a/c clutch keeps jumping on and off

[marryson]

My car is a s13 240sx 1993. I just had my refrigerant refill this morning at a local shop. Right after they refilled the refrigerant, the a/c blows nice cold air, but after a minute or 2, the compressor starts to make this clicking noise every few seconds. I am pretty sure it is the clutch on the a/c compressor jumping on and off. Of course the a/c now stops blowing cold air.

The on and off problem did not exist before refilling my refrigerant. The mechanic said it is because now there is something inside the compressor to create pressure.... not too sure what that means.

ps: The light on the A/C switch is not turning on when it is suppose to be on. Lights on other switches works fine. Only the A/C light not working


need help on this one because i am melting inside my car..

Here is the link of a video showing how the a/c light turns on then off, and how the idle jumps when its on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z7EWBoN80I&feature=youtu.be

[yetijeff]

S13,s14? R134? R12?

[marryson]

S13,s14? R134? R12?

ooops forgot to mention

[tobroketobuildarealcar]

It could be many things causing the concern the thi gs I would look into are

1. Was the refrigerant filled to proper level to much and to little can cause problems

2. Your ac controol head can be going bad

3 there may be a restriction I the system causing the high pressure switch to turn the compressor off

[marryson]

It could be many things causing the concern the thi gs I would look into are

1. Was the refrigerant filled to proper level to much and to little can cause problems

2. Your ac controol head can be going bad

3 there may be a restriction I the system causing the high pressure switch to turn the compressor off

weird thing is, it ddint happen before refilling the refrigerant.

[Mikester]

^^Right, but say it was still R12 and then you had it converted & charged with R134a without completely purging/cleaning the system, servicing the compressor with fresh PAG or Ester oil & replacing the filter-drier, then that could be your issue. R12 and R134a are not compatible refrigerants and may cause your lines to clog...

You also have both high & low pressure switches in the system- If the system was OVER-charged, it will kick off just the same as if there were not enough. Did the shop that charged it put a vacuum on the system and make sure it didn't leak before charging it?

[marryson]

^^Right, but say it was still R12 and then you had it converted & charged with R134a without completely purging/cleaning the system, servicing the compressor with fresh PAG or Ester oil & replacing the filter-drier, then that could be your issue. R12 and R134a are not compatible refrigerants and may cause your lines to clog...

You also have both high & low pressure switches in the system- If the system was OVER-charged, it will kick off just the same as if there were not enough. Did the shop that charged it put a vacuum on the system and make sure it didn't leak before charging it?

Im not sure how they do their job, but I think using R12 or R134a was the problem. They might have used the wrong one. Do you know what kind of refrigerant my 93 240sx s13 uses? R12 or R134a? Imma go back to the shop and ask them which kind of refrigerant they used.

ps: They did mention something about my car running out of "Freon". As far as i know, Freon is R12. I could be wrong tho. Im not an expert on this subject. So i just have to figure out which kind of refrigerant my 93 240sx uses.

[ultimateirving]

Pressure switches are possible, to rule them out you could jump them one by one with a paper clip or wire and see if the clutch stays on. BUT dont do this for very long, Like a few seconds to test it..

And if the drier was exposed to the atmosphere for any length of time, you need to replace it. Normally they are recommended to replace anyways with a major a/c overhaul, and they are cheap.

[codyace]

Take it to another shop and tell them to get the gauges on it.

Compressor clicking on/off is indicative of an improper fill, or a a high pressure situation that the switch recognizes, thus shutting off compressor power.

[marryson]

Take it to another shop and tell them to get the gauges on it.

Compressor clicking on/off is indicative of an improper fill, or a a high pressure situation that the switch recognizes, thus shutting off compressor power.

that means they fucked it up huh.... son of a bitch caused me 140$ to refill lol.

[Mikester]

that means they fucked it up huh.... son of a bitch caused me 140$ to refill lol.

