No refrigerant in the A/C system... will it hurt to use to other climate controls?

[Lurch]

I recently had my SHO repaired from a minor fender-bender (well, it turned out to be not so minor, but) and in the process the mechanic lost most of my R-12, even though we paid for him to evacuate and recharge the system with the recovered R-12, there is so little in the system that the A/C just clicks on and off if you try to run it. And no, I only ran the A/C about 60 seconds before I realized it was cycling on and off, then I found out why (no R-12) and I haven't run it since. Anyway, the mechanic claims there was hardly anything in there to begin with (lie, it was cold as ice, thank you!) but that is beside the point. Can I still use the defroster, heater, and vent without the A/C coming on, or trying to come on rather? I really don't know when the compressor comes on, or if it does come on besides when using A/C. If it is ok to use everything besides the A/C with no R-12 then I'll just wait till the spring to get some put in, otherwise I guess I'll just have to buy it now headbang .

Thanks for your help!

 

[betterman]

I remember someone saying in a different post that you can just unhook the wires that run to the a/c compressor and that will stop it from engaging and disengaging.

 

[Ishodu]

There is a plug down below the rad cap on top of a what looks like a silver tank in the vertical position. If you unplug that plug it won't engage the AC clutch. Its the low pressure switch btw.

 

[Tommy's SHO]

Ishodu:
There is a plug down below the rad cap on top of a what looks like a silver tank in the vertical position. If you unplug that plug it won't engage the AC clutch. Its the low pressure switch btw.

Thanks, I was going to ask if is ok to unplug that switch. thumb

 

[Ishodu]

Tommy's SHO:

Ishodu:
There is a plug down below the rad cap on top of a what looks like a silver tank in the vertical position. If you unplug that plug it won't engage the AC clutch. Its the low pressure switch btw.

Thanks, I was going to ask if is ok to unplug that switch. thumb

Yep I did it last winter to stop the annoying on off on off the compressor was doing.

 

[sdpatt]

Only the OFF, VENT and FLOOR selections do not engage the A/C compressor.

 

[Lurch]

sdpatt:
Only the OFF, VENT and FLOOR selections do not engage the A/C compressor.

Does this mean my defroster will not work if I unplug the compressor? Cuz winter will suck without it.

 

[sdpatt]

Your defroster will blow warm air, but it will not dehumidify without the compressor so it will not work nearly as well.

 

[Lurch]

sdpatt:
Your defroster will blow warm air, but it will not dehumidify without the compressor so it will not work nearly as well.

Ok, thanks for clearing things up Scott, I appreciate your and everyone else's willingness to share knowledge on these forums. As far as my car goes, I'd be lost w/o them!