AC not working, blowing fuses (1 Viewer)

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Okay, this is going to be a long one. I apologize in advance.

So, I just moved down to Las Vegas, NV from Provo, UT. We had to drive the 80 because the tires were too big to use with the vehicle carrier.

For a while the cruise control stopped working, but later came back on. Still have no idea why. Not too concerned about this.

The AC started only blowing out really hot air around the AZ/NV borders. Still only blows hot air, but this is of secondary importance to me, but is of greater importance to the :princess:. I can't tell if the system is out of refrigerant, of if something else is wrong.

Keep blowing the 10A Gauge fuse in the fuse block on the DS lower dash. I have replaced it with 15A fuses (I know I'm not supposed to do this), and have still blown them. When this fuse blows, all of the gauges turn off (as expected), and it also disables the power windows (as expected after pouring over the troubleshooting guide in the EWD). This is my primary concern right now. I think it means I have a short somewhere in my system, but I can't decide where to start in finding the short.:bang::bang:

Does anyone have some good tips on where to start? Or does anyone in the Las Vegas area know of a good mechanic who could help diagnose this problem? I need to get emissions done on the 80 soon, so I can get it licensed and drive it to work.:steer:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
 
Okay, it's HOT in LA too! I had the same thing happened to my LX450. Blowing hot air, fuse blown, no power window, like an oven. Tow the car to the local mechanic...

The AC compressor is toasted, the pulley of the compressorr is not moving, creating noises, ruin the belt, created smoke. I got a reman Denso AC compressor, new receiver dryer, all 3 new belts and freon charge..the ticket price is $575 Oh, the fuse is free!

Now, it's back to normal. I didn't have time to shop around but there is a NEW Denso ac compressor at Amazon.com for some $230.
 
The fuse blows a variety of times. It blows after the AC has been on for a about a minute. It blows when rolling the windows back up. It blows under acceleration and braking, as far as the :princess: said. That's why I can't decide on where to start looking.
 
Okay, this is going to be a long one. I apologize in advance.

So, I just moved down to Las Vegas, NV from Provo, UT. We had to drive the 80 because the tires were too big to use with the vehicle carrier.

For a while the cruise control stopped working, but later came back on. Still have no idea why. Not too concerned about this.

The AC started only blowing out really hot air around the AZ/NV borders. Still only blows hot air, but this is of secondary importance to me, but is of greater importance to the :princess:. I can't tell if the system is out of refrigerant, of if something else is wrong.

Keep blowing the 10A Gauge fuse in the fuse block on the DS lower dash. I have replaced it with 15A fuses (I know I'm not supposed to do this), and have still blown them. When this fuse blows, all of the gauges turn off (as expected), and it also disables the power windows (as expected after pouring over the troubleshooting guide in the EWD). This is my primary concern right now. I think it means I have a short somewhere in my system, but I can't decide where to start in finding the short.:bang::bang:

Does anyone have some good tips on where to start? Or does anyone in the Las Vegas area know of a good mechanic who could help diagnose this problem? I need to get emissions done on the 80 soon, so I can get it licensed and drive it to work.:steer:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!


Check the ac compressor & the belt area. Does it make squeaky noises when it's blowing hot air?
 
No squeaky noises at all. I did notice that there is some stuff on the PS inner fender that looks like grease that was spun off of a rotating shaft or pulley. Upon closer inspection, it is not grease, but seems to be some kind of plastic, and it is in-line with the AC pulley. I'm thinking it might be some warn-off belt due to insufficient tension, but the pulley and the belt turn rather well with the engine running.
 
Unplug the compressor clutch, drive it, roll the windows, etc, see if the fuse still blows?

Check the main wire harness between the intake and the head, towards the rear, it goes past the EGR valve/pipe. There should be a bracket/plastic clip holding the harness in place, the plastic clip often breaks allowing the harness to rub the pipe. If it is broken/missing/the harness is rubbing on the pipe, use a zip tie to secure the harness to the bracket, see if the fuse still blows?
 
Awesome! I'll try that today and let you know what happens.
 
Okay, so I've done some more checking, and figured out some other things. The fuse only blew when the AC switch was on. I have disconnected the magnetic clutch for the AC compressor. (After a few hours of trying, stupid connector!:mad:) I ran the 80 for a while last night, and the fuse (15A) did not blow, but I am going to replace it with the proper fuse (10A) and try again today.

Here is a picture of the AC compressor as it sits on the vehicle.
003.jpg

Notice the rough, black line to the left of the pulley. It seems to be some sort of plastic material. I remember that upon opening the hood for the first inspection, the entire engine compartment smelled like burning plastic.

Does this mean the clutch is burned out? Does anyone know the part number for a new AC clutch from Mr T? Dan, Beno, I'm looking in your direction.
 
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Melted the coil. The heat has put the shaft seal in jeopardy. But the blown shaft seal could have caused the melt down. Either way, it's toast, for most.
 
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How does the belt look? I havent had a cruiser for a while, but there should be a connection on the dryer that has two prongs on it when you disconnect them. Using a wire, jump that connecter and the compressor should start turning. See if that blows the fuse also.

Or does that not sound like a good idea to you cruiser experts? Thats just what i would do before replacing a bunch of stuff.
 
The belt looks fine, at least as fine as a two year-old belt can look. No cracks or shiny spots from rubbing. I'm still kind of surprised by the fact that the AC compressor didn't make any unusual noises when the switch was turned on.

I'm also getting some engine codes, but I'll start another thread for that.

Thanks for the help, everybody!:cheers:
 
I had the exact same rubber burning at the AC compressor, it's toasted alright. Other than the compressor, you may want to change the dryer receiver (like $30- $40) plus the belts.
 
The compressor won't make any noise because the electrical coil is fried and the compressor will no longer engage. She's done, unless you know how to rebuild it.
 
Melted the coil. The heat has put the shaft seal in jeopardy. But the blown shaft seal could have caused the melt down. Either way, it's toast, for most.

I had the exact same rubber burning at the AC compressor, it's toasted alright. Other than the compressor, you may want to change the dryer receiver (like $30- $40) plus the belts.

The compressor won't make any noise because the electrical coil is fried and the compressor will no longer engage. She's done, unless you know how to rebuild it.

x4

Wife's truck looked just like that, and was also blowing fuses. New compressor took care of it.

Ordered the parts from Coolstream. They have discounts for 'MUD IIRC.


If you need to run without AC for a while, unplug the AC pressure switch just forward of the battery (directly behind and above the drives side headlight). That will let you run without blowing the fuse, regardless if someone hits the AC button or not.
 
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