is ok, despite blowing good cold air. No weird sounds from the compressor. Could it be low refrigerant? Thanks!

I have an 06 Jetta TDI throwing no codes Freon is good but no ac. I also don’t see fluctuation in the ac gauges. What is the amps given to the valve. I read .82 amps ? I am used to the clutch type ac these constant compressors are new to me. Any help would be great

my MK6 GTI A/C works great but has a loud whine noise when the A/C is on. turn the A/C off and let fan run, noise goes away. Do I have to replace the whole A/C compressor just to get rid of the noise?

Another thing to note there is a small filter in the line next to where you top up the ac it is inside the pipe and actually it should stop the gung getting to the pump change that and the dryer after working on empty system and change all the necessary rubber ring gaskets so you will know gor sure that the problem isn't leaking ac where you done your work simple but people don't even realise it put a new compressor and you forget all the rest noo use your head

Can you tell me why my recirculation button is not light up & not working in my 2007 mk5 gti?

the ac compressor for my jetta tdi just. one mechanic suggested to replace the compressor but another mechanic thinks he might be able to fix it. fingers crossed

Hey Charles, great video! Im having problems with the a / c of my passat b6. Today i had make a test, i pull off the serpentine belt and turned the compressor by hand. I realized that the compressor is very hard to turn by hand (with the engine off), is this normal? I thought the compressor has to spin free when the engine is off.

Mine on my transporter van seems to rattle when off -once on its quiet , Recently its worse when cold & it doesnt always go quiet when activated but it has been cold ( frost ) lately

Yeah bro I know failed ac compressor's..both my VW's have that problem!

Just replaced the solenoid valve on my 2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI. I was concerned about your comment in the video about debris being the culprit on the solenoid failure so I proceeded to dissect the old valve and look for debris under magnification. I did not see anything. Would debris be visible? AC now works great but I am concerned that if it was debris it will eventually fail again.

i have 2001 vr6 jetta automatic and i can't find any video of how to remove my ac compressor myself

Lmao I like how he says don’t let the Freon out into the atmosphere and then there’s me where my 06 Jetta has an a/c leak and the compressor won’t turn on :(

With all those failed parts i wonder what did wv group made right sometimes. Anyway dear humble mechanic i need your wisdom because i am surrounded by faild mechanics even in the main dealership garage in my Country. I have an ibiza cupra 1.4 tsi 180bhp dsg7 the one with compressor and turbo. 3 months ago i had a problem there was no compressor or turbo power and the engine was not raving up s it should be it was like a dead 1.4 atmosphere horse. They changes in the dealership 2 electro valves as they said in both turbo and compression. That fixed the problem. But over 2 weeks now i am experiencing it again on random occasions specialy under load when i try to overtake for example or accelerate from a stop etc. They said that my last ecu reports a "overspeed" error and they are trying to blame my driving style for this that i have pushed beyond its limits the car!!! Which is stupid. Its a cypra a sport car made to be driven when needed a bit fast. And for god shake i am not driving it like i am in a race and 4 years now i never had this problem! Also they are trying to blame the very hot weather sometimes 38c - 40c and generally because they can't find what is going on they are getting on my nurves. Please do you have any experience on that issue, any known parts that had failed that can cause my problems??? You are my last hope. Thanks a lot!

Is there anyway to test the Electronic valve on your compressor? Or test the compressor as a whole?

Is it possible to have low refrigerant and NOT have a leak? Is the ac system a 100% sealed system or not?

you spoke briefly about different types of clutches on a/c compressors. I cant find anything explaining the operation of these that look engaged all the time. are they non-magnetic? What is the principle behind them? Can you troubleshoot their operation without a vag-com? Any help would be appreciated.

I put the new solenoid in the compressor. The Air is blowing 35 degrees now. I was very happy this worked. then the gf decided to get in a car accident. hopefully there was no damage done to the ac parts.

