hey guys the A/C on my 96 quit working a few days ago and after chasing around some electrical gremlins i realized the CCRM had blown. after replacing that the A/C clutch still wont engage so last night i tried jumping the lowside/Cycle switch and the clutch engaged just fine. now my question is can i replace the switch without depressurizing the system, or am i gonna have to go to a shop and pay $60+ to have an $11 part changed?

PS. i know the system is charged with freon, i tested it first thing when the A/C stopped working and i know it has 134 in it.

Thanks guys, nay help would be greatly appreciated.

 

The system needs to be discharged to replace the switch.

Also, and no doubt my being "picky" as my wife says, R-134a is not Freon. Freon is/was Dupont's trade name for its chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants--R-134a is a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and a whole different beast...

 

^+1 and if you really wanna save money, just go to a very open area and depressurize it yourself. Or where are you at in ga? I'm in saint marys and I'm certified to do a reclamation. And cliffy is right, r-143a is considered refrigerant not freon. Freon is not made anymore and highly illegal to discharge in large amounts into the ozone. Difference is that hfc's are less harsh and won't break up the ozone as badly as r-12 or cfc's. And it takes less time to break down. It takes r-12 50 years to breakdown fully if I remember correctly.