A/C trouble

[cruiser08tt]

story is.. after installing the Domello bumper I cked the a/c line for (hot side)clearance.. so after a few months of driving around somehow the line was making contact with the edge of the bumper and manage to chaffer thru the line enough to cause a leak.. after a wk I finally received a brand new OEM hard line and replaced it.. side note A/C was working prior to changing this line out.

At this point I vacuum the system with a kit I purchased online and used the youtube tutorial .. everything seems good system doesn't appear to be leaking and held pressure for over an hr..

So final part was to add freon after a few attempts I noticed the clutch compressor not engaging but a/c system is blowing but no cold air.. clutch compressor was not engaging

I don't have a helms as Im sure it would help but heres what I've cked and done..

1. system holds vacuum
2. a/c in the car works from low-high, a/c light not flickering so relay is good? but I changed and put a new one in and did not solve it.
3. checked the clutch compressor adding voltage and it does work

questions:
1. are there any other fuses or relays I should attempt on checking or replacing?
2. I see the Hot side switch but did not find the low side pressure switch which from I read is supposedly be behind the glove box. was possibly wanting to bypass this by jumping it ..
3. can I manually add freon by simply jumping the clutch/compressor applying power directly to it
4. cked the plug (3 prong) that connects to the compressor and noticed there was no power coming thru it even with the a/c turned on

thanks in advance..

 

[Cloud9]

A lot of shops will check this out for a flat fee. You might want to check into that to see where the issues is and it might be simpler than you think.

 

[tom4416]

Not sure why you are trying to do this without a proper set of manifold gauges as you will either under or over fill the system. The low side switch has to detect enough pressure to kick on the compressor which then excites the high side sensor as well. A proper balance between the two is the only way to properly fill the system. Also, what kind of "kit" can pull thirty inches of vacuum on the system - that takes a two-stage pump to do it properly. IIWM, I'd go to a certified shop and let them do everything the right way and see what you end up with.

 

[cruiser08tt]

yeah thats my last resort is to take it to a shop..the kit purchased was a simple diy self kit that comes with vacuum pump and manifold/gauges that seems to work for a lot of people.. its not a highend dealer system.. I always like to try to solve it myself first .. from researching it seems like low freon is causing the clutch not to engage but its not possible to add freon if clutch doesn't engage.. so im just trying to narrow it down.. its a headache but always nice to be able to do it yourself when possible.. actually I think I skipped an important step.. will update..

 

[earthrealm]

yeah thats my last resort is to take it to a shop..the kit purchased was a simple diy self kit that comes with vacuum pump and manifold/gauges that seems to work for a lot of people.. its not a highend dealer system.. I always like to try to solve it myself first .. from researching it seems like low freon is causing the clutch not to engage but its not possible to add freon if clutch doesn't engage.. so im just trying to narrow it down.. its a headache but always nice to be able to do it yourself when possible.. actually I think I skipped an important step.. will update..

it is possible to add some freon without the compressor engaging.the freon in the bottle is already compressed at high pressure, say about 60psi or so...so on hooking up to your low side, some freon will flow into your ac system...leave it for about 3minutes, till natural flow stops .and usually this quantity is enough to excite the compressor to kick in, i think about 70grams flowed into my system the last time i tried this

 

[cruiser08tt]

update.. after going thru the process again, I found out the adaptor valve used to puncture/screw onto the freon canister was defective.. purchased one of the bigger can with the gauges, hooked it up the low side.. it took less then a minute before the clutch engaged :bounce: .. now I have cold air..