A/C Compressor problem

[cavfirst]

Hello all, I am new here and this is my first post. My wife has a 96' Cavalier 5speed manual with the 2.2l. Her A/C compressor will not kick on for me to recharge it. Is there a way to jump it and can you explain How?

[Airjer_]

If its not switching on when you are trying to add a can of freon there there is another problem besides being out of freon.

[reekor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-QP3X_a48

Originally Posted by Airjer_

If its not switching on when you are trying to add a can of freon there there is another problem besides being out of freon.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by reekor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-QP3X_a48

I've been hearing "freon" for longer than I remember, and it still irritates me when someone wants to put "Freon" in an R-134a system

If the A/C compressor isn't cycling by itself, DO NOT jump it with the engine running. The pressure in the can is about the same PSI as the ambient temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, which is more than enough to tell the compressor to turn on. If the clutch doesn't engage, check for power and ground at the clutch connector (I'm assuming you checked fuses?). If you've got both with the connector plugged in, the clutch coil is bad. If missing one, keep checking at every connection until you find the bad spot.

[reekor]

The word "Freon" just gets under my skin when I hear it, because I know that its coming out of a noob's mouth that is going to do more damage then good to their A/C with their wal-mart charge kit.

Originally Posted by J-Ri

I've been hearing "freon" for longer than I remember, and it still irritates me when someone wants to put "Freon" in an R-134a system

[ricebike]

there's a pressure safety switch in the system

attach your small can of R134A w/ the guage to the low side service fitting,

turn on the AC system full blast cold/ max air & let your vehicle run at idle...

slowly open the can to let the system "suck in" the refrigerant & see if it'll take; once the system starts recognizing the pressure, the compressor clutch should engage...

if not, then shut it off and start looking for electrical problems

[brcidd]

"Freon" is the trade name Dupont used for R-12

so most people like to talk trade names- like
Bandaid for adhesive bandage
or Loctite for thread adhesive
or Kleenex for facial tissue
or ............

so for 134a lets all say "SUVA" which is its trade name

or do like I do- just call it refrigerant.

The J-car's most likely leak location is the compressor shaft seal- followed closely by the compressor case halves seals....

All these parts are replaceable if you have or know someone with the compressor tools...

There is a very good chance that if you simply recharge the system, it will just all leak out in 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months....how lucky are you?

[cavfirst]

Problem solved for now. I got a new can of 134 and compressor came right on. Had to get another 1/3 can or so to get the pressure up to about a steady 42. Next week or so will tell if she has a leak, if so I will get her system fixed and not try to stop up the leak myself. Thanks for your help!

[Joe Wilson]

Don't be surprised if it has a leak. Otherwise you wouldn't need to add 134 to the system. I've not had a Cavalier that didn't leak because in my opinion their compressors are only made to last a year or two. If they would learn how the Japanese do it or just buy their compressors from Honda, Toyota, or Mitsubishi they wouldn't have nearly the problems with AC.

[J-Ri]

It definitely has a leak, IMO those cans should be outlawed because it is impossible to properly service an A/C system with them and most of them are just "time released" into the atmosphere.

Take it from an automotive technician (who sees all different kinds of cars), the only difference between GM and the Asian imports is that the GM ones are much less expensive to replace when they go bad. Everyone who has a part fail assumes that every car of that type has that problem all the time and no other car has ever had that problem. All I own is GM, and there's a reason for that. And no, it's not that I enjoy working on them, in fact I hate repairing my own vehicles. And I haven't had to do a repair in years except for a couple wheel bearings.

[cavfirst]

Yep. All the 134 leaked out in less then 2 weeks. Taking it to shop this Friday to get it checked.