Not necessarily. But you need to take it back, tell them what it's doing & have them pressure check it.

[sleepyS14se]

Im not sure how they do their job, but I think using R12 or R134a was the problem. They might have used the wrong one. Do you know what kind of refrigerant my 93 240sx s13 uses? R12 or R134a? Imma go back to the shop and ask them which kind of refrigerant they used.

ps: They did mention something about my car running out of "Freon". As far as i know, Freon is R12. I could be wrong tho. Im not an expert on this subject. So i just have to figure out which kind of refrigerant my 93 240sx uses.


ok freon can be r12 or r134a.

Two totally different refrigerants.

r12 came in older cars, i know on hondas it was 94 when they first started puttin r134a in cars rather than r12 for several enviromental reasons. Back on topic though, Being it is 2013 and you just had this service done i can guarantee you that they put in r134a being r12/freeze12 is not very easy to get your hands on, let alone purchase(you must have certification from the state to purchase r12 nowadays).

It sounds to as if you are either under or over charged.

If your vehicle DID come with r12 and lets say it specified to put in 22 oz of r12 in it. Well that being said, if the mechanic installed 22oz of r134a then that is a problem right there. If the vehicle calls for 22oz of r12 than that means it would need 85-90% of that put in as 134a which would be 18.75 oz of r134a.

Also the desiccant inside the drier is not useable for r134a if r12 was previously used!

You must replace the filter drier/accumulator with one specified for use with r134a not r12 which is easily had being only 134a parts are sold nowadays.

So keep this all in mind and lets revamp this and hopefully you can figure out whats going on with your a/c system

[marryson]

ok freon can be r12 or r134a.

Two totally different refrigerants.

r12 came in older cars, i know on hondas it was 94 when they first started puttin r134a in cars rather than r12 for several enviromental reasons. Back on topic though, Being it is 2013 and you just had this service done i can guarantee you that they put in r134a being r12/freeze12 is not very easy to get your hands on, let alone purchase(you must have certification from the state to purchase r12 nowadays).

It sounds to as if you are either under or over charged.

If your vehicle DID come with r12 and lets say it specified to put in 22 oz of r12 in it. Well that being said, if the mechanic installed 22oz of r134a then that is a problem right there. If the vehicle calls for 22oz of r12 than that means it would need 85-90% of that put in as 134a which would be 18.75 oz of r134a.

Also the desiccant inside the drier is not useable for r134a if r12 was previously used!

You must replace the filter drier/accumulator with one specified for use with r134a not r12 which is easily had being only 134a parts are sold nowadays.

So keep this all in mind and lets revamp this and hopefully you can figure out whats going on with your a/c system

Hey man. Thanks for the reply. That is exactly what im thinking. I just learnt that R134a operates at a higher pressure. if they put 22oz of R134a into my R12 compressor, then the compressor would be running at a pressure higher than its suppose to run.

I think the previous owner already converted the a/c system to use R134a. otherwise the mechanics would not be able to put R134a in.

I already released some freon, and now the a/c would stay on and blows nice cold air at night when it is not warm outside.

Im ganna try to release more and hopefully it would stay on during the day when i actually need it.

[sleepyS14se]

you need to vacuum/suck out the freon with a vac machine and refill it with the appropriate amount..

Don't just let some out

[marryson]

you need to vacuum/suck out the freon with a vac machine and refill it with the appropriate amount..

Don't just let some out

I just poke the high pressure hose with a screw driver to release the freon.... is that ganna cause any problems?

[Mikester]

^^Technically no... but what he is saying is that in order to function consistently, there are prescribed amounts of refrigerant, oil and pressure that are supposed to be in the system... The only way to know your system is optimally serviced is to suck it dry, then service it from scratch.

At the bare minimum, you should at least have it pressure-checked.

[sleepyS14se]

exactly, the system needs to be drained of everything and put into a vacuum hold and then put the appropriate amount of Freon into the system.