My vehicle- 97 Dodge Dakota V8 4x4 automatic 140k


My A/C compressor will not turn on and I can't figure out why. I checked my AC clutch fuse which checked out good.

So what should I check next and could my compressor be burnt up?

Thanks

 

can u spin the pulley by hand? if not the pulley might be siezed

 

If it is low on refrigerant it will not cycle. Does it have a full charge?

 

dang, posts # 2 & 3 were my first 2 suggestions. make sure it spins freely (without the belt, of course). if it does, then hopefully it's just low of R134a. it has a built in safety feature where the clutch won't engage if it's low on fluid. kinda like if you run out of engine oil your engine will burn up, the compressor will burn up if it runs without refridgerant.

that being said, compressor clutches do burn up. never done one on a dodge, but my buddy's honda's compressor clutch froze up, and he bought a refurbished one off of ebay for $75 delivered and had me install it. i'm guessing you could probably get a clutch rebuild kit, but it wasn't my car/money, so i didn't investigate it.

also, unlikely but possible, the AC switch could have gone bad.

 

Just got back from garage and my AC is working. I recharged the system with two 12oz cans and when I added the freon my compressor turned on right away. BTW I used subzero synthetic freon and I got say that stuff is great.


Thanks a lot guys

 

No problem. The easy fixes are always the best aren't they?

 

True, but now you need to ask why you needed 24oz of refrigerant in a system that only holds around 2lbs. If you have a refrigerant leak that big, odds are you'll have to recharge it again soon.

 

hi guys.gonna dig up an old thread here

soo..i know mine is low on fluid..tried to put a bottle of r134a in,but the clutch wont engage and it wont "suck" the r134a out of the bottle

before i replace the compressor,what steps do i take to figure out if maybe my compressor/clutch arent bad in the first place?

the pulley spins fine,but the clutch doesnt engage..i can turn the outer clutch hub by hand

any help is appreciated

 

should add this is for a 1997 with a 5.2L v8

 

ok so i put power directly to the clutch connector and it worked..i plugged it back in and it was working fine..i charged the system,and it was blowing nice cold air..

then i shut the truck off..came back otu and started it again,and now the clutch wont engage..so i put power directly to the plug again like before,and nothing..i can see the hub on the front trying to move..it moves just a little bit inward,as if it were going to work,but thats it..i can still spin the front fairly easily by hand..anyone have any idea?