AC is acting strange, sometimes comes on

[whoamonga]

I have a 2006 Vibe, AT, and a while back I started it up and realized the air wasn't blowing at all. Rotated the switch back and forth, still nothing...Get back in the car later in the day, and it's working! Works for a few weeks, then kaput...Now, it doesn't hardly ever come on. When I hit the switch, I can hear the radiator fan engage, so switch is good. Sometimes when I'm driving down the road and the air is turned on, it will come on. Then usually not work again next time I crank it back up.Any ideas on what I could check?Thanks in advance! My young'ens thank you too!

[Thunderscreech]

Heck yes, debugging my issue I offer the following:1. Turn on A/C2. Open the hood and look at the A/C Compressor. The pulley that drives it (via belt) has an end cap that should be spinning. If the end cap isn't spinning, your A/C clutch isn't engaging (and the compressor then stays off).IF this turns out to be the case, try debugging it via the following:a. Verify the 10a fuse for A/C under your dash isn't burnt out. In my 2003 Vibe, losing this fuse means that the A/C light doesn't come on, so if your light comes on it's probably fine. b. Swap the relay. Under the hood, there's a relay that drives the A/C clutch. It's compatible with the relay for the Fog Lights on my vibe (research yours to make sure this is still true for your model year) and then try again. If the A/C turns on, then you should just need a new relay which ranges from $25-50 I think.It's also possible under this debug chain that the clutch coil has gone out, but I hope that's not the case because it's a huge pain to replace. Mine is out and I'm saving up to fix it.IF, HOWEVER, the end-cap on the pulley for the A/C compressor _IS_ spinning, then it might just be something as dumb as low refrigerant. This is problematic because even if you just recharge it with a $20 WalMart kit (use the one with the pressure gauge to avoid overfilling which is bad mkay) the fact remains that you lost coolant somewhere along the way. If the leak has allowed air or moisture to get into the lines, it will eat away at the compressor until it expensively breaks.Good luck!