964: how do i fix my ac now?
 

I posted this before. Someone said there's a cutoff switch if the compressor gets too low. Now it's empty and it won't turn on. The companion by Bentley doesn't tell me squat about how to fix this darn thing.
A guy on the 964 board said using stopleak was not recommended, which is cool, but I gotta find the leak, and to do that, the thing has to come on. Anyone know how to get this sucker to work enough so i can at least fill it?

Well, not knowing about the switch itself, you should be able to power up the clutch by applying power to the wire at the compressor, bypassing all parts of the a/c electrical system...

Yeah, thanks I thought about that gorf...I just wanted to make sure I don't blow something up if I do that.
I may try that before I take it to a mechanic.

http://www.griffiths.com/achelp/achelp4.html

Good general troubleshooting info.

Kurt: I don't know where in LA you are, but if you need professinal help Lucas Auto Air in Van Nuys does a good job.

thanks scott, I'll check them out. I read the griffiths site (thanks) and i see oil on the wires going to the compressor. So, maybe it's leaking. I'll probably have them check it out then.

If you think it's the compressor, and feel up to some DIY, go to www.ackits.com. They'll probably have a rebuild kit. I bought my rebuilt from Compressor Interenational, also in Van Nuys. Good pricing. If you think it's the compressor, you'll save money if you do the compressor yourself. Then you can go to a shop and have it evacuated, leak checked, and recharged.

Relax dude. Your a/c will run if pressurized. In the shop we use dry nitrogen just to see if all the switches are working. Be careful of jumping the a/c clutch, not a good idea if your a/c is computer controlled. For an easy leak test, get a can of freon (I hope you are a r134a sytem!) with the dye in it. The pressure from the can should be enough to over ride the low pressure switch and let the compressor turn on. (Low Side Only ! ) You can then put the gauges on it and start to fix things. The dye glows under black lite and no leak can hide. The most common place is the seal around the compressor shaft. Look behind the clutch for oil. If the system was empty all the way you really need to vacuum it down to get all of the moisture out of the system, maybe a a new dryer while you are there. All very easy to do. Joel

Relax dude. Your a/c will run if pressurized. In the shop we use dry nitrogen just to see if all the switches are working. Be careful of jumping the a/c clutch, not a good idea if your a/c is computer controlled. For an easy leak test, get a can of freon (I hope you are a r134a sytem!) with the dye in it. The pressure from the can should be enough to over ride the low pressure switch and let the compressor turn on. (Low Side Only ! ) You can then put the gauges on it and start to fix things. The dye glows under black lite and no leak can hide. The most common place is the seal around the compressor shaft. Look behind the clutch for oil. If the system was empty all the way you really need to vacuum it down to get all of the moisture out of the system, maybe a a new dryer while you are there. All very easy to do. Joel

Well, once again, thanks. And Joe, there are wires that go right to some tabs behind the clutch (between compressor and clutch), and those electrical lines have oil all over them. Have from day one. I actually thought all the oil was messing up the connection. Now I think it's just leaking. I'm checking out AC kits as we speak to see. I'll just have to verify that it's leaking there and a new compressor might be in order.