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Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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dudecw
New User
Oct 5, 2013, 7:46 PM
Post #1 of 16
(2699 views)
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Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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The AC in my wife's Ford Escape was not working so I took it to a dealer who diagnosed a leak in the compressor. I installed a new compressor myself. Now as I try to charge the system, clutch is not kicking in. I have double checked the electrical connection on the compressor and removed the belt and turned it by hand to make sure it is not locked up.
It is very possible that I did not charge the system properly. Could that cause the clutch to not engage? Is there anything else I should check?
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 4:58 AM
Post #2 of 16
(2678 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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Model year, engine size would help and if they ever made these with dual (front rear) evaporators.
OK - a leak was found and is the most common reason for no cooling, compressor will shut down at some point noting low pressure or no pressure of gas in systems.
Do you even have the ability to evacuate the system, wait while it holds and charge in the exact amount of refrigerant? Did you bother to check how much oil came out of old compressor an spin new one with some oil before hand? Is yours a rebuilt (most are junk) or new? Warranty void without driers if a new one not installed on most too.
IDK for each anymore but you may have to prompt this to be ready with a code reader to allow it to engage at all or other tricks as I doubt you have the equipment to do this yourself.
Is there even power getting to the clutch now at all?
On systems that would just begin to engage at a certain pressure there's still a ton you need to have done to be ready to charge it from empty and use the correct amount of proper oil for a component being replaced.
If you are using one of those cans with gauge, sealer and junk you really messed this up even though without compressor engaging some would have gone in to a vacuum.
Read this for the most concise basics and you'll wish you let the shop do this job..........
http://autoforums.carjunky.com/..._A/C_SYSTEMS_P45460/
T
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 6:11 AM
Post #3 of 16
(2675 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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You are well on your way to turning a small leak problem into a completely destroyed system. This is not something you should be attempting yourself
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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dudecw
New User
Oct 6, 2013, 8:45 AM
Post #4 of 16
(2665 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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This is a 2005 Ford Escape with a 3.0l V6. No rear air controls.
Steps I have done so far:
Removed old pump. I tried to pour out and measure the oil but none came out. I found specs online for oil capacity and poured 7 Oz of PAG 100 in the low pressure side of the new pump. I then turned the new pump by hand until oil started coming out of the high pressure side. I also tipped it forward and turned a few revolutions to make sure I got oil on all the new seals. next I installed the new pump back onto the car and attached all lines and electrical plug. I then turned the pump about 12 more revolutions by hand to cycle oil into the system.
I hooked up my gauges, blue to low side and the red to the high side and yellow to vacuum pump. turned on the vacuum pump and opened all the valves. I let the vacuum run for about an hour. I closed all the valves and turned off the vacuum pump. Hooked up my first can of 134a. Turned on the car and set the ac to high. Next I opened all valves.
After reading some other posts on this forum I realize I have done a few steps wrong. I should have purged the yellow line after attaching the 134a, and I think I should have left the red valves closed during the recharge.
The main problem I am having is that with the ac set to on, the clutch does not ever engage. could this be caused by charging the high side? Can I start over and only charge the low side?
I have not checked the electrical aspect yet so that is my next step. I will put my test light in the plug and see if turning on the AC lights it up.
Any other helpful ideas are welcomed.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 9:17 AM
Post #6 of 16
(2656 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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I'd stop now and get help before there's no chance of anything but blowing this up.
Last model year I have right at hand was 2004 all used 32oz, 134a, 7oz PAG46 WHICH IS THE TOTAL SYSTEM CAPACITY NOT JUST FOR REPLACING A COMPONENT!
It's not unusual the nothing came out of compressor sometimes just some drops. It was a leaker so some was lost during that time so you would add the amount that you could recover and IMO about 2oz of specified oil.
If using the common 12oz little cans and you can thru gauges you should have used a tap and hose, finished off the vacuum with the real gauges vacuuming high side and the little can probably would dump most of that into the vacuum without the engine running, upside down as a liquid.
Engine off you could have started a charge thru high side into a vacuum but not with a running engine ever.
Now I think you are over oiled and perhaps wrong type unless that year changed specs. You can't tell how much oil is in a system nor tell how much refrigerant is in a system unless they are flushed clean of all. You can still weigh the little cans with can tap and hose attached on a scale.
What prompts clutch to engage is either enough pressure or reset for a grace period and I would have to go hunting for that info.
