A/C compressor only works with help

Hey, quite often when my 2000 ZX2 sits out in the sun all day and I turn the A/C on it will not run the compressor but I have found out that if I open the hood and take a broom stick and push on the four round knobs on front of compressor 2-3 times it will kick on and continue running the rest of the time while running, so I have no idea what I need to do as far as replacing the compressor or clutch or what?

Thanks, Jim

CCRM is highly suspect (computer controlled relay module)

What he said. Or it could be excessive wear on the compressor clutch driven hub. In other words the air gap is too great due to wear and the coil wont pull it in.
What you can do is measure the gap with feeler gauges, compare your reading with OEM specs for you car. If the gap exceeds the limit then remove the center nut from the driven hub and using a puller remove the hub. There should be a shim or shims on the shaft. May have to remove them with a magnet. Then reinstall the hub without any shims and recheck the gap. If it falls into spec then install the retaining nut and start car and check clutch operation. If there's more than one shim you might have to play with it,trial and error till you get the gap close to spec. Also,and maybe prior to any work since this is easier, check the available voltage to the clutch coil.
I hope this is of some help to you. I've saved many clutches by doing this. I've found at times the clutch assy is more $$ than the complete compressor itself.
But nowhere near as cheap as a broomstick!

Oh cool, don't know about the CCRM, seems like it wouldn't work at all if electrical so for now I think I will try to find the specs and check the gap and use the broomstick on these hot humid days. :runaround:

I'm not dismissing brcidd's suggestion at all because I'm not familiar with this particular car. I do know that the pcm controls a relay that closes the circuit to energize the clutch coil. If that relay isn't working the clutch wont pull in if you had hit it with a hammer! Since it does I say again to check the available voltage to the clutch coil. If it is acceptable then check the air gap between the clutch hub and the pulley. If found in excess to spec the gap can be decreased by doing what I said and remove the shim. May also help to use a little 80 grit paper on the mating surfaces while you have it apart. Just to clean up and remove the high spots. If you can pull this off you can use the broom stick for a hood prop stick. Also makes a better impression on any dates you might be entertaining!

It's there room to measure the gap with the compressor installed in place?

Yes there is plenty of room, but I finally found my Haynes manual and don't see any specs for the air gap in it. I don't have any idea where I can find that information and have been googleing it with no luck as of yet.

That's way beyond the scope of a Haynes manual. You'd probably have to check the OEM's specifications. I'd say between .014" and .030" .

Oh good, thanks so much, I will give it a try.

Hi, just an update and a thanks to those that replied with helpful ideas. I finally got my tools out and checked the air gap, I just checked with a .022 feeler gauge and it was very sloppy and I never did add any more to see what it actually was but when I took it apart there was only 1 spacer in there and it was .045 thick so I took it out and stuck the .022 gauge back in and it was a perfect fit. It has now been a couple of hot days and has not failed to start, so hopefully I can go back to using that broomstick for clearing out the chute on my two stage snow blower this Winter when it clogs up with heavy snow! :grinyes: