A/C help

[neanderpaul]

Excellent info Jeff!

[gottafesty]

Anytime you're hauling precious cargo, your a/c becomes very important.

[neanderpaul]

You GOT IT Jeff! :beaming: <-- that needs to be a smiley!

[25Horseplay]

If it has low freon it won't allow the compressor to run.

[neanderpaul]

Thanks Brian!

[neanderpaul]

Which wires do I jump? There is a black wire with a white strip, a black with red blob, white, and a yellow with green. So 4 wires total. The reason I ask is because I have r-12 and the instructions on the can say to run the a.c. Then run the freon in with the valve.

[boostmaster]

If you pull the connector wire (It's black)- that connects to the compressor, just tap a piece of wire to the connector that goes to the compressor and touch the other end to power. The clutch should kick out (move a bit) when power is applied. If it does, it's ok.

Question: before the A/C stopped working was it still cold or was it getting warm? If it was getting warm- that would indicate you were loosing pressure.

Before you waste money adding freon, go to the parts store and buy a package of "o-rings" - something like $2.00... Disconnect your lines and put new o-rings and re-tighten. Then, go to the local A/C shop and have the car hooked up to a proper A/C machine. They will put vacuum to the system. Once all the system is pulled down (vacuumed) then it will add new freon and oil. Should run you about $59 bux or so.

Even if the pressure sensor is bad, it won't matter much. Just lets the compressor know when the freon is running low and makes it so that it won't run without freon and damage the unit.

[gottafesty]

Which wires do I jump? There is a black wire with a white strip, a black with red blob, white, and a yellow with green. So 4 wires total. The reason I ask is because I have r-12 and the instructions on the can say to run the a.c. Then run the freon in with the valve.

Connector C152 in the photo I posted is the connector to the sensor. Just unplug it there and jumper across the plug. Should black/white to yellow/green at the plug.

As far as adding freon, you can add freon with the a/c off if you need to do so. The main thing you want to do is to have the freon can much warmer than the a/c system. The system needs to be at a lower pressure than the can of freon that's being added.

[neanderpaul]

Well this is good if anticlimactic. I plugged up a can of R-12, started the car, started the air conditioner, and the compressor kicked on! I put 2 cans in and my A.C. blows cold. It is my first daily driver festiva with working air ever. It took 18 years and 19 festivas to get here. Sweet relief!

[boostmaster]

congrats! If you have the system on a vacuum machine, it would remove everything and add some lubricating oil and all freon. basically making sure it's all freon and nothing else. My A/C guy said it ensures that the system is at it's optimal cooling performance. Adding a few cans may keep you cool for a while but the freon doesn't majically disappear. You have a leak. You should find it, replace the o rings and have it vacuumed and recharged. Then you'll really be chillin'

[neanderpaul]

Well it's never had a service (I have all it's records since 1994) so I'm going to run it and see if it will hold a charge.