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I F'ed UP… Help me or tell me what I dread..

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Fred Kiehl 
#1 ·
Ok… sooo.. I was super excited and bought some r134a and researched on how to do it and everything… bought two different ac recharge hoses, one was garbage the other one was from napa… thought I had it on properly.. I engaged the ac compressor manually by attaching alligator clips to the relay slot…. It turned on and I started filling. Turns out no refrigerant ever made it in. I turned off the car after about 4 minutes and I attempted to perforate the r134a can with the napa recharge hose and was successful this time. Then! I redid all the steps but once I tried to manually turn on the AC compressor the engine died on me and the AC compressor never came on… Please tell me what I think I just did but cannot make sense of it… Did I burn out my AC clutch? Is that why my car turns off when I jump the relay? Is it just that it has been running for too long that it needs a break? PLEASE HELP… :(:confused::(!!!
 
#2 ·
When you jump that relay the pcm has no idea that the engine is getting loaded down. Normally when the ac compressor engages the engine idles up a couple hundred rpm to compensate. You are now adding a pretty good load and the engine is not able to compensate.
Depending on the circumstances, you should not have to jump the ac relay. Just add the 134a and it should start doing its own thing.
But lets make sure the compressor didn't lock up. Take the serpintine belt off and see if the clutch spins freely. Then engage the ac compressor as before and see if the compressor spins.
Let us know what you find.
 
#3 ·
Another classic case of why you should not attempt to work on your A/C when you don't know what you are doing. Rarely, recharging with one of those DIY kits will fix the problem. Take your car to a shop and have them hook up the right equipment to diagnose the problem. In the long run, you will spend less time and money that way than trying to save by DIY.
 
#4 ·
If you are intent on doing some of the maintenance, at least take it to an AC place, so that you know what you need to do.
 
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