JayBanion

So its gettin hot in PA now and I figured Id get my A/C working. Everything is there, but the A/C compressor doesnt turn on when you turn on the A/C. The clutch just wont engage. The fuse is fine, ive checked the wiring as much as I could. What could be the problem here?

mjr46

low of freon most likely, low pressure cut switch won't allow it to come on low on a charge

JayBanion

Thanks mjr! I know for a fact it is low on freon but I didnt know it had a cut off switch. Ok so now I have to make the trip to walmart, what type of freon would my car use. Or whats the number, its those little white canisters right?

JayBanion

I googled and I was reading up on this. Why has this suddenly turned into a big pain in my a$$. I read that I have to convert my R12 system to a R134 system or something. Because of federal regulations. And apparently I need a vacumn pump, and I have to rip apart my whole A/C and cooling system.

adam1993

what you need to do is remove the scrader valves thoose little things inside the fill ports with i schrader valve tool same as the one used on tires .get some 134 style fittings to screw on to retro fit the car and try to get a gauge set that shows high and loe pressure low side at idle 40 psi high side pressure 225 to 250 at idle vaccuum the system is a plus but not criticle

denice25

check your freon...

ahittz24

or you can buy freeze 12 and put that in there. Honestly though, I have charged cars with 134 without chaning a single thing out before. I have mixed r-12 with 134 and it still cooled just fine. Had it that way for 4 years and never had a single issue. Word to the wise, if you are low on freon, that means you have a leak, I would get the leak fixed and then charge it. That way it will work fine for years to come without any issues.

When I rebuilt my engine, I bought a new condenser, filter drier, hoses (Orfice tube is built into the hoses) and put it all on. The last owner pulled all that stuff off to save weight and all I had was an evap and compressor. I paid a little over 300, charged it up with r12 (I still have 3 30lb cylinders of this stuff) and it cools like you wouldnt believe. And I have no leaks. Make sure however that your compressor clutch wheel spins over realatively easy, It would suck to start adding freon just to find out your compressor is locked. I always pull a vaccum when I re-do a system, but I have heard stories of people who for-go this step and charge the system successfully, The main purpose of pulling a vaccum is to find out if there are any leaks and to boil any moisture out of the system. I live in GA where the humidity in the summer is always 90 percent plus, so I choose to always pull a vaccum.

ahittz24

Low side should be between 32 and 35 at 1.5-2k rpms, High side will fluctuate between 200 and 325 depending on the outside air temp and humidity.

rmodel65

+1 on having AC in GA lol i have a mix of r12 and 134 in my vert going on 5 years now no problems

JayBanion

Whats gonna be the easiest way to find out if I have a leak or not?