Need a new compressor?

[TwistedD85]

When I push "Max A/C" shouldn't the clutches engage on the pump and make the front of the pulley spin? Instead of just sitting there while the pulley spins freely. Not sure if that sounded right, but from my experience when you turn the A/C on the front of the pump should start spinning. Thanks for any help!

 

[TwistedD85]

Oh, and the previous owner said it stopped putting out cold air after it went "Psh!" suddenly. That lead me to think it was an o-ring, but with that not turning, I was thinking it might be more.

 

[TwistedD85]

Thought of another thing, could it just be a safety cut-out, since there's no refridgerant? I heard some compressors have that.

 

[HotRodKid]

a/c systems are designed so that they don't pump if there's nothing to be pumped

the loud PSHH was the refrigerant leaking out all at once, possibly from an o ring going, but those are set into recesses and don't just blow out

a hard line could have cracked, or a rubber hose could have split, or ****, maybe someone left a fitting loose during an a/c service and it blew apart

check everything, if you have to, pressurize the system with air to find the leak, fix it, then have the system vac'ed and refilled

and oh yea, since it sounds like the a/c system had a rapid depressurization, you might get lucky and find an oil stain near the failure. the one time i had a line fail on me while i was working on a car, it left a oil "halo" on the wall 5 feet behind me ... it definitely makes a mess

 

[bittertech]

You can try and short the low pressure switch, which will make the compressor think it has pressure and kick on -- it's on a hard line close to the dryer, iirc.