A/c newbie 2003 Mazda b4000

[Paka]

Well here's the deal . Truck ac isn't cold. Looks like compressor isn't spinning. Tryed to charge with ac pro (Walmart) and gauge reads in the red 60 psi . Ac went warm 3 months ago. Also where is low pressure inlet , hoping it's on top of condenser ? Got to go thanks all

 

[Paka]

Ok guys and gals , finally got some time . I'm hoping someone can help me out with this one . First of I know where the low side valve is . My biggest ? Is my ac compressor . The pulley spins it exept for the inner nut and about a one inch around it . The pulley looks different than most I've seen , ther are about 10 circular grooves on it and it's one piece that all spins . Is the bolt and middle of pulley supposed to spin when ac is on?? Thanks in advance all ! This truck is my first with ac and want to take good care of it. I will try a jumper wire tommorow to see if it's the electrical

 

[sblake01]

No disrespect intended but, based on the way you're describing things, and the fact that you woulld attempt to put a can of refrigerant in without knowing the cause of your problem, you'd probably be better off taking it to an ac shop and having it diagnosed.

 

[Paka]

No disrespect taken.i am not able to take my vehicle in to a mechanic every time something goes wrong. I have rebuilt a motor , lifted trucks , body work , tint etc. but have no idea about and ac system . With or without your help I will learn this system . Thank you sir for your concerns and recommendation s. If anyone has any other advice I'm open

 

[Paka]

Yup I'm still at it. Looks like fuse in dash is good , fuse under hood is good . Seems there's elec going to the compressor. Ac pressure right on the money. Compressor spins ( pulley) from the moment I start up truck , no change from the moment I turn on ac . Only thing not spinning is the middle bolt and one inch circle around it . What do u think is going on? Thanks for any help Paka

 

[kryptonitecb]

When you turn on the ac does the compressor click? That would mean that its engaging the e-clutch and spinning the compressor.

Sent from road while ignoring traffic

 

[Paka]

Thanks Kryptonite ,
I hate to say it but no , I do Not see , hear or notice any clicking . So wheat now.Do I have to take off serpentine belt to see if I can spin clutch by hand ??anymore ideas would be great . My wife has pneumonia and my 4 kids are a great handful so I need to relax and try to clear my head to understand this ac delema .had to vent , get it ac , vent haha Paka

 

[Paka]

Well 2 morrow I'll bridge pressure switches and see if clutch engages. Also read to run my obdll to see if anything pops up on scanner. Would the WOT relay have anything to do with this . I'm on a mission to get clutch to click . Paka

 

[snake]

If you have 60 on the low side it may be too low to activate the compressor, as some low pressure switches are more touchy than others. Obviously your problem is the compressor isn't clicking in so you have to find out why. There is a fuse for the compressor as well as a relay, so check the fuse and swap the relay for another one like it in the relay box. You can check the compressor for 12v at the clutch and ohm the clutch itself to see if you have continuity. If it were me, I'd try to hotwire the low pressure switch with a jumper wire- most have two wires, just put a jumper between the two. It wouldn't hurt to use a fused jumper just in case. If the compressor clicks in, (blower fan and engine running) then watch the gauges. Normal number should be about 35 on the low side up at maybe 1500 rpm and 150-225 or so on the high. If the low side numbers are low it will need freon. When you are adding freon the numbers can be artificially high, so add a little and shut the valve and see where you are pressure-wise. I could write 1000 pages on this, so try this first and get back with what you find out. The compressor not running could be the fan switch, thermostat, bad clutch, fuse, relay, low or high pressure switches bad, low freon, and a ton of other stuff. Most common is low freon and the low pressure switch keeping it off because it is low to protect the compressor. You can also run a FUSED hotwire from the battery straight to the clutch to eliminate the truck's wiring as a problem- if it clicks in hotwired the compressor is good and there is something up the line keeping it off. I don't get on here as much as I used to, so if u want tech support call me 830-377-6969. Good luck.

 

[Paka]

Thanks Snake,
Fuses checked out ok. Relay checked out ok too. Made a 3" wire to plug into elec. port on accumulator and nothing. Same for both harness on compressor , and no change. The ac is cooler than outside air(barely) but still no clicking on compressor . The compressor spins the same wether ac is on or off. The whole pulley is spinning , except for bolt in the middle ,is it supposed to spin? Ill go back to your post and keep workin on it. Also no ac hoses seem cold, maybe my Walmart ac bottle is incorrect on pressure reading . And obdll checks out perfect

 

[kryptonitecb]

I just know that your compressor clutch isn't activating lol. Listen to snake he's given you the best advice so far.

Sent from road while ignoring traffic

 

[Paka]

Thanks Gents
Great info , will keep at it and try all snake is saying

 

[snake]

OK- If the center of the clutch isn't spinning it isn't engaged. You can usually hear it click in when it does. You say there are two connectors on the compressor? Without looking I can only guess at what the second one is, but the one going into the clutch is the one you want. Run 12V straight from the batt (fused) to the compressor and it should lock in. You can do this with the truck and key off since the battery is hot all the time. If no click, try disconnecting the connector and check the clutch for continuity with an ohm meter. If it is open the clutch is bad. The clutch can be replaced separately but you have to keep a proper gap between the clutch and compressor upon re-install. This is done by using shims. You may also (very likely) need a puller to get the clutch off. Let us know what u find out. Oh- and when you say you made a 3" jumper at the accumulator, you didn't run power to there, right? It just takes a wire to short the pins. The compressor clutch requires 12 V from another source (batt) tho if you want to "hotwire" it...

And yes- the WOT switch could be screwed up knocking out the power to the compressor...

 

[Paka]

This info is awesome, I will try to hot wire 2nite. I know I'm getting close. Thanks to u all I have learned a lot n anyone else reading in the future will also learn something . More to come

 

[Paka]

I'll check past post but when I hit wire what about the ground??