A/c Question

[jammastahjay]

well i brought my 94 jeep grand cherokee v8 in to get the a/c serviced because it blows warm air and the mechanic said its either the a/c condensor thats clogged up or the a/c evaporator and im not sure but he said its 400 for one and 600 for the other including labor is that a hard job to do myself... im not sure where the one is located under the dash if anyone could give me some ideas on what to do thanks....

[jammastahjay]

And i also noticed the clutch kicks on for about 2 secs and turns back off and does that repeatedly... not sure if thats suppose to stay on or not

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by jammastahjay

And i also noticed the clutch kicks on for about 2 secs and turns back off and does that repeatedly... not sure if thats suppose to stay on or not

from what you are describing, that means your compressor is "cycling." if it is cycling that quickly, that means there is no refrigerant in the system, or you are very low on refrigerant, which indicates that there may be a possible leak (which would be noticed if it was leaking out of your condenser or evaporator). did you try recharging the system yourself to see if it holds a charge?

[jammastahjay]

ya it was recharged he checked it for leaks he said there were none he just thought it was the condensor or evaporator that was charged

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by jammastahjay

ya it was recharged he checked it for leaks he said there were none he just thought it was the condensor or evaporator that was charged

when you turn on the A/C do any of the lines get cold at all that go into the evaporator or condenser...and how long ago was it charged

[jammastahjay]

the lines feel like they get cold all the way to the one by the radiator and into the dash

[jammastahjay]

i dont think it has anything to do with the condensor or evaporator... right now im just trying to figure out how to keep the compressor running it comes on for about 2 secs and turns back off any ideas??

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by jammastahjay

i dont think it has anything to do with the condensor or evaporator... right now im just trying to figure out how to keep the compressor running it comes on for about 2 secs and turns back off any ideas??

well on my old town car i was having the same problem, and to get the compressor to keep running i unplugged the compressor and took a piece of wire and jumpered the system (plugged in the compressor to each end of the wire) so it would keep running and it did. then i charged the system. it was a few years back so i can't remember what type of wire it was but i did jumper the system and by-passed the cycling so the compressor would keep running constantly. then i charged the system.

obviously you have refrigerant. if you feel the lines cold going into the dash there must be a block somewhere. unless the problem is the compressor itself. hmm i wish some other people could help you out here because i'm pretty stumped now too...

[Bob D.]

Replace the pressure switch, it could be bad. I definitely wouldn't bypass/jump it; that's what keeps the system from freezing up when it's working properly or burning out the compressor when it's not.

If it still cycles on and off too fast, your mechanic may be right - if the receiver/drier is bad it can release debris into the system and block the expansion valve or other parts of the system.

And i also noticed the clutch kicks on for about 2 secs and turns back off and does that repeatedly... not sure if thats suppose to stay on or not

That's a little fast, but the bottom line is do you get old air from the vents.

[jammastahjay]

thanks for the help ill replace the pressure switch and see what happens but if anyone else has any ideas let me know

[sreilly77]

Originally Posted by Bob D.

Replace the pressure switch, it could be bad. I definitely wouldn't bypass/jump it; that's what keeps the system from freezing up when it's working properly or burning out the compressor when it's not.

If it still cycles on and off too fast, your mechanic may be right - if the receiver/drier is bad it can release debris into the system and block the expansion valve or other parts of the system.


That's a little fast, but the bottom line is do you get old air from the vents.

oh i wasn't saying to leave it by-passed or jumped. its just a testing method to see if the compressor is working correctly.

[jammastahjay]

no the air in the vents stays warm the hole time but i noticed when i first turn the car on and turn the a/c on its ice cold for about 5-10 secs and thats all i get but im jsut trying to figure out how to get the clutch to stay running and then ill go from there