98 caravan ac

I pulled a vacuum on my ac compressor,then added refrigerant,but the compressor will not kick on,is there perhaps a fuse for it or a low pressure control?please respond !thank you! jim

 

I think it should have both. The low pressure switch is sometimes threaded into the expansion valve or close by. There should be a fuse in the main box also. If Mike from NJ is around, he should be able to get more specific on the locations.

 

mike from n. j. please respond to this question!

 

dear desi,i think i found the pressure control ,it goes into the firewall,how do i get the plastic elect. plug out without breaking it,its in very close corners,& i cant get any leverage because the refrig line moves with it?

 

How much 134 did you add?What does the label call for with your system front or front and rear air?The switch you found is it on a fat line or skinny line?The low pressure swith should be on the expansion valve as Desi said.Give Mike a little time to respond he has alot going on right now and is not here as often but will check in on the weekends usually.

 

I'm not sure what your referring to here. The pressure switch should be 2 wires that connect onto 2 blade connectors. The plug at the end might have an umbrella shape to it. The switch is usually threaded right into the expansion block at the firewall. Don't yank on too much until we clarify what your pulling on.

 

Mike Fro Nj Are You Out There ?help!!! Sos!!!

 

From the picture in Alldata that switch is located on the firewall directly in front of the alternator. You didnt mention what engine is in your van, but I assume it is of the 3.3/3.8L variant. If this is not correct please let me know. Davo asked you how much freon you added when you charged it. Can you elaborate on that please. Also does you van have rear A/C? This will make a big differencein the amount of freon necessary to make things work properly.
Hope this is helpful to ya,
Billy

 

hello billy! nice to hear from you again! it ha SA 3.3 ENG.,without rear air,& i put1 can in & i believe they re 13oz. or the standard size im not positive then tried to add another can , but wouldnt take it,because the compressor wont run ,so my next step was to jump out the lp switch to get it to run to absorb the refrigerant. i found the cotrol but having tro uble getting the plug out ,how do i get it off without breaking it?thanks!

 

The cans are actually 12oz's. Your system without rear air has a capacity of 2.13lbs (or 34oz's). This is almost 3 cans.
What was the problem to begin with?
Billy

 

billy please reply to previous thread!

 

What's the matter with you Billy??

 

Huh?? Whys something gotta be the matter with me??? What exactly am I replying to? I am a bit confused here. Sorry wasnt on much today.... Was on WAY too late last night though.
Billy

 

billy or mike from nj ,please answer question on thread #9! thanks,jim

 

Hahaha.....got any more orders for anybody?

 

dear desi 501,im just aguy out of work who is trying to fix the ac on my car whats the big joke?

 

Some switches have a tang that needs released some you squeeze to release some just pull off I forget what yours is.You will need to be patient if you want mike to respond he has been very busy with a child on the way any day now.

 

I'm going to chime in here and recommend you travel back to the starting point. First of all, on that system, jumping the cycling switch will do nothing (90% sure). The clutch is controlled directly by a relay, which in turn is controlled by the pcm, which gets its pressure signal input from the pressure transducer. The transducer, I believe, is what reads both high and low side pressures from the switches. Bottom line, you'll need probably a 50-60% charge to get it running. Basics: does the compressor turn by hand? What type of equipment was used to pull the vacuum and pump freon? Proper stuff, or a 29.95 wallyzone superkit? How many inches of vacuum applied, for how long, and did it hold after the pump was shut off? It should not require compressor operation to fully charge the system. Best option, take it to an a/c shop, spend the 30 bucks or so to get the basic system checked out properly, and go from there.

 

Jim, The questions PMG posed for you are a good place for you to start.
I didnt catch your question, so thats why I did not reply. Patience is a virtue my friend. You obviously have a problem, most likely electrical, if the compressor isnt coming on. You should fix that problem before you try jerry-rigging it.

Fix it right and Forget it!!!
Billy

 

dear pmgheritage,thanks for your advice!alltogether i put 2&1/2 cans of r134a in &1 can had the oil charge in it,its cooling very well 36 degrees,but the compressor makes a very loud howling noise especially upon accelleration, do you know what would cause this & what should i do about it?thank you! jim

 

Without actually hearing the noise, all I can say is that a howling compressor normally indicates imminent failure. 36 degrees sounds awfully cold too, especially for a 134 system. Are any of the components/lines icing up?

 

dear pmgheritage ,none of the lines are freezing as far as i can see,is there anything i can do about the noise?by the way it made the same noise last summer.

 

Like I said, without being able to hear it, there's not much I can tell you. Are you sure it's coming from the compressor? If the noise is internal, it's on the way out. I'd probably start by removing the serp. belt and spin all the pulleys by hand. If the noise is from a bearing in one of the pulleys, you'll hear it and feel it. The a/c running can put enough additional load on the rest of them that a problem that isn't normally there could rear it's head. And, just for giggles, start the engine with the belt off and make sure the noise is actually in the drive belt component line.

 

I would definately take a look at the belt tensioner. They tend to do that when put under abnormal load.
Billy