a/c problem on 850

[sfpd public affairs]

i have a problem with my a/c. when i switch it on, the clutch engages for
only a couple of seconds and stop then start up again in a couple of
seconds. this continues until i switch it off. what seems to be the
problem. i read from other post that it may be the superheat switch and
that i can bypass this without a problem.

should i bypass the switch, if so, where the heck is is. if not, then what
else should i do or what else is wrong?

 

[John in NH]

should i bypass the switch, if so, where the heck is is. if not, then what

else should i do or what else is wrong?

Sounds like that. The switch itself is the white connector coming from the
clutch of the compres. to the car's wiring harness. REMOVE THAT CONNECTOR and
reconnect the wires (with a weathertight connection, of course). Should do it.

You can see the wires for this job from above when looking down; near the
radiator on the pass. side.
~~~
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt on the Iraqi "wedding" that was attacked - 'There may
have been some kind of celebration. Bad people have celebrations, too.'

My eBay Stuff:
http://tinyurl.com/u0fi

 

[John Horner]

i have a problem with my a/c. when i switch it on, the clutch engages for
only a couple of seconds and stop then start up again in a couple of
seconds. this continues until i switch it off. what seems to be the
problem. i read from other post that it may be the superheat switch and
that i can bypass this without a problem.

should i bypass the switch, if so, where the heck is is. if not, then what
else should i do or what else is wrong?

The next step is to test the pressures in the system. An A/C mechanic is
probably what you need .

John

 

[G Klein]

On the 850 it is a expensive repair most shops charge 8 Hours to replace the
evaporator

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as long
as I live,
nor should any American.
"Mow Green"

 

[David Taylor]

On the 850 it is a expensive repair most shops charge 8 Hours to replace the
evaporator

I had a quote for mine from a company that had just gained their a/c
franchise. They quoted me £350 and something like 6 to 8 hours.

3 days later they still had the car and were still working on it.

Didn't bother me, I got the quote in writing which is legally binding in
the UK.



David.

 

[Guest]

i have a problem with my a/c. when i switch it on, the clutch engages for
only a couple of seconds and stop then start up again in a couple of
seconds. this continues until i switch it off. what seems to be the
problem. i read from other post that it may be the superheat switch and
that i can bypass this without a problem.

If the a/c clutch is cycling from cold straight away thenit is NOT the
overheat switch on the compressor- you are short of gas and the low pressure
switch is cutting the compressor out. You need a recharge.

If however the a/c runs normally for several minutes, then cuts out and
needs 10or so mins before it comes back to life then definately suspect the
overheat switch.

Tim..

 

[barry]

I have the same problem with my T5. I'd like to bypass the switch, can
anyone direct me to it, and is it easily done?

 

[Mike F]

I have the same problem with my T5. I'd like to bypass the switch, can
anyone direct me to it, and is it easily done?

What do you mean by same problem? If the A/C is cool but not cold,
compressor is cycling with the period measured in seconds, then the
problem is most likely low refrigerant. If the A/C works fine for a few
minutes, then not at all for 10 minutes or so, then the problem could be
the superheat switch on the compressor.

The superheat switch is on the back side of the compressor. You need to
join the 2 wires going into it together. The best way is to follow both
wire to a connection about 6" (15 cm) away, disconnect the superheat
switch wires and connect the 2 other wires together. (The connectors
will just plug into each other.) Do not remove the superheat switch, as
the refrigerant will come blasting out. Note that the design idea of
the superheat switch was to save the compressor from overheating, it's
setting is too low, causing the compressor to turn off when there's
really no problem.

Another problem is that the A/C works fine for a while - typically 30
minutes or more - then cuts out and doesn't work until the car has
cooled off. This is usually caused by the gap in the compressor clutch
being too large, and the magnetic force is not enough to engage the
clutch. (Removing the superheat switch from the circuit as described
above will help this problem, as it will increase the voltage available
to the clutch a small amount.) Others have used the wire going to the
clutch to engage a relay that is fed power directly from the battery.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[Rob Guenther]

Mine did that in my 960 a week or two ago, it was out of R-134, evaporator
is permeating the refrigerant out, slowly over the course of a year.

The tech said the 850's A/C system is much more trouble prone then the
960's, which is bad news for you... Hopefully it isn't too costly (A/C is
either cheap, or super expensive).