I try to turn on the AC but the light flashes three times and goes out with no cold air coming out. The book says this is normal when the outside temperture is below 40 degrees F. Its 80 outside.

Asked by Darlene Aug 03, 2015 at 09:25 PM about the 2009 GMC Acadia SLE-1 FWD

Question type: General

The air conditioner is not coming on when I push the button. The light flashes three times
and goes out. The owners book says this is normal when the outside temperature is
below 40 F. Im in norhern california and its 80 outside. Is this a major problem?

48 Answers

69,965

check/hight/low pressure switch..bypass it if it come on add a can of freon

58 people found this helpful.
690

Hay Kelly where is that pressure switch located I can’t seem to find it

55 people found this helpful.
460

David, did you locate where the switch is? I’m currently trying to diagnose the same thing

21 people found this helpful.
460

blue circle is the low pressure charge port. Green arrow is pointing under compressor where 2 wire sensor is. Red circle is a 3 or 4 wire sensor on the side of compressor. After work tomorrow, I’m going to jack up the car and try the 2 wire switch. The pic they used isn’t the correct one for the 2011 Acadia

25 people found this helpful.
690

Yes I found it and it’s a 3 wire connector so I didn’t try the bypass and I did replace it but still have the same problem maybe yourll have better luck

14 people found this helpful.
1,180

Hey guys, I recently had the same problem. My GMC Acadia ac will flash three times and went off when I tried to turn the AC on. Well, I just put freon and it's fine now. Bought a can from Walmart and did it myself. Make sure to have the one with the gauge to ensure proper charging. Try it!

71 people found this helpful.
430

@GuruY6Fc If the compressor isn't kicking on, how are you adding freon? I've tried my experience is that if you don't force the compressor on for the 1st can it won't kick on.

43 people found this helpful.
190

I’m having the same issue and we Added Freon and still didn’t fix the problem. Anyone have any luck? Could this be a recall

19 people found this helpful.
270

I am having the exact same issue. GM says there is a leak? I am not sure. I only have 48,000 miles on this vehicle, this should not be happening...

27 people found this helpful.
530

Same issue here. Has anyone found something that works? It doesn’t do it every time, but it’s becoming more frequent. When it happens, my engine temperature gauge is also not working. Just drops to 160, but when it does register a temp it’s a perfect 210. I’ve only had my Acadia 3 months, should not be having issues already! I did buy this car used, but is a 2016 so I expected better. I have an appointment with my mechanic on Thursday, but curious if anyone else found a solution?

53 people found this helpful.
1,180

Hi guys, I had the same problem. First, I added freon and it was fine for a couple of months. Then it went again. Found out that the valve was leaking slowly. Replaced the valve and added freon and it's perfectly fine now.

47 people found this helpful.
230

guruy6fc, what valve? we have the same problem

23 people found this helpful.
250

Eileen I had the same problem yesterday! I just brought my 2016 in to have it checked out. This morning it was working fine. I agree...too soon to be having issues!

10 people found this helpful.
250

Just picked up my car. Apparently, it was a thermostat sensor.

15 people found this helpful.
920

Hi, we are having the same problem with our 2014 Acadia. The AC light will flash 3x, then the temp gauge drops down to the lowest point. In addition, the check engine light is solid orange and the fan (engine fan, I think?) runs constantly. Yesterday, it hesitated to start and sputtered a few times. Today we have it being serviced at the dealer. I will update when we hear from the service dept. For what it's worth, we live in Western PA and the temps have been in the 80s here.

51 people found this helpful.
920

Update: our Acadia needed a new coolant sensor. $153 completed at the dealer.

41 people found this helpful.
200

Is the coolant sensor and thermostat sensor the same sensor??

20 people found this helpful.
330

I paid $6.12 for ambient temperature sensor on Amazon because it read 55 degress outside when it was 80 degrees that was the cause of my flashing ac button but you have to take off the bumper cover to get to it.which took me 1 hour to do

33 people found this helpful.
240

There is a issue with these vehicals. The liquid line from the condenser to compressor likes to rupture. Second time on this car. The line is short and kinks and breaks after so many repetitions.

24 people found this helpful.
360

I’m willing to bet it’s everyones ambient temperature sensor. If this is going bad it won’t allow your ac to work because it confuses the car as to what is the actual temperature. There for it can’t regulate the in cabin temperature. Good luck.

25 people found this helpful.
210

Same problem but my outside temp is correct so I dont think the ambient temperature sensor is bad. Is there a way to bypass the pressure switch from the relay?

21 people found this helpful.
360

Yes you have to jump it by hardwiring it not recommend to do so but it’s possible.

11 people found this helpful.
140

I have been having the same issue. I bought my 2010 nearly a year ago and have been trying to get this issue taken care of but no luck as of yet. I have replaced the ambient temp sensor as well as the connector. I have a new in-cabin sensor but I can't seem to get a location so I can replace it. My outside temp controls wether the ac comes on and the reading fluctuates (wildly at times). I feel that mine could be a loose connection because the temperature usually changes in response to the position of the vehicle. (going up hill or down) or sudden stops or taking curves too fast. I'm at a loss...

