A/C light flashes when I turn it on then goes off.

[Jessica19699]

Hello CAC world it's been awhile since I have posted anything, well since my last post I have sold my C4 corvette and bought a C5 1998 so far I love the car but I noticed an issue when I test drove this car the A/C light when I pressed it started flashing then turned off it was pretty cold out that day also we had some snow so I told the guy at the dealership if they can fix the A/C I will buy the car because at that time I didn't know if it was broke or something else was wrong "the digital readout is also very dim on the HVAC control module which I heard is common with C5's" the dealership said he will have his guy look at it and he told me a day later that the actuator was bad and they replaced it and it was working fine, I test drove it again and yes it did work perfect, since that time a little over a week ago from buying it I have not used the heat or A/C it is winter time and I don't drive the car much as of now, so today I got in it and started it up and thought I would test it out well the A/C button started flashing again and shut off I did some reading on this and found something that said the A/C wont engage with the outside air being below like 38/40 degrees Fahrenheit the button will flash like that until the outside temp is above 40 f does anyone know if there is any truth to this, it is currently 34 f here now so until it is above 40 I can't test this theory myself but thought I would reach out to see if this was a true statement or if the guy that told me he had it fixed just made a temp fix to sell me the car, and in that case I would be highly upset because I told him I would only buy it if the A/C worked I had huge issues with my C4 A/C that is one reason I sold it, thanks in advance

 

[Otter]

Hello CAC world it's been awhile since I have posted anything, well since my last post I have sold my C4 corvette and bought a C5 1998 so far I love the car but I noticed an issue when I test drove this car the A/C light when I pressed it started flashing then turned off it was pretty cold out that day also we had some snow so I told the guy at the dealership if they can fix the A/C I will buy the car because at that time I didn't know if it was broke or something else was wrong "the digital readout is also very dim on the HVAC control module which I heard is common with C5's" the dealership said he will have his guy look at it and he told me a day later that the actuator was bad and they replaced it and it was working fine, I test drove it again and yes it did work perfect, since that time a little over a week ago from buying it I have not used the heat or A/C it is winter time and I don't drive the car much as of now, so today I got in it and started it up and thought I would test it out well the A/C button started flashing again and shut off I did some reading on this and found something that said the A/C wont engage with the outside air being below like 38/40 degrees Fahrenheit the button will flash like that until the outside temp is above 40 f does anyone know if there is any truth to this, it is currently 34 f here now so until it is above 40 I can't test this theory myself but thought I would reach out to see if this was a true statement or if the guy that told me he had it fixed just made a temp fix to sell me the car, and in that case I would be highly upset because I told him I would only buy it if the A/C worked I had huge issues with my C4 A/C that is one reason I sold it, thanks in advance

FWIW, my 2001 Z06 does the same in cold weather. Have had it 4 years and never had any issues with the AC not working in the summer. Also, my digital readout on the HVAC fades in and out, when not working, I tap on it and occasionally it comes back on. Figured I would pull it out this summer and check connections, in my eyes, it seems like a flakey connection somewhere, due to age. Note this is my experience, seems to tie in with yours re: flashing AC, but it could be something else is the issue..I'm no expert

 

[T G]

The AC is outside temp driven and will not come on when very cold outside. Try again when it's warmer.

 

[Jessica19699]

FWIW, my 2001 Z06 does the same in cold weather. Have had it 4 years and never had any issues with the AC not working in the summer. Also, my digital readout on the HVAC fades in and out, when not working, I tap on it and occasionally it comes back on. Figured I would pull it out this summer and check connections, in my eyes, it seems like a flakey connection somewhere, due to age. Note this is my experience, seems to tie in with yours re: flashing AC, but it could be something else is the issue..I'm no expert

Otter since this post the flashing A/C button was because there was multiple leaks in the fittings the car dealer honered their words and fixed the a/c as of now it is working good as for the dim lighting readout on the HVAC unit i read that it is common for these units to fade out based on age like you had said, the solder joints get weak and need to be re-soldered so i took mine out and (unless you are good with soldering yourself )they have companies i found on EBAY that will fix these dimmed lights by adding all new LED bulbs and repair any broken buttons for a fee i sent mine out and paid 100 bucks the turn around was a few days and it works great now its all nice and bright the unit is only mounted with two screws and one electrical connection in the back, just an fyi

 

[Jessica19699]

The AC is outside temp driven and will not come on when very cold outside. Try again when it's warmer.

Tool Guy, thanks for the reply since i have posted this i have learned exactly what you are saying everything is in good working order now