Hey guys, I havent been using the a/c much as its been cooler here, but I noticed the other day that it didnt seem to be blowing cold. Today I turned it on again and noticed that it wasnt cold. Further investigation shows that the clutch is not engaging. It has 134a in it as the high/cold is equalized from the clutch not cycling. No odd noises, nothing, just not coming on. I can turn the clutch by hand, Ive checked fuses, swapped relays, bumped the clutch by hand and nothing. I replaced the transducer switch as it broke in the diagnostic process, tried to pull the connector off and the whole damn thing came apart, so thats replaced. Also the condensor fan is coming on like it should. Im stumped, I dont see any other switches or anything on the lines, no CEL or anything. Anyone ever experience this or hear of this? Thanks.

Truck is an 02 Ram 1500 with 4.7 btw.

 

Does the compressor have a fusible link? That may be only alternators, but it seems I saw a fusible link on my compressor.

 

The only thing I see coming off of my compressor besides the lines is an electrical connector from the compressor coil that plugs into a connector that goes into a harness.

 

Come to think of it, do you have power at the connector?

 

I will check tomorrow. Any tips on checking? I forgot about checking that after I busted the tranducer, which btw is $100 at the dealer should anyone need one and was wondering.

 

All you need is a meter. Turn the A/C down to cold/recirculate. Use the meter to see if you have ~13VDC on the terminals. If not, it could still be other things, but if so, the compressor is not happy.

 

Thank you. I will try that tomorrow and report back. I suppose that will tell the story.

 

Okay, I have 13.72 volts at the connector going to the compressor with the air wide open. I was unable to "jump" the compressor itself because I dont have the right connectors here for the spade connections. Also, to correct my original post about the pressures being equalized at around 115, I checked again and the high/low side is equalized at 70. Is that too low?

 

I would think (I don't know) that if you have power at the compressor, all the sensors are happy. Otherwise, they'd interrupt the power so the compressor couldn't run and damage the system due to insufficient refrigerant.

 

I believe the high side should be about double. Could simply be low on charge. The compressor won't come on to prevent damage to the compressor. Low on charge, means it could be low on compressor oil as well.