A/C Question
 

Just picked up a 944...have a question...

Was told A/C is inopperable due to low freon. No problem.

I'm used to dealing with a number or German cars (as well as a couple other makes) with fail-safe devices in the A/C system that shut the pump down to prevent damage due to refigerant/oil loss. I assumed this is what I was dealing with. So I charge the system and turn the A/C on...no dice. Pump stays disengaged. I then crawled under the car (luckily I'm skinny) and gave the pump a quick inspection...the signal wire was disconnected. It's a male spade connection. The only female spade connector I've been able to locate in the vacinity of the A/C pump is a long black one (approx 1/4"X1/4"X2") with two wires feeding it. I plugged the pump into this connector and got nothingl.

I know the system has propper charge and that the pump works. I jumped the pump directly off the battery to top th esystem off and check pressure...vents are blowing an even 36*F when the jumper is connected.

So...is this connector I've discribed (will return in a moment with wire colors) the propper one, or should there be something else? Do you guys know where I should be looking? I'll take a pic of the plug I'm refering to in a few moments...my camera is full of pics of the car and the work she desperately needs.

I have the same problem..im curious to see how this works out as well..

Okay...beings no one knows and I'm impatient...I fixed it myself my way.

I used the stock A/C relay and a number of female spade connectors. I ran one 12g wire (red in color) from the posative batery terminal to the relay and attached it to the 12v feed terminal, then ran a 12g from the load side of the relay to the male connector on the AC. I then ran a 16g wire (red/black stripe) from the battery to the signal terminal, and ran the same type wire from the ground terminal on the relay through the firewall to the A/C switch on the dash. It was really easy to wire the stock switch into the system. I then went back and wired a 20amp fuse into the 12g wire, and a 10amp fuse into the 16g wire just off the battery.

Problems are:

You need to make it a point to check your refrigerant's pressure once a month at least. I have access to the propper equipment to do this.

System is always hot. When you shut the car off, you have to remember to shyt the A/C switch off or it will drain the battery.

What I'm gonna change:

Adding a block to the fuse bos and running the signal wire from an ingition-active power source. That way it'll turn off with the ignition.

Pics/wiring tomorrow.

rip the a/c out. no true sports car enthusiest (sp?) would leave it in.

enthusiast

I have a supra that fits my bare-bones all-out sports car niche. I need a car that's sporty and is a comfortable cruiser.

When I had my BMW, I read a few posts about a WOT / AC off switch. I think It was a little momentary switch on the floor under the go peddal, kind of like a kick down in an automatic. Has anyone done that in a 944? that could solve the "sports car - No AC problem"

Why is it low on freon?

Answer: you have a leak. Get ready to take it in the shorts. . .

There was a leak...I know that. Bad o-rings. What's your point? It's not like A/C work is hard....

i agree with mackenize...I just spent a week putting the A/C back into a customers 90 Mitsubishi Eclipse (with 60K original miles) because the car was too 'racy' for him. All the lines, the compressor, and the evaporator and drier....and make the lines work with his front mount intercooler...wasnt hard at all, just takes some time...some people think when one thing goes wrong its automatically empty your wallets time...

It isn't hard (in most cases) but it IS expensive. The refrigerant alone is going to run probably $200-$250 if you want r-12 (and oil) and probably half that for r134a. Plus you have to have the system vaccumed out to purge it (and test for leaks before anyone can legally charge it), etc.

I have yet to see any "it's just low on freon" situation NOT turn into a $500-$600 repair - if properly done. Too often, people get this line dropped on them by a shop or a seller and don't bother to think of the deeper implications (well, if it's low on freon, where did it go then?) Compressors, hoses, etc. all cost money to replace - a lot of money in some cases. If you changed the O-rings, good deal, hopefully everything else in the system is strong and it will hold vaccum okay, but bear in mind that the system components are all probably approaching 20 years of age and could very well be ready to fail (I'm talking specifically about the compressor seals and the rubber hoses). Hopefully it'll all work out okay for you, but don't be suprised if you're not back in a couple of months pumping more freon into it due to a blown line or something. I just went through this on my car; the only way to correctly fix it was to replace the compressor and ALL hoses. I did all the labor myself and it still cost me about $1,300!!! ($600-ish in parts, $400 in freon - twice, and $300 for labor, leak testing, etc.)

A/C is expensive, don't kid yourself.

I have my own vacuum pump. I have 2 30lb bottles of R12 that cost $35 a piece, and 85 14oz cans and many cans of oil and such that cost in the vacinity of $.88 a piece. The trick to that is going back in time to when they told everyone that R12 was about to be banned, and buying a **** load. Today we sell the 14oz cans occasionally for roughly $80 a piece.

R134 is not that expensive...you whoever you let charge you $100-125 a happy man.


At today's going rates A/C repair is not that expensive. No one's kidding anyone. Even replacing major components like the pump or the condensor or evaporator and all that...it's not expensive.

...well...if you're the kinna guy who cringes when you have to spend $100 on ANY repair...then it's probably expensive....and you probably shouldn't be driving a porsche..