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Installed A/C...can NOT get compressor to kick on...

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Old Aug 8, 2009 | 10:47 PM
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Default Installed A/C...can NOT get compressor to kick on...

The car is a 2000 WS6. Purchased from a friend who bought the car new. Used to be a full bolt on/cam car. He removed the air conditioning a few years back. Since buying the car, I took the compressor/evap canister/condenser from a friends 2000 SS, and put it on the car. Everything worked fine when it was removed from the SS.

With everything installed on the Trans Am, The ONLY way the compressor will kick on is with the scanner tool in hptuners and its manually clicked "on'. Everything else works inside the car, the controls all work as they should.

I have even swapped sensors on the bottom line and it still won't kick the compressor on. It has been charged up, so the low pressure sensor wouldn't be an issue...

Does anyone have any advice? I am out of ideas on how to fix this thing, and in the meantime I am roasting in this 90degree heat!! heh
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 07:25 AM
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Any ideas?
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 09:17 AM
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Try disconnecting the battery and reconnect. It may reset the pcm and allow the compressor to kick on. I've seen this happen on 98 cars, so it may effect the 99+

If you have a set of gauges, checking the pressure is not a bad idea.

Ryan

Last edited by slow; Aug 9, 2009 at 09:41 AM.
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 03:09 PM
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Determined the pressure switch is getting no signal/power.

How could the compressor be commanded ON via hptuners, but not from inside the car with the climate controls?
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Old Aug 9, 2009 | 09:10 PM
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Command on bypasses the HP, LP and evaporator low temp switches I do believe.
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Old Aug 10, 2009 | 04:29 PM
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Im going to plug in another 2000 pcm, and see if the compressor will kick on.
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Old Aug 10, 2009 | 05:06 PM
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sounds like a good plan, do you know if the AC system was disabled in the tune? If he pulled the system, he could have eliminated the DTC's and adjusted the enable RPM/Disable RPM of the compressor.
I would not expect this, as it is not necessary, but it is something to take a look at.
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Old Aug 10, 2009 | 05:20 PM
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I would see if you have good resistance from the relay out put to the compressor, and from ground side of the relay to the ground. That should be ok since you can kick the compressor on with HP tuners. I would then check the contorl head and make sure that it is sending a signal. Would also check to see if when you command the a/c vis the control head, if the radiator fans turn on. If the fan do not turn on the A/C compressor will not turn on.
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