AC Problem. bad compressor?
 

Hey gang. Well of course it is going to be hotter than heck this week and my AC died. Car is a 88 NA, AC has been working fine then last week the compressor shut off, blower fan runs fine. Found that the fuse for the compressor had blown. I replaced the fuse and every thing was fine until today. Turned on the air, worked for about 2 min then the compressor stopped again.

I know if R12 level is low it could (should?) cause the compressor to shut off, but it shouldn't blow the fuse right? Local shop here still services cars with R12, should I have them check the level and if low then recharge the system? Or could it be a bad compressor? any tips on how to verifiy the problem? Thanks!

A low charge would not cause the fuse to blow. If there is a short in the clutch, that could cause the fuse to blow, but if that were the case, it should blow as soon as the compressor engages.

See if the shop will just check your low and high pressures without charging you an outrageous fee?!?

If they want to charge you just for a hook up, Drop me a PM, as I am down the road from you in Lafayette. I run a shop that services Porsche, BMW, Lotus, etc... and perform both R-12 and R-134a A/C work.

-OR-
I'm hosting a timing belt and A/C party at my shop on August 25 & 26.

Let me know if I can help.
-Nick

Thanks Nick. I seen you post about your party. I'm talking with the boss to see if she has anything planned for me either one of those days ;).

I replaced the fuse again just to see what happens. This time it blew as soon as I hit the AC button. :(

Wiring or clutch. The clutch is a separate piece and can theoretically be replaced without replacing the compressor (theoretically it could also be replaced without removing the compressor from the car, but I am not sure if that's actually possible because I don't know if you can get at everything with the compressor still mounted).