AC Compressor Does not Turn On???

[Mohsan]

I have a 1994, V4. The previous owner installed a seperate switch (accessible near the daskboard) to turn on the AC compressor. It was working fine, until a few days ago. It seems as if turning on the switch no longer turns on the AC Compressor.

Before, it was obvious when teh compressor was turned on, because it would cause a lot of load on the engine (figures for a 1.6L). However, now the switch does nothing. I checked out the wiring diagrams, and did some inspection.

When the custom-AC switch is in the on position, it grounds the AC-compressor wire (which connects to the relay). When its off, it leaves it open circuited, and reads a voltage of 12V.

What do you guys think is the problem? Is it the Compressor? If it was the compressor, wouldn't the compressor still try to turn on and cause drastic load on the engine (and even stall the car)?


Thanks in advance!

[Grants]

Theres a pressure switch in series with the compressor. Do you think you could be low on refrigerant?

You could test the compressor by running 12V to it and see that the clutch pulls in.

[highlife]

I discovered on my 93 1.6 a broken wire right at the clutch. It appeared that vibration over time had caused it to wear through and break off. I didnt catch it on my first check it was in a difficult spot to see. Good luck.

[gapimpin]

you may wanna check the relay