quick AC Q

Its for my beater but I'm sure it happens to other beaters as well. My 88 camry's AC is not working, no more refrig of course. The AC compresser doesn't seem to kick when I press the AC button. The AC button light does lit up but just the AC comp dont kick. Tested the wires that goes to the compresser and they all got power. For sure the Refrigerant is very LOW or barely any left. Tested the high & low pressure AC pipes and both have pressure. Car has 156k miles.

Now my Q is, can LOW or NO Refrigerent at all cause the AC compresser not to kick when I turn on the AC? why?

 

First thing i would check is the clutch. You should be able to apply a 12v signal to it and force it on.

 

Also I know many cars use a dual pressure switch on the drier. So yes if the pressure is too low or too high the system won't allow the compressor to turn on. This is to save the pump assuming there is a leak. You should be able to check continuity across the switch. If its an open circuit you do not have enough pressure.

 

^ about the clutch...is that in the compresser? or where is the clutch located?

 

Yes the clutch is part of the compressor. There are someones only one wire going to the compressor, sometimes 3. The single clutch wire should only require a 12v battery signal to engage. The other two wires usually are for a secondary pressure switch. You will need to find a wiring diagram to confirm.

 

Yeah its probably low refrigerant. If its too low the AC compressor wont kick on. Make sure if you're going to recharge it its not R12. That stuff is outlawed! Not sure what it takes to convert to R134a though...

 

Thanks guy. Luckly an AC recharge kit works. Spend $45 on a AC Retrofit Kit and the AC Compresser kicks in in 5 seconds after recharging it. The kit basically converts R12 to R134. Taking back my AC compresser I got from the junk yard back for a refund today. Thanks again for the help.

 

Oh ok. Well at least it was as easy as that. I just knew that the R12 was bad juju. And I'm not a professional in any way but I learned that overfilling the system is really bad also. Should be a label under the hood that says the proper amount in pounds or kg's.