A/C not working and how I found out why. VS

[blackbedford]

G'day

The A/C in my new VS was not working and I found out why today.
I was worried that I was going to be up for an expensive repair and decided to check it out before taking to an expert.
The symptom was the light coming on when the switch pushed in and the fan turned on, but the clutch on the compressor did not pull in.
I disconnected the compressor lead and ran a test lead from the +ve terminal on the battery to the clutch power plug.
The clutch pulled in. I started the car and checked that the A/C actually worked. It did!
I removed the test lead and reconnected the clutch power plug.
I checked the A/C relay (near the battery) and it was not clicking. I swapped it with the low beam relay but didn't fix the problem.
I pulled out the switch and checked it with a multimeter OK. Tried another switch anyway but still didn't fix the problem.
I was stumped and about to post a question here when a mate said that there is a low gas pressure switch in the top of the round metal can at the front near the drivers side headlight. I reached in through the grill and found that the plug was loose.
I cleaned it and reconnected it.
The A/C works great and didn't cost me a anything.
I hope my diagnosis method is of interest.

Regards

Chris

PS and this is my 20th post so now I can start listing all the goodies that I have in the shed.

[mag]

Yes I like those types of fixes but they don't happen to me very often...

It's always good to check things yourself 1st and with a multimeter you can do heaps

[satos]

G'day

The A/C in my new VS was not working and I found out why today.
I was worried that I was going to be up for an expensive repair and decided to check it out before taking to an expert.
The symptom was the light coming on when the switch pushed in and the fan turned on, but the clutch on the compressor did not pull in.
I disconnected the compressor lead and ran a test lead from the +ve terminal on the battery to the clutch power plug.
The clutch pulled in. I started the car and checked that the A/C actually worked. It did!
I removed the test lead and reconnected the clutch power plug.
I checked the A/C relay (near the battery) and it was not clicking. I swapped it with the low beam relay but didn't fix the problem.
I pulled out the switch and checked it with a multimeter OK. Tried another switch anyway but still didn't fix the problem.

I was stumped and about to post a question here when a mate said that there is a low gas pressure switch in the top of the round metal can at the front near the drivers side headlight. I reached in through the grill and found that the plug was loose.
I cleaned it and reconnected it.
The A/C works great and didn't cost me a anything.
I hope my diagnosis method is of interest.

Regards

Chris

PS and this is my 20th post so now I can start listing all the goodies that I have in the shed.

Good job.Imagine if you had taken it to an auto electrician how much they would of charged you.