a/c question... (1 Viewer)

[BigSur]

I am about to start driving my 84' more (been sitting in the garage) and i went to check to make sure the a/c works and nothing. When i am in the truck and press the a/c button nothing happens. Notta, nothing, zilch. Am i looking at a bad compressor??

Jason

 

[hj60]

I'd check the refrigerant charge first.

 

[cruiser_guy]

Ditto, charge first! Without gas NOTHING happens.

 

[3_puppies]

wouldn't the clutch lock up when the button is pushed? maybe electrical?

 

[cruiser_guy]

Nope, clutch won't lock if there is no gas. The pressure switch will shut down EVERYTHING.

 

[3_puppies]

didn't know that. thanks

 

[Mike S]

First, check the circuit breaker on the fuse panel (upper right hand side). If you reset and it pops again, then you need to dig deeper. The clutch on the AC compressor should be checked with a multimeter (FSM has procedure). Check the sight glass for coolant. If you are getting nothing, do a recharge on gas. If it was working before, it should start. The FSM AC supplement has the complete rundown, and is worth the $$ if you don't have it.

M

 

[djanis99]

you could press the valve on the high or low side of the compressor and see if any refrigerant shoots out. if not you found your problem

 

[cruiser_guy]

That's about the cheapest way to see if there is any gas in the system!

 

[BigSur]

OK, this is going to be a dump questions...how do i check the gas in the system or lack there of? Never had to deal with any a/c stuff yet since my other 60 blows cold a/c. If i do need to add some do i go with 134? Is it easy to put in?

 

[djanis99]

There should be two fittings to access the system, sometimes they are on the lines other times they are on the compressor, sometimes they have caps sometimes not. My 89 fj62 has the two valves located on the compressor. Inside the fitting there is a valve just like the valve in the valve stem of your tire. Simply press the valve in like you were going to let the air out of your tire. Note: I would use a very small screwdriver to do this also I would wear some sort of safety glasses. If the refrigerent gets into your eye well, it's very cold and you don't want frostbight on your eye.

The system should be pressurized to about 50 psi (give or take). so the pressure coming out of the valve when you press it with your screwdriver should act accordingly. In other words if there is just a little bit of pressure, there may not be enough refrigerant in the system for the compressor to engage.

Dave

 

[BigSur]

Thanks Dave...i'll try that this morning.

Ok, lets say my compressor is low on gas...how and what do i use to fill'er back up?

 

[djanis99]

If it is just low on charge, I would buy a can or two of r12 and charge it up. I beleive you can buy cans of r12 without a license if it is under 1lb. My AC system was completely empty and I converted it to freeze-12. Here is a link to my post about the conversion to freeze-12:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=45896

I needed the tools for work anyway so I had no problem forking over the dough opposed to paying a shop to do the work for me. It's really not that hard. I'll walk you through it if you wan't to give it a go.

 

[BigSur]

So my 84' ac is R12 and i need to convert to 134? I am a novice when it comes to ac componets and what to do.