14 people found this helpful.
110

I’m having the same issue 2011 Buick Enclave. I had my air conditioning fixed last summer, had a leak is what I was told it worked for s few days then has been blinking since then . It’s been in the 70 and 80’s lately. I bought ac charge but compressor won’t even kick in

11 people found this helpful.
70

I'm having the same issue in my 2007 Saturn outlook. It was working 2 weeks ago and just stop working. Can anybody tell me what to change or do.

7 people found this helpful.
80

I am having same problem with my2015 arcade after reading everyone's response I believe it is a recall . two weeks ago it happened thought it was battery replaced after it was working now it happened again .hate to put more money out on this!

8 people found this helpful.
260

Hey there everyone I was looking for an answer to my problem with my 2014 Buick Enclave with 110850 miles on it. This car runs great but just 4 days ago my wife said she stopped the car while shopping and when she returned with her friends and started the car the A/C light flashed 3x and went off, she tried this several times and she had no air in 95˚ temp. But when she stopped to drop one of her friends off she turned the car off to go into her house and get a cold drink and came out about 30 min later and started the car and the A/C worked just as good as ever. So now if it stops working she just continues to start and restart until it does continue to run.

26 people found this helpful.
220

I need some answer if some one can provider. I have a 2011 Acadia. We thought it might have been the ambient sensor because it was also blinking 3 times and has been doing that for about 3 months now. We just replaced the ambient sensor tonight and still hasn't fixed the problem. It won't suck freont either. We have hardwired tested and the compressor works. could there be another sensor and or AC pump that?

22 people found this helpful.
80

Don't bother trying to do this yourself. I nearly ruined my system adding a can of freon. R134 freon has such low tolerance for error you're better off taking it to a professional. Its not very expensive to get tested. Try replacing a compressor and then youre out some money.

8 people found this helpful.
10

I have the same problem in my 2010 gmc Acadia slt The GMC dealer told me was leak in one of the lines.

1 people found this helpful.
190

I have a 2009 GMC Acadia. The recycle button would blink when I pushed it for a few months and was acting weird. Would turn off by itself sometimes and I would have to push it again. Then the ac stopped getting cold. We put freon but didn't fix. The compressor wouldn't turn on. Went to get a diagnostic test at an ac place. Said I need to replace the control module for the air conditioner. IT is basically the buttons (nobs) that control the ac. GMC wanted $318 for just the part so I found it for $218 at "The Parts House" here in Jacksonville FL. Got it in an hour and took car to GMC to fix because no one else can fix. The part has to be programmed and GMC is only one allowed or who has the technology to program it. They charged me $250 labor to fix it.

9 people found this helpful.
190

After paying for all of that, my ac is still broken. I told GMC not to do a diagnostic test because the other shop did and told me the issue. So I paid all of that for nothing. Now I added $160 to pay for GMC to do a diagnostic test because the other people were obviously wrong. They say it is the condenser leaking and that is $864. Looks like I will be hot for a while longer. Just paid over $500 to fix nothing. So frustrating! Not sure how 3 different repair shops come up with 3 different diagnosis? Really hoping GMC is right because the other 2 were wrong. I guess. Who knows really? Sorry, I thought I was helping you figure out your issue. Instead, I found my own.

10 people found this helpful.
70

I have a 2011 buick enclave and having the same problem we tried Freon 2 years ago and it didnt do anything and I'm sick of no a.c. but I dis some reserch to figure out how I can figure 9ut whats going on with out being out a couple grand if you get an electric tester you can pull you fuse and use the tester to see if the fuse is getting power in and out of the fuse so you have an idea of were to start looking ... Motor or cab. And their is a manual fuse you can put in it and switch it on and off to test you compresser to make shure uts working and go from their I haven't done this yet but will this week. Also if you add Freon its gotta be 9n the money 100% or it won't kick the compressor at all. You can get a guage and do it your self if the gauge is dead on but prolly better off having a shop fill it no sense in being out time and money for somepthing that could be that simple.

7 people found this helpful.
30

im having the same issue with my a\c we just bought it not even a month ago, ugg so frustrating.

3 people found this helpful.
130

When your AC light is blinking a few times and then turning off. It's because the system has too low pressure from what is most likely a leak, or more than one. The pressure sensors detect this low pressure (or low gas charge pressure basically), and keeps the compressor from turning on. Disables it until it sees enough gas pressure.

