I have been trying to get my AC working on my 89 iroc with a 350 tpi. i have read some posts and havent been able to find anything for my problem. to start, i have retrofitted it and my ac has always worked. i couldnt use it since my compressor leaked all the oil out when i would have it charged and my freon would go with it. i have now replaced the compressor and when i went to charge it, i got nothing. i started to check some stuff and i read that jumping the pressure switch at the accumalator would turn on the compressor if the switch was bad. i tried that and my jumper wire got hot and burned my fingers. i am getting volts at that connector and also to the switch at the back of the compressor if the accumalator switch is plugged in. jumping the wires at the switch on the back of the comprssor does nothing. i also jumped the wires at a switch on an ac hard line down below and that turned on both of my fans. i am at a little bit at a loss and dont know what else to try. any ideas would be great. thanks.

 

You may have just gotten a bad compressor.

 

Try this at the front of the compressor clutch theres a small nut that holds the clutch on get a socket to fit it and a ratchet and see if you can turn it.If you cannot turn it the compressor you just got is locked up.Your basically turning the internal components in the compressor.If you can turn it then I would say your clutch is toast..good luck.

 

i was thinking i could have a bad compressor. it was sitting in my room for a while and i had to change the clutch over from my old one since i got it with out a clutch. i also switched out the switch on the back of the compressor since i knew it worked before. the compressor turns and i can apply 12 volts to the clutch terminals without the connector hooked to it to engage it and it runs that way, but what about the pressure switch on the accumalator. when i jumped it, the jumper wire got hot. will it do that if the compressor could be bad?

 

If you used a small wire to jump it ..then yes the wire will get hot cause it doesnt have enough copper to handle the load or current.I wouldnt worry about it hook it up and if you have a problem the fuse will pop. if you have too much current thats why fuses are there.If it pops a fuse then I would look into a new clutch.

 

thanks for the advice. i will try a bigger piece of wire to jump out the switch. i was using a small piece of bare steel wire and it probably wasnt thick enough to do the job. i will give it a try and let you know. thanks.

 

ok, i tried using a bigger piece of wire to jump out the switch and i heard the engine bogg down and it blew my fan/ac fuse under the dash. so that pretty much tells me i have a electrical problem and not a compressor problem. does anyone know where the accumalator switch wires are coming from or going to that might be causing this problem. thanks.

 

[ does anyone know where the accumalator switch wires are coming from or going to that might be causing this problem. thanks.

The wires from the pressure switch run to the control head(in the dash)should be a green wire.Install a new fuse and check the power at the low pressure switch.The blue wire that runs off the pressure switch runs to a high pressure switch(back of AC comp) and through a relay and to the compressor itself.If you have power at the green wire and turning on the switch doesnt blow the fuse something on the blue wire is grounded.I'm leaning towards the compressor clutch,did this clutch work before?might try unplugging the compressor and install a new fuse and turn on the switch to ac if the fuse doesnt blow...well the clutch is the only thing left?

 

thanks very much for that info. thats a big help. i have power at the green wire on the accumulator switch with the ac turned on and car running. the clutch worked before on my old compressor. it does work on this compressor. i can apply 12 volts to the clutch terminals and it snaps in place. with the car running, i can do the same and it engages the compressor and starts to pump. with everything plugged in and the ac turned on and the car running, the fuse does not blow. the only time it blows is when i jump the wires at the accumulator switch. from your post, it sounds like the blue wire at the accumulator switch is grounded somewhere. i will have to trace the wire and see where it leads me.

 

I am curious now..how are you jumping the wires off the switch?..are you jumping them across the terminals on the connector itself or are you doing it another way? cause if your doing it another way...YAH...I can see why its blowing fuses..if your not... I am officially confused....

 

i unplugged the connector at the switch(green and blue wires),looks like a big cup and jumping the wires at the two terminals inside that look like the end of an extension cord. nothing else fancy. is that the way your suppose to do it? if i jumped the green wire to ground, thats a dead short and that would blow the fuse. i am just jumping the wires at the connector.

 

Your doing it right ...I am confused never heard that happen before?..

 

Only thing maybe possible is the contact points in the ac relay maybe burnt? other then that I am lost on this one.The relay takes the load or current of a component,maybe a good idea to replace it.Especially if the old compressor took a crap..or locked up.

 

thanks for everything. do you know where the relay is located. i think its on the driverside firewall, but there is a few relays there. do you know which one it is? one more thing. if the relay burn up, could this put a current draw on the system when the key is in the off position and drain the battery. The last time the ac worked, i was using it and something happened with the power with the whole car. lights got dim and the voltage gauge was reading low. after looking at it and letting it sit over night, everything was pretty much back to normal the next day. no forsure if the ac worked after that happened. i dont drive it everyday and it sat long enough to lose its charge due to the leaky compressor it had. but since the voltage problem that night, my battery will go dead if it sits longer than a few days without starting it up.

 

[quote=jermdm]thanks for everything. do you know where the relay is located. i think its on the driverside firewall, but there is a few relays there. do you know which one it is? one more thing. if the relay burn up, could this put a current draw on the system when the key is in the off position and drain the battery. The last time the ac worked, i was using it and something happened with the power with the whole car. lights got dim and the voltage gauge was reading low. after looking at it and letting it sit over night, everything was pretty much back to normal the next day. no forsure if the ac worked after that happened. i dont drive it everyday and it sat long enough to lose its charge due to the leaky compressor it had. but since the voltage problem that night, my battery will go dead if it sits longer than a few days without starting it up.

I am not sure where the relay is located I know the ones your looking at is fuel pump and cooling fan(s)it might be there its usually a larger one then those with 4 wires running to it.Near the heater box on the passenger side is a high blower relay and the ac one looks just like that one if you want something to compare it too.I dont think the relay would have anything to do with battery being drained.,but its possible.Whats happening is something is completing a circuit and using some power and letting it sit for awhile drains the battery.Thats a little more complex task to explain in words to locate.I have seen alternators/fuel pumps..etc.Try the relay and lets go from there.

 

Its possible the battery might not hold a good charge ,have it checked and if its good then have your charging system checked.You need be close to or at 14 volts running(engine running)anything less then 13 you have a problem.Also on my car theres a junction block near the side of the radiator which connects a bunch of wires to a stud,mine is on the passenger side some are on the other side.Make sure the nut is tight physically move the wires that are connected to it and if you can move them the nut needs to me re-tightened.If you still have battery drain you will need to get ahold of a test light and I can talk you through the process..One more thing if you want an upgrade get rid of the side post connectors on the battery,and put top post connectors on it much better clamping/contact area..just thought I put this here in case you get to this point...

 

i figured anything is possible. i wil get a new relay for the ac monday. everthing you told me sounds right. i think i know which relay it is. i know the battery is good and the charging system is good. we have an eletronic battery and charging sytem tester where i work at and everything tested good on it. i also have a digital VOM and it shows everything is good with the voltage. i will start with the relay. thanks for your help.

 

i figured out my problem. after thinking about it and looking at the wiring diagram for a while, it turned out to be the diode on the clutch connector was my problem. replaced it with a new one and everything worked. it also had a bad accumulator switch. replaced it and now it turns on and gets plenty cold. thanks for your help jstrdn90rs.