A/C blowing fuse

Just got the air charged and working well when 3 days later it began to blow the 10 amp fuse in the engine bay. Anybody have an idea what would cause that kind of electrical draw in this system?

It will work in a low fan setting for about 20 seconds then blows the fuse.

Just got the air charged and working well when 3 days later it began to blow the 10 amp fuse in the engine bay. Anybody have an idea what would cause that kind of electrical draw in this system?

It will work in a low fan setting for about 20 seconds then blows the fuse.
Seized compressor?

Seized compressor?


I don't think so. It will work great for a few seconds to a couple of minutes, never consistant. I was thinking maybe the clutch might be involved but I'm not sure. I need to look over the wiring diagram. Thanks for the suggestion. :smile:

The fuse is likely ahead of a relay that gets energized to pull in the A/C clutch. I would look for a grounding problem on this relay or, maybe more likely, on the compressor body or clutch itself. A lot of A/C systems have only the 12 V wire going to the clutch and they count on grounding through the compressor. You might even clip a wire temporarily from the compressor body to the frame to see if it keeps the fuse from blowing.

Do you have access to a digital multimeter that reads up to 10 Amps? (you can get a cheapy at Harbor Freight $5 or less). You can measure the actual current the clutch is drawing by putting the leads across the blown fuse (there are contacts on top of the fuse). The meter will complete the circuit. You may blow the fuse in the meter if the current is real high but it ought to stand up to 12 Amps or so for a minute or two and it won't take you that long to get a reading.

Let us know what you find.

JWS
'99 LSE 4WD

Good info. I'll try it out today. Thanks! :smokin: