clutch not engaging

[AOD]

I bought a new reman compressor unit off ebay last month for $20 + $10 shipping.

[Blaze86Vic]

I have my original compressor from 1986, but it has schreded the compressor pistons in the last year, the pully and clutch are both only a year old, new Ford replacements.

[Nick52284]

can someone post a pic of how to test the compressor? mine won't turn on either and according to a test its full, the a/c was drained sealed and converted 2 years ago but the comressor won't click on, last summer it worked and the air was crispy cold! help me out!

Nick

[Archangel]

Easiest way - remove that harness that goes to the compressor, cut the same harness off a junkyard car and plug it in, then start the engine and press the wires of the junkyard harness againts the battery terminals (observe polarity). Press the wires really hard and they should start throwing sparks and the compressor should kick in.

[Archangel]

AOD (Adam, correct?), since you're the last one here to fix his A/C, do you remember how much R134 and oil it takes to get these babies going?

[turbo2256b]

Well, to hell with those compressors! I went to Turbo225b's place, tested two of his compressors and bought one, so that's good. However when I got home I decided to give the one I have in my car one last try, and low and behold the clutch kicked right in! Turns out you need the engine to be working when you test the clutches, otherwise the current isn't strong enough to get them to engage. Oh well, having a spare compressor won't hurt anything Now one of next days I need to blow the oil outta the compressor in my car so it won't mix with the R134-specific one, then charge up the system and give it a try, hope all goes well.

You can bring it back

[AOD]

I didn't install my new compressor yet, bought it as a backup since it was a deal hard to pass up.

Regarding how much 'juice' to add to the system, I bought one of the 'R134a conversion kits' from the store, becuase I didn't have the hose connections and my system was basically dry.

I had issues getting the system to take oil...all of my cans had 'stuff' left in them when finished. I'm not sure why...

~Adam

[Archangel]

Well, I wired the harness back in, then charged the system, and it actually worked! The conversion kit came with 3 big cans of R134 (with oil already in it), a pressure hose with gage, a tap/valve thingie, and the adapters for the high & low pressure ports of the system. I first put one big can of R134, the added an 8oz can of oil only (bought separate), then the two remaining big cans of R134, and topped it off with an additional small can of R134 with cleaning agents. End result is decently quiet compressor, steady 36psi pressure, and pretty darn cold air out of the vents. Will keep an eye on it for leaks, hopefully there are none.

Turbo 2556b, thanks man, I'll bring you the compressor tomorrow evening - sorry for all the hassle.

AOD, it really was a bitch and a half to make the system take the oil, it was sooo slow (compared to the R134). How much pure oil did you put in yours?

[AOD]

The cans were 10 ounces with 2 ounces of oil each, I used 3 cans, then I bought two cans of 2 ounces of oil each. Each can probably had 1 or 2 ounces of oil left in...so I don't think much got in. The compressor never quieted down much.

As for installing the oil and 134A, they all took FOR FREAKING EVER to get in there. Didn't matter if I was using oil or refridgerant, they didn't go in fast. 10+ minutes a can.

Did you have to hold your cans upside down to get oil in?

~Adam

[Archangel]

Mine took three 18 or 19oz cans with whatever amount of oil there is in them, one 13 oz can with 2oz oil in it, and the pure oil can was 8oz. I held all the cans upside down, and kept shaking them all teh time. All cans were completely dry when removed from the hose, and the refidgerant ones went in really fast - wonder if your compressor isn't raising the pressure enough to create a strong suction effect in the low presure line?

[AOD]

No way to really measure how much pressure it's creating, but it does eventually take the can of stuff, just not the liquid. I'll try another can of oil, held upside down the whole time and see if it works.

The A/C did go from warm air to ice cold air, so I know it's working right. I just want to quiet the compressor down before it grenades itself. I'd like to not install the new reman compressor I bought until total failure occurs.

~Adam

[Archangel]

The manual that came with my kit says to shake the cans for 30 seconds, then hook them up to the hose, hold them upside down, and once they start discharging in the system to keep shaking them until they're empty. The oil had the same written on the back of the label. All of my stuff is made by a company called InterDynamics.

About the pressure, you can judge about it by observing how fast the readings of your gage drop when closing the valve to the can - while charging the system the pressure in the hose was getting up to 65-70psi until the can is emptied, when I close the valve the compressor will suck the pressure down to like 20psi in just about a second or two.

[Lincolnmania]

use 80% of the r12 charge with r134.........to teat the compressor nick, put power to the clutch coil and see if it kicks on......if it does, you either have a bad pressure switch, bad wiring, or low pressure (r134 molecules are smaller than r12......it will leak out faster than r12 would)

[turbo2256b]

Usedd to put the last can onn the exhaust manifold for a bit to help fill the system. Blueprinted a compressor for a 64 Plymouth Furry III. Runninng through the Savanas in FLA at idle put out 28 degrees. Had to put down the windows a bit to kkeep warm. If there was enough moisture in the air the metal trim around the ducts would turn white with frost qnd blow snow out. Yea your tounge coulld stick to it.

[gadget73]

The AC in mom's 81 Cordoba would do that. Frost blew out of the vents and they would turn white if you left it on for a bit. I loved that car.