13 people found this helpful.
290

I have read through all of these headaches and will tell you my symptoms. 2010 Acadia by the way. Our AC was not working very well for a while, but put up with it until it quit working a day or two ago. I figured the Refrigerant would fix the problem, but while trying to add it, I got a lot of the same issues stated above. AC light will blink and not stay on, compressor will not run, or will run intermittent (off and on cycle every few seconds, which is very common with low refrigerant), but once I hooked the gauge on and got the compressor to cycle, I found that it would bump up to green and then drop down suddenly and turn off... compressor turns on again and the gauge goes to green and drops down again. This gave me a clue. Thought maybe battery was getting week and could not run the compressor once power applied, but watched the dash volt meter and it did drop somewhat when the compressor turns on, but not below 14.5V, which should be plenty. Now my wheels are turning about what could cause this and think about how it was working sometimes, but not good, then it started to turn into the compressor will sometimes kick in and cycle frequently, the gauge on my coolant will spike good (but then drop suddenly when the compressor kicks in), and the car alternator will also drop voltage when the compressor kicks in, but not below a good charging. My thought now is the serpentine belt. It may not be the fix for all above, but much cheaper than most ideas here and makes sense when the AC kicks on that the draw for tension on that unit increases and slips (thus causing the spike in AC good - to dropping out of range). Also not able to add coolant because it is in the green zone when the compressor runs normal, but also not able to add coolant when the belt slips and the compressor stops (also the reason for the 3 blink lights of the AC not working). Had a similar issue with my GMC pickup and tried coolant first, but ended up being the belt slipping. Learn from your mistakes and keep a mental note of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I know how easy it is to spend a lot of money thinking that you have a MAJOR problem, and find out (after 3 service repair shops already charged you hundreds of dollars) to fix what does not get fixed. If you do bring it into a repair place, just act stupid and say that you think you need a new belt. If they are the ones that diagnose overboard... and charge you for a lot of things that did not fix it, you can always say "I told you, I thought it was the damn belt". Anyway, my best diagnosis and cheapest idea that was not mentioned above is to get good drive to all components and this is ALL done through the serpentine belt (which will slip when it gets old)(like us all)).

16 people found this helpful.
290

Few clarifications. I do not have any fluctuation of my temp sensor or coolant temp. Also when I tired to add refrigerant, when the compressor kicked in, That is when it read good, but after about 5 seconds it would gradually drop down to the point that the compressor turned off. I have seen this many times when low on refrigerant and the cycle of the compressor would gradually turn to ON all the time when the pressure got to a good level. This is not happening and also will not take any of the refrigerant from my can... so my thought of the serpentine belt, but have to tell you that this was NOT the fix. Now I am stuck at the same point as everyone else and I cannot get the compressor to come on at all and the AC light will just blink 3 times and then go out. So... I am not done, but I am not fixed either. Hope I did not mislead anyone with the belt idea, because it did not fix me.

11 people found this helpful.
180

Came here looking for an answer to the same problem as everybody stated. A/C button flashing, compressor won't engage, etc. Never dreamed there'd be so many people with the same problem. Mine is a 2016 Acadia, BTW. Looks like GM should issue a recall if the problem is that prevelant!! Have mine at Chevy dealer now getting checked. I'll post a follow up with what they tell me is wrong and the the fix (and the price...lol)

18 people found this helpful.
10

Kevin... or Anyone ... have you fixed this problem???? Please help!! Now my check engine light comes on and my car has been having trouble starting. I just know in my gut it’s all related. Plus my temp gauge is LOW LOW and some kind of fan keep running for. A few minutes after the car stops. When it’s really hot, it been over 100.. I can sometimes get the ac to work after shutting off the car and opening and closing the door ( I think I’m resetting the computer somehow) but it won’t stay running! I put $2000 into this already at the dealership, and now they want over $5,000 I thought I’d trade it in... but they will only give me $8,000 for my car because they say they know how much work it needs. The middle KBB at 15,000 and I owe 17,000. I’m so far upside down because of this mechanical issue.

1 people found this helpful.
70

GM won't issue a recall. costs them to much money.their motto is let buyer beware, you are buying from GM.

7 people found this helpful.
90

I had the same ac light blinking but I noticed it was mainly when I turn on the ac on the rear. Shortly after doing so, the compressor would stop and no more cold air. Everything was fine: refrigerant, pressure levels, relay, fuse ... etc. Resolved the issue by replacing the rear expansion valve. Hope it helps!

9 people found this helpful.
20

My 2014 Enclave is quite simply the worst car I have ever owned. Every 5000 miles, there is a mechanical failure and almost always things that never go wrong in a vehicle. Banging in the front end, leak in the power steering box (estimate was $1,900 to fix but got help from Buick center as car had 61k miles of course), exhaust uncoupled, brakes every 8000 miles, another front end problem within 5k miles of first 2k repair...and now the flashing AC issue. What a piece of crap- it pains me to buy foreign but I made the mistake of buying a Ford Expedition back in the day, and was disabled/towed back to dealer 4 times in under 18k miles. So tired of dealing with bs repairs on this Buick. I can't wait to trade in this rolling junkyard.

2 people found this helpful.

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