Elantra air conditioning and cooling system problem

First thing I'd check is to see if the system has refrigerant. There is a pressure switch that prevents the compressor from running if the charge is low.

To check is a simple thing to do if you have the proper gauges and know how to attach them. In the US, you have to be licensed to work on refrigeration. You may want to take it to a shop that does that sort of work.

You do not indicate the age of the car, but after five years, this is a fairly common problem with auto AC. They are subject to a lot of bouncing around compared to your home units.

Thanks Ed. The Elantra is a 2003 GLS with 170K miles. The air has worked perfectly until now. I'm taking it in today. I just wondered if it sounded like the two issues were related (air not working and engine running hotter).

They're probably related. The ECM disables air conditioning when the engine is overheating. Consider having the car towed. Too much overheating of this engine will cost a cylinder head.

Thanks for the reply. It's in the shop already :-) The overheating was mild and I'm pretty sure I didn't wait too long (but I'll know soon).

Let us know what you find out. Just curious..., is the "shop" a Hyundai dealership?

No, not a dealership. It turned out the thermostat was stuck in the closed position which caused the overheating. Now that there's a new, working thermostat the AC is back to normal. Thanks to everyone who replied.

Excellent. An easy fix. Thanks for providing the follow-up information.