Hoping for input on this one as I am starting an 11 hour drive early tomorrow.

I just discovered that the climate control/fan control rotary switch on the dash of my 98 ram appears to be acting up. The first two positions on the switch are air conditioning cold and colder. The other positions determine where heat is directed: floor, mid, upper and defrost. It turns out that the air conditioning clutch is engaging on all positions except one. This might explain the slight loss of mpg.

Question for you is this: would it be acceptable to disconnect the two wire connecter that powers the A/C clutch as a temporary fix? I don't have time to remove the switch and diagnose it.

It's starting to get chilly here in the Okanagan and I am headed north. I will need my defrost and don't want that A/C running full bore.

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

Yep. Unplug the compressor clutch and it won't energize.

 

...or remove the fuse, i believe that the compressor is still needed for the heater/defrost to work properly

 

Yes and no. The compressor will cycle when on defrost, but it isn't needed. Non a/c vehicles don't have a compressor to cycle.

 

AC greatly improves defogging performance (inside the windshield fog), not really needed for strictly defrosting though (outside the windshield frost).

 

In addition to that, having the A/C cycling when the defroster operates ensures the A/C system circulates (its) oil, thereby lubricating all of the internals and keeping the seals soft and pliable. Hard seals is what causes leaks and a loss in performance.

 

The only two positions the compressor doesn't run are the floor vents and face vents.

 

Thanks to you all for clarifying the operation cycles of the a/c compressor. As you have described, I don't have a problem at all.