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Ac compressor clutch, or controller?

dhcomp

dhcomp

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OK, so my air blows cold. But when im driving in stop and go traffic, after a while my ac compressor starts clicking on/off every second or so. So i turn off the air for a while, then turn it back on. Everythign is fine for a while, then it repeats.

Is the clutch bad? I ordered one for $80 today, anyone changed these?

If not, im guessing its some sort of electric controller. Is it more common for the controller to go bad or the clutch?

THanks guys!
 
If it's clicking on and off, the clutch is fine. It's doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing.

Sounds like you're probably low on charge and the pressure cycling switch is not happy.
 
Really? I thought maybe the clutch wasn't holding anymore, causing it to click on/off rapidly. hm.....
 
It sounds to me like the freon is just low enough to make the pressure switch keep kicking on and off.
 
dhcomp said:
Really? I thought maybe the clutch wasn't holding anymore, causing it to click on/off rapidly. hm.....
Click to expand...

If it wasn't holding, it wouldn't click. It would just slip and smoke or do nothing at all. It's just a simple electromagnetic coil. If it's clicking on, it's generally good.
 
Ok, cool. Then i need a recharge. Hm, its been doing this for a while.....

Do those home recharge kits work? I've got one we never used sitting around, so ill probably give it a try.

THanks guys!
 
Or it can be doing that at idle to keep it from freezing the compressor. If it gets too cold, it is hard on the compressor, so it kicks on and off so it doesnt get too cold. Once it is moving at higher rpms it doesnt have as much of a chance of freezing. Some compressors kick off even while driving if it gets too cold. So you may not have a problem. Check the pressures.

Dan
 
If it was kicking on and off to keep from freezing, i would think it would be in a time cycle like when its normally running. When it clicks as fast as i say it is, it really doesn't sound ok...
 
Sounds to me like you are low on refergerant. If you are still running Freon I would just take it to a shop and have some added or changed over to 134A. Dont try to do the change over yourself unless you know what you are doing you can ruin the compressor if done wrong.
If it has already been changed to 134A you can just add some. Best to use guages so you get your Hi and low pressures right.
 
I'm running R134 A, and checked it with one of those "recharge your own ac" kits. Pressure is right in the middle of the "good pressure" range. THink its still low on pressure? Can i trust these kits?

i have the clutch from kragen for $80, but will return it if not needed. What should my next step be?
 
pressures for every application are different. You can't trust some random one size fits all gauge. What is fine for a Ford Focus is not find for a 89 K5 Blazer, or a 89 S10. So, I'd take it to a pro shop and have it done. People who use those kits often overfill the system, which will leave you in the EXACT same place as underfull. Cycling a lot, not cooling properly, etc.

Does sound to me like your pressure is too low, tripping the low pressure switch on and off constantly once the whole thing is warmed up. Big question, if you have R134A, you'd had the truck recharged once since 1994, so where did the refrigerant go? Make sure they put some dye in the system when they recharge it. Help to trace a leak later if it does leak down again.
 
I personally have never recharged the system, and have had the truck since 01 at 82k. I just figure it has r134A in it cause one of the system components (i forget, its finals...the one by the firewall that drips) says only for use wiht R134A systems.

So who knows how long whats in there has been there. I'll take it somewhere and get it checked out.
 
Stopped by a local shop, it was gonna be $150 to diagnose it. Thanks for the help guys, money is a little tight rite now, and its been like this for a while....so it doesn't look like im gonna get it checked out right away.

Will update when i do though! Thanks!
 
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