Air Conditioning??

[fantastic]

OK, summer is coming and the a/c doesn't work. When I turn it on I don't here the the compressor clicking on. The engine doesn't make any change like it has an extra load on it either. I am assuming there are fuses and connections to check but I have no idea where they would be. I also don't know if the system needs to be recharged. Any help would be awsome.

Thanks

[fantastic]

Any help?????

[denisond3]

I would assume it has lost much of its charge of freon: R-134. There is a pressure sensor in one of the hoses that prevents the compressor from coming on if the refrigerant pressure isnt high enough - like over 50-75 psi. You can have an a.c. place check the pressure in the system. You dont say what you yours is, but if the car is over 7 or 8 years old, loss of freon is probably more likely than a bad fuse or relay.
One of the relays in the little box under the hood is for the a.c. The lid of the box should tell you which one. You could try another relay, if the freon pressure measures good.
If its has lost its freon, it has probably also lost some of the lubricating oil, so you shouldnt just put freon back in.
You can learn a lot by reading the 'Forums' at www.ackits.com.

[fantastic]

Mine is a 95 2.0sohc with 165000kms on it. What I am thinking is I will check the fuses and connections. If they are in good order I will recharge the system. Does anyone know how much oil to add? I am thinking a little bit but again, I don't have a clue

[fantastic]

OK, I checked the system and it all looks good. I pushed one of the relese valves and nothing came out, well, a one second psssst, thats it. I am going to buy one of the recharge kits and fill the system to see if that works. I will update when I am done doing it.

[das2123]

I think there is an A/C relay as well, might want to make sure its good also.

[fantastic]

Originally Posted by das2123

I think there is an A/C relay as well, might want to make sure its good also.

Hey Folks, sorry its been awhile.

Where would I find the A/C relay?? Also, I got a recharge kit (redtek) and went to recharge the system but only a little bit went in. I'm thinking under a 1/8 of a can. The compressor is now turning on but only for 2 to 3 seconds. It then shuts off for the same amount of time and turns back on again...over and over. No cold air when this happens. Any ideas??

[das2123]

Are you sure it's the compressor kicking on or the radiator fans kicking on?

[denisond3]

I think the a/c relay is in the fuse/relay box beside the battery. The fans usually go on and off at the same time as the compressor - unless the engine is hot enough for them to be running anyway. This makes it hard to tell if the compressor is cycling. To be able to tell if my a.c. compressor was really spinning or not, I put white paint on the end of the compressor where the clutch/drive pulley is. I painted half of it white, including the rim. This way its easy to see if its spinning when the a.c. is on.
If the compressor is cycling every few seconds, it could be very low on refrigerant - and the low pressure switch is shutting it off. This is fairly common. Or it could be a blockage in the tube going into the evaporator resulting in the high pressure cut-off switch turning the compressor off. This would be much less common. If its low on refrigerant it is probably also low on lube oil, and adding just freon could result in the compressor going bad. Adding too much lube oil can damage the compressor too! Thats why you need to have a set of manifold/gauges. Its also the reason only one of our family's several old cars still has a working a.c. - the 97 Neon.
Is it possible you were trying to add the freon to the 'high side' of the system instead of the 'low side'?
To gain knowledge I would recommend you go to www.ackits.com and read the Forums, and the FAQ located in the Forums. At the bottom of the home page is a link called "Compressor Failure - Black Death" that I recommend reading.

[fantastic]

The fans do kick on but I hear the "click" of the compressor. I can also hear the "psssss" sound inside the car that says "the cold air is coming!" but ofcourse no cold

As far as the "high side" "low side", my understanding is the low side is the large hose and the high side is the small one where the port sits on a black canister. ??
I checked the oil with a tester that you get with the kit. It lets you see the colour of the oil. Mine is bright yellow and that is good according to the chart.

Also, it was serviced for a leak in 2006 and r134a was added.

[fantastic]

Well I went to have the system checked and it turns out the system is in great shape, no leaks, just empty. They want $236.00 to recharge...yeah right!!! But now when I turn it on, the fans or A/C don't come on at all. I am thinking the system is shut down due to the no
r134 again. When I attempted to recharge the system before I pulled the fuse to check it and the fans and or the A/C began to run. I am going to pull the fuse again and see if this happens again. If so, it must be how you reset the system.
Has anyone taken the lines off before to check for blockage?? Thats where I'm checking next if this doesn't work.

[fantastic]

Wait...make that $286.00. I just looked at the estimate

[fantastic]

OK, nothing turning on and nothing going in. I am thinking of driving it off a cliff but then I won't have a car

[das2123]

Check the relays.

[fantastic]

Should I just use the relay for the head lights?