94 Passat A/C Gremlins

[sayu]

I've got some strange things happening with my AC. Just bought this car and the AC didn't work. Checked the pressure, and it had plenty of freon. Figured either the compressor was bad or maybe a fuse.

I read online (here I think) about some other challenges with these AC units, something about the vacuum line. Sure enough mine was disconnected, which I connected.

Still no AC. When I move the position dial, everything all the various pathways seem to work.

So I forget about it for awhile. Then Monday I'm just turning on the fan to low #1 position --- and I can hear the compressor kick in. Not that I'm trying to turn the AC on mind you, just using the fan. What's even stranger, is that when I move the fan position to any other position #2, #3 or #4 the AC compressor stops working.

Now I've got an AC that seems to work --- but only in low fan mode. So I'm busy driving around, running the AC in low fan mode, then turning up the fan for a couple minutes while the cold air slowely get warmer, then go back to low to recharge the cold again.

Strange, but I'm actually smiling. At least my compressor's not toast.

Then WHAM! ----- the next day the #1 position quits working. NADA, ZIP, DEAD.

NOt being an electrical engineer, nor do I have any testing equipment left since I moved overseas, then came back again.

Anyone got any IDEAS???

[veedubmechanic]

sounds like maybe fan switches are bad.

[sayu]

But all 4 fan positions seem to work fine.

Someone else told me that it probably just needs to be recharged. Then someone else came in with someting similar but removing all the old AC charge, and recharging from scratch.

Don't know about those, since I've already tried to recharge using only the home kit and system seems to be charged.

Thanks for your reply.

[veedubmechanic]

[quote=sayu]
Then WHAM! ----- the next day the #1 position quits working. NADA, ZIP, DEAD.
QUOTE]

Are you sure you dont have the a/c button on or defrost on? the a/c sould work in those positions i believe.