If there's a pressure reading, just static of about the temp in F as close to PSI it usually would allow power to compressor to engage and finish off thru LOW port for charging.
I just can't say how much overoiled this system can tolerate and you've lost your chance at an educated guess for just a component. Clutch may be NG or not yet empowered probably a good thing for the moment.
Now what do you want to do? Get this all flushed out and start over or turn it over to the pros if you want it to work? The savings of DIYing A/C can easily end up wrecking the system turning a few hundred into a couple thousand buck like nothing flat,
T
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 9:26 AM
Post #7 of 16
(2649 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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Great! This is even worse than I thought it was. You are not only going to destroy the system but you may end up in the hospital too. I'm sure you have never experienced a can exploding in your hand but you are fixing to.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 4:01 PM
Post #8 of 16
(2636 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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I see all kinds of bad here. Please tell me at least that this is pure 134a and not the stuff with leak sealer in it.
I see no mention of replacing the accumulator. That needs to be done any time the system is opened, as the dessicant in it has been saturated with moisture from the air. When the moisture comes in contact with 134a it begins a chemical reaction which makes hydroflouric acid.
You put way too much oil in this thing. You are going to blow that new compressor right up. If you charge through the high side and do finally get the compressor to kick in, then what HT has mentioned will happen. The compressor will make so much pressure that your can will explode in your hand. It makes some nasty shrapnel, and it has enough force that should it hit the right spot can be lethal.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 6, 2013, 5:05 PM
Post #9 of 16
(2634 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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Hydroflouric acid? Isn't that something they use in bread and cookies? 
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Oct 6, 2013, 5:07 PM)
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Oct 7, 2013, 12:02 AM
Post #10 of 16
(2618 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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No, but if you have the cash I can make you some bomb-ass brownies
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dudecw
New User
Oct 7, 2013, 9:53 AM
Post #11 of 16
(2603 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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Problem Solved! I found an electrical connection on the accumulator that I had not reconnected. Now the clutch is kicking in just fine.
With the helpful information from Tom, I now know how to charge the system the proper way and have ice cold air. The post you have on REFRIGERANT CHARGING PROCEDURE IN AUTOMOTIVE A/C SYSTEMS is great. I wish I would have read it before I started.
I am a big fan of forums and turn to them any time I am working on my snowmobiles, hot rods, or (when I have to) the wife's car. I am smart enough to know I don't know everything, but there is usually someone else out there that can educate me. Every once in a while I run into a guy like Hammer Time or Discretesignals that have no interest in helping, just degrading. The golden rule for the forum is if you have nothing helpful to say then don't say anything at all. All you have to say is don't open the valve on the high side when you are charging. "You are going to blow off your balls and shoot your eye out." is just not helpful. I assume at least Hammer Time is a mechanic by trade and probably the kind who sells blinker fluid to old ladies.
Some forums are better than others.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 7, 2013, 9:57 AM
Post #12 of 16
(2601 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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Well, if you have been around enough forums, you must know by now that when you insult the Mods you get thrown out.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 8, 2013, 4:28 PM
Post #13 of 16
(2577 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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I wanna put my 2 cents in. The reason we are hard on some people is because they don't listen to what we are advising. There are safety concerns to deal with when working on ac systems. If for some odd reason the compressor did kick on and you had the high side valve open, it would of probably blown the can up in your hand. You would have ended up in the hospital.
We repair people's cars for a living and can't go around screwing things up because our livelihood and reputation is on the line, so we constantly train to add to what we already know fundamentally. What we know we are donating to people to help them out in our spare time, but if they don't have the basic knowledge or proper tooling we have no choice but to recommend them to a repair shop. Most of us have more than a decade of experience working on vehicles, so when a novice comes in here with no knowledge of properly servicing ac systems, we are going to tell them to stop before they get hurt or they damage something.
If you don't like that...well to F'in bad.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Oct 8, 2013, 4:33 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 9, 2013, 2:51 AM
Post #15 of 16
(2563 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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How does he know about that stuff? I bet he bought some.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Oct 9, 2013, 3:51 AM
Post #16 of 16
(2560 views)
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Re: Compressor Clutch not kicking in
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He probably got the cheap stuff and thought it didn't work. I always tell my customers you have to go with OE for blinker fluid, muffler belts and canooter valves and if you don't bad things will happen.
If only people would listen to good advice and just write the check.
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