So my fiance has a 2008 Beetle. The compressor center does not spin by hand and the center spins with the engine. The coolant light also comes on on a hot day and the engine retards power. Then fan does not come on either. Either with the A/C on or while thw engine is running with A/C off. All the fuses check good. When I look up the 2008 it shows 2 fans and the fan control module under the battery.... Her car has one fan and an aluminum box the fan plugs into. Really don't want to take it to the dealer. Any help is appreciated

Just had my AC fail few days ago on Audi A4 '04 (232.000km on the clock, (145.000 miles) ). Ran the vag com on it, all measuring blocks seem fine, G280 current is around 0.65A, duty cycle little under 70%, visco turns on, all interior airflow flaps are operating properly. But pressure on G65 sensor always stays the same, doesn't rise at all - does this indicate bad compressor? It did make a lot of rattly noise, but only when it was OFF (it wasn't louder then engine (1.9 tdi) ) . I am tempted to check on pulley, not sure is there anything that can wear out on it so it spins freely (saw some vw compressors have splined shafts that tend to eat splines on pulley side which results in pulley spinning freely). About 50.000 km ago, i had one ac hose (one going from receiver/dryer to compressor) repaired (rubber part of it). Someone who worked on car before didn't install retain clip for the hose, and it was floating freely and rubbing against front anti roll bar bushing bolt, eventually it was punctured - at that point i had most of o-rings on ac system replaced with OEM ones and installed new orifice tube, and due to bad inital diagnostics (by a shop!) had condenser replaced too. Btw i will diy this, same as with the hose (last time punched hose did the job of "evacuation", and later on i charged the system in a shop).

Hi Charles, could you point me in the right direction to a link/page that sells the valve/solenoid for the compressor on a 2002 beetle 2.0? I've only been able to find the valve for newer models (2006-2010). Thanks in advance.

Wish there was a replacement clutch for the compressor instead of having to buy the whole compressor mine has a bad sealed bearing on the pully prob a 4 dollar bearing my ac blow ice cold but pully is noisey and prob gonna seize soon so now i have to buy a 300 compressor plus whatever it costs to recharge it iv owned two vw jettas one a 98 2.0 and a 02 1.8 and they both have had this issue sux because i dont even use the ac

hot and then cold AC and it makes a gasping noise upon going cold and back to hot. Can you help?

Failed parts. I have a 2010 Passat Komfort Sedan 2.0t. Had all coils, plugs replaced 2 months ago and check engine light still on. Codes are p0300, 01, 02, 03 & 04. Now my EPC light came on and also code p2187. Any advice on how to pinpoint if it's a faulty vacuum hose vs. Bad coils or intake manifold failure?

I've been struggling with very very similar problem with my Audi A3 2010 HVAC since it went for the 60k(I guess) km periodic service. As soon as I took the car from the Audi dealership, grabbed the phone and called right away to say that was more than 30Cº outside and the car just did not cooled the cabin like before. Just didn’t made cood as before and could not cooled me inside the cabin. They regassed it, adjusted the vents, improved but was never like before. I live in Southern Europe and in Summer I get 40Cº days and this car when was brand new refreshed the cabin in 2 minutes of A/C working. Just from the start of the engine, even before it got to operating temperature, against what Audi technicians say (BS from them). Can a bad service ruin the solenoid or compressor ? I don’t know if this is my exact problem, but I should try it. Do any of you have the same problme as me and solved it replacing this solenoid ? PS :What makes me mad is that Audi technicians just don’t know how to diagnose this and they just replace the all compressor unit. They should be the first ones to know what’s wrong with the car. Thanks a lot you guys for letting this out to other people.

My compression clutch is spinning but not cold, it was working fine this morning and suddenly it jus started blowing warmer nd warmer.. 2006 vw passat 2.0T

My 2006 beetle ac compressor is on but does not circulate the gas. The gauge doesn’t go down. Please help. Thanks

Hi humble mechanic, I have a 2011 q7 3.0t the solenoid in the compressor is getting power but the clutch is not engaging , I put a wrench on the bolt in front of the clutch and the compressor only turns about one full turn and then it stops I turn it the other way almost a full turn and it stops, do you think the compressor is bad or by changing the solenoid would fix the problem?

Perfect timing. My 06 Golf TDI BEW AC compressor just gave up this year. aftetr 310K miles. I'll not bitch too much. it did it's part.

How do you take the pulley off?

I have a problem in my Mk4. I just can't seem to turn the A/C on. It has normal A/C (no Climatronic) and when I press the A/C button, the button does not stay pressed nor does the light turn on. All other HVAC controls are working fine (including internal fan, heat and recirculation). The recirculation button does stay pressed and the recirculation light also turns on, if I set it to windshield (demist), the recirculation button automatically pops out, as it should. Can anybody help me with this issue? The A/C button does not nothing when I press it.

hi.. i have an eos 2009..my ac is blowing but its blowing hot air then later it will be cold then hot again like its deciding on its own..what do you think is the problem? tnx

2011 Golf - AC sometimes not blowing cold, and a rattle/clicking is coming from the vicinity of the compressor when AC is on. Could this noise indicate a bad clutch, valve, low coolant, or something worse?

