bigrob

My AC does nada when I depress the AC button. It did'nt work when I bought the car. Now with the temps hittin 115 here in Vegas, It would be nice to have it working. I dont even hear any kind of click from the compressor trying to come on. I checked a relay that says AC blower & it is fuctional. Where should I look next?

Thanks!!

Darien

Hi Rob,

I too have an INOP AC system but it's recently due to a bad freon leak. I've checked everything down to my freon is gone.

For a quick test, you can jumper the wires connected to the reciever dryer and see if your compressor starts to spin. If so, you are low or out of freon.

Do you get a light in the AC button when pushed?

Let me know if I can help, maybe we can get both of ours back working

BTW, mine is my daily driver, so you can imagine my situation!

Darien

Pfunde

Add freon or R134, whatever the car is prep'ed for

VehiGAZ

Did you check the fuse while you were checking the relay?

I'm in the same boat - it worked fine on Saturday, but not at all last night while driving home from a 4th BBQ in the rain. I HATE foggy windshields!!! I was able to periodically defrost with pure heat, but that was disgusting.

bigrob

Hi guys, The AC button light does not come on when depressed, although it is always in the daytime & might be tough to see. I have my fuse/relay chart in hand. The relay I checked is labeled A/C Fan. The fuse, which I did not check is labeled A/C condensor fan. This fan is funtional cause when I am driving in the extreme heat, it does come on at times. Lucky for me this is not my daily driver, although it would be if the AC worked. I will try to do the jumper thing to see if the compressor comes onor not!

Much thanks!

Darien, are you north by me? I saw a gray shark like yours at 215 & Alliante Pkwy.

SteveG

It would help if you knew what pressure was in the system. Search dr bob and WallyP, they have posted short step-by-steps that will expain the hierarchy of the A/C system. How long and how much pressure does system hold? If the leak is serious, you probably want to find it and fix it before dumping $$ into the system. If the problem is electrical you need to use the aforementioned search to trouble shoot. Most likely you need to jump the low pressure switch to get it to receive freon.

Alan

Only jump the low pressure switch for a few seconds - enough to see if the compressor clutch kicks in. It will not solve you problem - dont run the compressor with insufficient R12 - it won't get you cold air anyway. This just tells you you are low and need to fix that - and that the rest of the system may be functional. If it is totally empty you will likely need more - new drier, lube, evacuation & refill... mostly AC shop stuff.

OR you can first just test the low pressure switch - is it open circuit (low refrigerant) or closed circuit (OK). If OK - you probably have an electrical issue to debug (or compressor/clutch failure).

Given your AC switch light doesn't come on - I'd dive in the console and check out if the plug is seated on the back of the switch - could just have been knocked off (audio install etc). Otherwise maybe just that the bulb is burned out.

Try the DEF mode of the HVAC - does the compressor kick on - this mode ignores the AC switch and turns the AC on anyway - if this works - its the switch... (BTW the air won't get very cold in this mode)

AC relay to the clutch is another possibility - many write ups on this too. Just check if the signal to the AC clutch works.

Alan

dr bob

You can avoid possible compressor damage during testing by using a multimeter to see if the freon pressure switch is closed. Pull the connector off the pressure switch (on the receiver dryer plumbing, in front of the condenser, passenger side on US cars...), and using the OHMS measurement for continuity, test the terminals of the switch itself, With freon in the syste, it should measure a very low number, like an ohm or three max. If the switch is open (no continuity/high or infinite ohms) it maesn the system doesn't have enough freon in it to run.

Others in your area (I don't want to specifically mention any names...) will share direct recent experience with "just adding freon". There's a reason the ccar is low on freon, and that's because there's a leak that needs to be fixed. The car is now 24 years old, and it's very likely that all the o-rings and seals are originals. Add in the hot conditions and you have a recipe for crispy seals. So before you plop down a $hundred or two for freon that will leak out again, have the o-rings replaced, a new receiver-dryer installed, and have the system evacuated of air and any residual moisture before you put that expensive freon in. Otherwise, in a few days or a few weeks or maybe even a few months, you and your wallet will be reliving the experience and more. Missing freon and no AC is a symptom, not a problem. The problem is leaks.


Of course, you may find that there's freon in the system and all you need is a fuse. Also, if the light in the AC button isn't coming on when pressed, and the fuse is good, it's possible that the little plug on the back of that button has been dislodged. It's pretty easy to do when working on the radio or the AC control head. There are no retainer clips for that connector on my car, just a friction fit.

Alan

Uh yeah - what he said too!

Alan

Darien

Yup, shoot me a PM and we'll get together

As for the light not coming on in the AC button I second Alan's comments. Did you or the PO done any stereo work? There's a connector plug under the AC button that can get bumped unplug very easily.

bigrob

I did put in a new blaupunkt. I will pull it & see about the AC switch & I will try the defrost mode as well...............&, if need be, all esle that everyone suggested!

Once again.........Thanks!!