My A/C has stopped working (compressor will not cycle on) and I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction to getting it fixed. In the summer of 2011 I charged my A/C system and things were great for a couple of months. Shortly after it stopped working and since it is an older truck with a lot of miles I did not want to put the money into fixing it. Well it is time to sell the truck now and I know I will get taken to the cleaners if I sell it with the A/C not working.

I have check the A/C relay and it checks out fine. Clutch spins freely so it is not seized up. Is there a way to power the clutch directly and see if it kicks on? Is this a definitive test for the A/C clutch?

Any input would be great!!

2001 Dakota Sport RWD 4.7L

Josh

 

Hi and welcome to the forums!

You could run some jumper wires to the clutch field coil connector. One side gets 12v and the other goes to ground.

You really should put some gauges on the system first to see if the pressures are OK. If they're low (or high) the compressor won't run to protect itself from damage.

 

Or remove the low pressure switch pigtail and jumper the two pins together. Start the truck with the AC on and the compressor should kick in. Then check the pressure. You can't check pressure without the compressor running.. If it's low, add some then reconnect the switch without the jumper and the compressor should cycle by itself. If you are losing refrigerant and you can't see an obvious leak it is probably the seals in the compressor. New compressor time. ALWAYS replace the orifice tube and dryer when replacing a compressor and make sure to have the system vacuumed down to check and remove any moisture. There is a sticker that will tell you how much to put in. Don't overfill.