When my aircon fan is at low speed the aircon noise seems follow the rev of my engine. I can hear it well especially when the car is slow. What can this reasons be?

what is a tall tale sign of a desicant coming apart in the system? or other metal debris since there is no orifice tube in the system?

mk6 golf seems to be leaking from the gaskets, can you buy them?

i have a question. everytime i turn on my ac i can feel the compressor kicking in. it vibrates alot. any tips as to why?

So my son's Jetta A/C was messing up the mechanic was about to change the compressor so I told him to pay special attention to the compressor valve after some arguing back and forth he agreed with me. turns out I was correct I saved myself $400.00 and change + problem solved. btw the mechanic wasn't trying to screw with me he was of the impression that the compressor and the valve are a single unit, in fact, he told me that in most modern cars that's the case.

I have a 2016 Polo 1.2 6C, I never had issues with the AC but my water pump was leaking so the car dealership replaced the water pump and timing belt, but now I have AC issues, does the AC run off the same pulleys and belts as the water pump?

I HAVE A VW BEETLE 2015, WITH STUCK CLUTCH, NO COOL AIR, ANY TIPS, THANKS...

Hello, I have a 2005 Audi A8L 4.2 Quattro. My air conditioning works intermittently. On a highway drive, it will work for 45 minutes and then decrease in output. Sometimes, it's really cold, and other times it's not. There is a code showing for 01232 "N280 regulating valve for compressor of air conditioning system" (short to ground). Can I replace this valve without evacuating the a/c system? I've already had my mechanic replace the G65 High pressure sensor (which it previously set a code for) but the a/c is still intermittent.

Hello humble, do you have anything on a 2008 vw beetle AC ... I took it too different ac mechanics and still the same thing!!!! Ac works and then just blow hot wait a while and then starts blowing cold again and back to hot and back to cold... can you help?????

Hi, where can I buy Control valve? I asked people in Deutsche Parts-DOY-chuh, haven't got it. Can you help, thanks

Do I need to take out the freeon to replace the solenoid?

the clutch on my ac compressor broke, I guess that's normal wear and tear on a 13' CCTA engine at 120k idk

Nice video! Can you please do a video (or reply via comment) on how to see if the receiver/dryer is the problem? Thanks in advance. (More detail: I'm very tempted to just have a shop evacuate the refrigerant and try replacing the AC compressor solenoid myself, since it's just a $20 part on Amazon, with good reviews, and there's now a very easy "how to" video on this on youtube, "How to save $1200 dollars on your Volkswagen AC Repair. VW A/C Hack!!!!". Seems worth trying, before paying $1200 to have the entire compressor replaced. )

I have a 2002 Jetta TDI since new and it still blows 3C on high fan.

I replace my compressor on my passat 2.0t 06 ....I turn on my ac while on the road and my car shuts off ..I bought a new battery.......what can it be??????

Other than I push my AC Button and I don't get cold air.. how do I troubleshoot that it's the solenoid switch?

Go to www.aapak.com, we have a big selection on these Volkswagen compressor control valves

I have a 99 Jetta 2.0 non turbo and on my AC Compressor the clutch itself is not even on the compressor at all. I had a friend check the compressor out and from what the 2 of us can figure is that I just need to replace the clutch. Is that an easily performed fix?

OH COME ON! You couldn't have made this 2 months ago? :( i just replaced mine.

Hi ..recently i have replaced my car compressor for Skoda Octavia ii , Sanden clutch less compressor and condenser .. my bad is after changing this also the AC is not working.. when i scanned using VCDS i found a strange thing ,, compressor shutoff code is 0 , no AC errors. But compressor current (Actual) is showing empty , But compressor current (Specified) is 0.820A ? what would be the problem ? please help.

Don't know if someone shared but i checked this year and now valve is available at dealer.

My Tiguan 2018 with 81000km the A/C stop working,after troubleshooting at VW they replaced the compressor 1400$ pain in the ass.German car is good to drive but is very expensive to repair it.My next car will be from Japan.

How can I identify my compressor. It has no tags on it.

Mine just stalls the engine if I plug it in. I guess the clutch is screwed

@5:36 Mine sounds like a cross between a cat purring and a Marge Simpson 'annoyed' sound.

Mines still going strong at 17 years old

Anyone know where to get compressor pistons?

my compressor still works but is making a bunch of grinding noise