I had a collision that damaged the AC condenser in front of the radiator and I'm not going to fix it. Can I simply disconnect the wires at the compressor to prevent the compressor from running when I use the defrost setting?

'97 1500 5.2 Auto 2wd

 

It won't turn on even if you leave the wires connected

 

nothing required... you're good. :-)

 

Yeah, if the condenser was trashed, and the system lost its charge, the compressor won't run. Ever.

 

just an additional thought... If you think you might ever want to repair it and your condenser is leaking badly, it might be worth disconnecting the lines from it and capping them off so no moisture gets into the system... they're not nearly as hard to repair as most folks think... and on a "ghetto" / backyard engineering job, as long as you don't have the system open to air for very long, after you replace the offending part to seal the system (ie your condenser) you can usually get away without a vacuum pump by partially charging (like a half can of freon) and venting the system a couple times before adding the prescribed amount of refrigerant... that's my experience...

 

Awesome information. Thanks. There was impact damage but I wasn't sure that it had a leak until after a few days the AC ceased to work so it was a slow leak. Capping it off sounds like a good idea just in case a replacement condenser happens to fall in my lap. Thanks again.