From everything I read if your compressor is low on freon it won’t come on so I added 3 cans and it still won’t come on. The clutch tried to engage when I was actively filling from the cans but never did and won’t even try now. It could be that by putting in more freon I over-filled it and should it come on it might pop a gasket or something. I have serious I have health problems and can’t be without air conditioning but catch 22 because of my health problems I don’t have the $ to pay to have it fixed. This is a 1994 Dodge Ram Van B250 5.8 litre, 3/4 ton van.
dave in Missouri
Contact the local community college and see if they’ll be willing to use it for their AC lab courses. Speak to the department chair. If they do you’ll likely get the labor free and a heavy discount of the parts.
It sounds like you might need a new compressor. Many discount stores sell a gauge that you can use to make sure your system isn’t overfilled. I seriously doubt this is the issue though. Even if the refrigerant was low, this would not have addressed the reason it was low. The leak would still be present and your problem would still be unsolved. I am betting if you added three cans of refrigerant, it all escaped from the leak that led to it being low in the first place.
With air conditioning systems, there are very few cheap fixes. You will need a qualified technician to diagnose and fix this problem.
If Mountaibike’s idea doesn’t work, I might have some other ideas.
Do you have too little on-hand cash, or do you have too little income, or both? If you have a steady stream of income, but not enough on-hand cash, you could get financing from a national chain like Firestone, Goodyear, or Pep Boys if you qualify for one of their credit cards. They often have offers that will allow you to pay off certain amounts with zero interest. For example, when I had a new compressor installed, I was given six months to pay off the $1,300 balance with no interest. I had to make sure I paid it off on time though. If you make one payment late, you end up paying accrued interest charges for the whole period. Only take this option if it isn’t a gamble. If you end up not being able to pay off the balance, you will only compound your problems.
NEVER attempt A/C repairs without a set of pressure gauges and the knowledge to use them correctly.
1994…R12 or R134a?? First things first…