slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 How do i short the compressor? When i did my readings(its a blue hose with an analog guage that you hook up to the low pressure side), i did them with the engine both off and on. Both were the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 How do i short the compressor? When i did my readings(its a blue hose with an analog guage that you hook up to the low pressure side), i did them with the engine both off and on. Both were the same. You can hook up the compressor using the other battery if you choose, I normally take out the relay and short the two main pins, I think they are 87 and 87a. I would have to look at the relay schematic again before confirming. As for the gauge reading, it should be considerably lower with the compressor running than with it stopped. When you said that the gauge was reading 45 psi, was that with the compressor running or with the compressor stopped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hmm.... Lemme go check. So, hook the compressor up to the other batter, turn on the ac, and check my pressure. I'll be back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Hmm.... Lemme go check. So, hook the compressor up to the other batter, turn on the ac, and check my pressure. I'll be back. Correct, hook up the gauge, start the engine, then start the compressor. If you are running a low charge, you want to minimize the amount of time the compressor is running to prevent any damage occurring. If the pressure gauge drops below 30 psi, go ahead and shut off the compressor, you are under charged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 OK, back. I popped the hood, and hooked up the guage. It read 35. So, i turned the car on, and hooked the compressor up to the other battery. It then read 25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 OK, back. I popped the hood, and hooked up the guage. It read 35. So, i turned the car on, and hooked the compressor up to the other battery. It then read 25. You are undercharged, that pressure reading when you first hooked up the gauge, with the engine cold should have been 60+ psi. If you are running R134, go buy 2 cans, it'll take at least one to bring it back up enough to get the pressure switch working again. The second will be a top off can, although I wouldn't do that until you get a good gauge set and a proper can tap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I have some out in my garage, so i'll go put the rest in. I find out the readings after i put it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Well, now while running, the pressure is at 45. But, when i turn the car off, it still stays at 45.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Well, now while running, the pressure is at 45. But, when i turn the car off, it still stays at 45.... When you say the car is running, is the compressor running also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nope, compressor won't kick on unless i hook it up to the other battery. Thats why im thinking the main thing is the wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Nope, compressor won't kick on unless i hook it up to the other battery. Thats why im thinking the main thing is the wiring. Your pressure is still too low. It should be above 60. If it gets above 60 psi and the compressor still doesn't kick on, then there may be a wiring problem. If it won't take anymore freon, heat the can GENTLY. Use a hair dryer or if the vehicle has been run and the motor is hot, set it on the intake and let it heat up for a few minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Yeah, there still is a tiny bit left in the can, i'll see if its enough to get me high enough. Yeah, my engine is hot, so i'll just put it on the engine. Also, on the can it say arrow up for gas, arrow down for liquid. What does this mean? Is there a certain way to fill it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Yeah, there still is a tiny bit left in the can, i'll see if its enough to get me high enough. Yeah, my engine is hot, so i'll just put it on the engine. Also, on the can it say arrow up for gas, arrow down for liquid. What does this mean? Is there a certain way to fill it up? Since you are refilling, you'll want to charge as a gas. Only charge as a liquid when you are completely recharging. You'll charge as a liquid on the high side so that it forces the oil to move into the compressor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I figured i was doing it right. Well, got it to 65 with the engine off. Turned on the car, and hit the AC button, and still the clutch didn't engage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I figured i was doing it right. Well, got it to 65 with the engine off. Turned on the car, and hit the AC button, and still the clutch didn't engage. Well, here is the last thing you can do. If you have a good can tap, tap a second can, slowly start adding it to the car, monitoring the pressure gauge. Have the engine running and the AC switch on. If the static pressure reaches 90 psi without turning the compressor on then you have a bad switch or the wiring is bad, most likely a bad switch. This would be much easier if you had access to a good gauge set, that way, when the compressor does kick on, you could tell the high and low side pressures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 It was actually well above 90psi, and i had to let some of it out to get down to 65 So, how much is the switch then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 It was actually well above 90psi, and i had to let some of it out to get down to 65 So, how much is the switch then? I'm not exactly sure, last time I looked into getting one, it was something along the lines of $30. Try finding a JY one first. Also, if you have to change the switch, you'll have to vacuum out your system before refilling or you'll have quite a few more problems than what you have now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 So i will have to replace the actual part the the plug connects into then, right? Gotcha, yeah, i'll head over to the JY in a few days. Also, any good way of relieving the pressure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothSteve3 Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Ok, I know that this question is pretty "off the topic", but I thought I'd throw it out there anyways. I'm a novice when it comes to the A/C system. I know next to nothing about charging or evacuating the A/C system. The only thing that I know for sure is that my compressor is bad. I'm gonna be replacing it here in teh next few days or so. My question is this: Is it possible for me to replace my compressor? Or do I have to have a certified mechanic do it... SmoothSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 It is possible to do it, and the haynes manual says how to, but they also suggest replacing all of the other AC components at the same time. Having a mechanic doing it(which is what my dad did with the impala) can be costly and time consuming, but will be done right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Ok, I know that this question is pretty "off the topic", but I thought I'd throw it out there anyways. I'm a novice when it comes to the A/C system. I know next to nothing about charging or evacuating the A/C system. The only thing that I know for sure is that my compressor is bad. I'm gonna be replacing it here in teh next few days or so. My question is this: Is it possible for me to replace my compressor? Or do I have to have a certified mechanic do it... SmoothSteve If you are mechanically competent, no disrepect meant, then by all means, change it. It is about as hard as changing an alternator on one of the 3.1/3100 motors. You'll want to minimize the amount of time that the AC system is exposed to air though. Also, if you have to change compressors, go ahead and change the accumulator as well with a new unit. Then have a vacuum pulled on it to remove as much moisture as you can. If not, you'll have a compressor that sounds like a rod bearing wanting out. :-) So i will have to replace the actual part the the plug connects into then, right? Gotcha, yeah, i'll head over to the JY in a few days. Also, any good way of relieving the pressure? Yes, it merely screws into a nut welded onto the aluminum tube. Make sure you lubricate the o-ring to help it seat when you put it back together, you can use ester oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 It is possible to do it, and the haynes manual says how to, but they also suggest replacing all of the other AC components at the same time. Having a mechanic doing it(which is what my dad did with the impala) can be costly and time consuming, but will be done right. They suggest replacing everything as most people don't have the tools necessary to perform the job properly. About the only thing the average mechanic doesn't have is a vacuum pump and a good set of gauges. If you take it to a mechanic, it'll easily be $300 if not more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Yeah, on my dads impala(those engine bays have gobs of room to work around), it was well over $400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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