AC is not AC'ing

[MRDeadhead]

Greetings,
Here I am, once again plagued by my better-half's Croozr. The AC compressor seems to have gone by the wayside, and it's starting to get a little steamy here in south-central Pennsyltuckey. What was checked...codes, fuses, belts, and R134 (refilled today). The fuses were fine and the Croozr took 1 small can of R134. Her brother (a former tech with a Chrysler dealer) says that the compressor isn't kicking in. I found the relay, but I'm unsure as to how to check if it's functioning (or not). That's where I stand...with no results and a warm Croozr. Any ideas as to what the culprit may be? Thanks, as usual, in advance.

[DARKPT]

I had AC gremlins in my PT:

part 1

part 2

The relay under the hood is actually the same as a few other relays in there. I swapped one out and eliminated the relay as the culprit right away.

[QuicksilverDon]

Strange it took refrigerant - I read refrigerant will only go in if compressor is running. When you turn on A/C at idle, you should hear engine sound change (with the load) and fan should come on. If it doesn't, could be compressor or the electric clutch.

[MRDeadhead]

Aside from the other "checks" that we went over, my GF's bro tried to jump the low pressure switch and that didn't work...no compressor. Also tried running the defroster on HOT (apparently, that should get the compressor to kick in) with no luck...no compressor. Our next trick is to take it to an A/C shop and have them check over everything. Our worst-case scenario...the compressor is dead and it will cost around $650 to install a new one. Yikes!!!

[DARKPT]

Is the engine fan running?

The AC won't kick in if the engine fan isn't running. This was the lesson of the threads I linked to in an earlier response.

[MRDeadhead]

Makes sense to me, and yes, the engine fan does run...and it's running when we did all of the checks. I agree that it's strange that it took refrigerant...but it did take 1 1/2 cans, and from what we could tell, there weren't any immediate leaks. The local wrench (whom I trust implicitly with my Wrangler Sport) says that Croozrs are noted to have sub-standard compressors and they tend to lock-up. A "new" compressor runs around $500 and I could probably locate one on E-Bay or in a junkyard, but who's to say I won't buy a comp with the same issue. I'm not really keen on using any used parts (except on my '90 F150), so I'm inclined to biting the bullet and buying an OEM unit. That will be a last ditch effort.

[Cal Cruzer]

Originally Posted by MRDeadhead

Makes sense to me, and yes, the engine fan does run...and it's running when we did all of the checks. I agree that it's strange that it took refrigerant...but it did take 1 1/2 cans, and from what we could tell, there weren't any immediate leaks. The local wrench (whom I trust implicitly with my Wrangler Sport) says that Croozrs are noted to have sub-standard compressors and they tend to lock-up. A "new" compressor runs around $500 and I could probably locate one on E-Bay or in a junkyard, but who's to say I won't buy a comp with the same issue. I'm not really keen on using any used parts (except on my '90 F150), so I'm inclined to biting the bullet and buying an OEM unit. That will be a last ditch effort.

In the years that I have had my '03 and have been pretty active on the various Cruiser boards, I have not heard of a ground swell of problems with the AC system. Sure some have the usual problems but your wrench telling you that we have substandard AC's is just not true. If the compressor is not compressing, you cannot fill the system. Get a manifold kit that reads the high and low sides so you know what is going on. Sounds like you just have a fill kit. It is probably just leaking out as fast as you put it in. If you can't jump the low pressure switch you were either doing it wrong, you have a bad electrical connection or probably have a bad compressor. The fan running has nothing to do with the compressor. It is just a software switch that turns on the hi fan when the AC is on. It just tells it to run, it doesn't monitor to see that is does. AC will run without the fan but the engine will probably overheat.

[RichLather]

'02 base model here, 147K miles; AC blows air, but with no chill whatsoever. Suspect it needs a recharge, but after reading this thread I'm quite cautious now.

I'm going to check the relays, fuses, etc. but in case all I need to do is add refrigerant I need to ask this:



I've found the low-side service port although it's in a slightly different location (closer to the high-side). I don't see any kind of cap or gasket on the port; it's just bare metal with some threading on the inside.

If I go to the dealership to ask for the parts needed to hook up a refrigerant fill-up kit to the service port, what parts do I need to ask for? I'm guessing I need either a service port cap and.or a service port valve core. Could I get a hand, please?

If it needs a new compressor or anything much more than just a recharge I think I'm just going to suck it up and crack the windows. It's just not economically feasible to drop $500 or more on this right now.

Edit: I have no overheating problems and the lack of cold air seemed to be an all-or-nothing change between last fall and this spring.

[DARKPT]

It's a standarized connector. Go to the auto parts place and you can usually find the connector in a kit with a bottle of refrigerant. I looked for a connector with a built-in gauge. Follow the instructions, it's hard to mess it up.

[RichLather]

Yeah, after looking at what I bought once again I can see that I had things bass-ackwards. I didn't have the gauge set up properly, so I can see why it wouldn't fit. I'm glad I stepped away from it!



This is what I purchased.