edit: just read the third post

 

edit: just read third post

 

bump-ity-bump-bump

just need to know:
what the hell is a condenser fan?
where is it located (condenser or fan location acceptable)?
is it nessacary in order for the a/c to blow cold?
where would a short be that is causing the fuse to blow?
and what is the part number for the fan, or do I need a whole new condenser?

please help me, its my daily driver and it gets very hot round these parts, I get cooked everytime i go for a drive (black interior). Thanx in advance.

 

The condener fan is one of the electric fans behind the radiator. On the early cars it's the one on the passenger side but I'm not sure about the later cars. Both fans help remove heat from the condenser which is a radiator looking thing that sits in front of the engine radiator (they are back to back). If one of the fans isn't working then the less heat will be removed from the condenser which will decrease the effectiveness of the A/C (especially in traffic when the car isn't moving much). So the A/C may still work but poorly with one fan down. With the engine cold, you might try rotating the fan by hand just to see if it turns freely. If not, a siezed motor may be causing the fuse to blow and you would need to replace the fan. If it does turn freely then you may very well have a short somewhere. You might also check that the proper fuse value is being used.

 

thanks much Mike!

jusr to clarify: the car is a 1983 944

Me and my dad tested the fans directly from the battery to make sure they both worked, so I'm guessing that there is a short somewhere in the cable that goes to the fan. The fuse value is 16 amp, specified in the owners manual, that is the fuse I am using, so its not that. I will likely end up looking at it tomorrow to see if I can determine where the short is. If not, then its off to a shop for diagnostic work and a recharge.

BTW, how do you check for proper compressor operation, like, to see if its turning on when I turn the switch in the cabin on, and also, where and how do I check the refigerent level?

thanks again!

 

With the hood up, just watch the pulley on the compressor when you turn it on. The center portion of the pulley should rotate. You'll see what I mean if you have someone turn it on and off a couple times while you watch. If you don't see any changes then the compressor is not turning on. If so this may mean that you have lost too much freon and the low pressure cut-off switch is doing it's job to prevent compressor siezing (oil is mixed with the freon so if low freon, low oil). The early 944's have a dryer with a sight glass that will help with freon filling. It is located just behond the driver side headlight assembly (look down behind it). When using R-12, the rule was fill until you don't see any more bubbles in the sight glass. With R-134 I don't think you can go by this anymore - there will always be bubbles. A good A/C tech would use gages anyway and not rely on the sight glass.

 

thanks again man!

had my bro turn the a/c on today after installing a fresh fuse and starting the car. Sure enough, looking under the hood, I saw that the drivers side fan comes on high, passenger fan starts to come on then cuts out just as quickly when the fuse pops. I did not see the compressor do anything different than normal so I am guessing it is out or very low on freon, and I didnt see anything moving past the sight glass. I couldnt trace the passenger fan wire far enough to find a short, so I am bringing it in to Curry's auto service in Chantilly tomorrow to have them A:figure out the fan problem, B:check my system for leaks, C:have them clean out any mold that might have grown in the system from being out of use for so long, and D:recharging the system with r12 once all that other crap is worked out.

Thanx again for the help Mike, at least I go in armed with some knowledge.

 

Hope it isn't too expensive. Good luck.