A/C Compressor dead???

[88 Accord DX]

when i bought my car the A/C didnt work. i got the car home and looked and it had no belt on it. so i buy a belt and put it on (which was a bitch to get on) and i drive around for a while but still no A/C so i go back to look at the belt and its gone!!! Do you think i need a new compressor or i just didnt put the belt on right???

if i need a new compressor ill just say screw it cuz i dont mind heat, ill just roll with the windows down like i always do. but if its something as simple as a belt i might as well fix it to give me something to do.

[AZmike]

Try to turn the pulley while the car is running with the A/C switched off and it should turn pretty easily. Turn the A/C on and try to turn it and it should be much much more difficult. If the compressor does both of those things it may be ok.

[ACCORD EX]

1. does your idle gets higher when you put the A/C on ! ?
2. ask someone to press the AC switch while you are looking at the clutch ! does it move ! ?
3. NO BELT = NO AC ! :D

MIKE

[Coitis1]

i have a similar question. last summer when i bought the car the previous owners said all my a/c needed was recharged. i recharged it, in the process finding out there was a leak, and it lasted till the end of the summer. no biggie, cuz i didn't need it after that anyways. the thing is, now when i turn on the a/c, nothing happens. i know its empty, but i would think the compressor would run or something like that. does the car know when the a/c is empty and it decides not to run the compressor? sooner or later i'll recharge it, cuz its getting hot, but i just wanna know if my compressor is dead.

[88accordlxcarb]

There is a low pressure valve on the compressor. If the system is out of coolant the compressor will not run. Same if the pressure is to great.

[88 Accord DX]

oh yeah i forgot my a/c light doesnt even come on in the car when i push the button. i think i just need to take the whole damn a/c system out.

[SiR]

Originally posted by 88accordlxcarb
There is a low pressure valve on the compressor. If the system is out of coolant the compressor will not run. Same if the pressure is to great.

Not my car!! LOL
It seems the mechanics a LONG time ago took that out and bypassed it with more lines. So im always careful now, checking the pressure within limits.

[DBMaster]

It always cracks me up when someone is selling a car and says, "Yeah, the A/C works fine. All it needs is a charge." Duh, that means the system at the very least has a leak which is not "working fine" at all.

[ACCORD EX]

download the AC section of the service manual at paul's site ( in the FAQs )

it's veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery useful in trouble shooting !

MIKE

[Coitis1]

i was pretty sure the a/c didn't work when they told me that. but the car was in great shape and i wouldn't pass it up b/c there was no a/c. almost every car that was in my price range ($2000) had no a/c so i wasn't worried.

[KaMiKaZeE]

When you put the A/C belt on, did you first loosen the adjuster and then remember to tighten it again after the new belt was on? Because I think you either didn't touch the adjuster and pried the belt on with something damaging it in the process, or you forgot to tighten the belt and that's why it fell off again. That, or you are a monster and tightened it so ridiculously that it broke the new belt. I can think of no other reasons exept these why a new belt would be gone right after driving it for the first time with the new belt.

[88 Accord DX]

you are wrong Kami!!

i did first loosen it and then tighten it again. im thinking maybe the compressor is jacked or somthing and it didnt spin and it caused the belt to burn off cuz it looks like there is some belt melted onto it. but wouldnt that have caused smoke right? i dunno forget. im happy with my mexican air conditioner (windows)