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[peteinengland]

2004 Grand Cherokee CRD Limited

orange light comes on when press aircon button but doesnt get any cooler and cant hear usual "click" when pressed and usual change in revs missing too when button pressed. noticed air con seemed to be working cooler and noisier just before it stopped working. mechanically minded but never worked on air con before - is there a sequence of checks i can go through to establish whats wrong? everyone says just regas it but dont think thats the problem - always been poor aircon on car even when regassed previously under warranty by dealer

really cant afford to take it to dealer at moment - anyone help or suggest anyone within travel of Sheffield who can sort me out for reasonable amount

thanks

Pete

[greggmo]

welcome to the club. feel free to ask for our help.

[greggmo]

maybe a relay or even the switch its self.

[tedthefed]

Try Peak Jeep in Chesterfield. Will check later for contact number.

[Mike Pavelin]

Go to Kwik-Fit. Cheapest anywhere and they wont charge you if a regas doesn't cure the problem.

[peteinengland]

thanks for the warm welcome - warm ha ha!

god I hope it is just a switch or relay

can anyone point me in the direction of which relay/where and how to remove/test the switch?

thanks guys

[Mike Pavelin]

Get the refrigerant checked first. The system will not work if the pressure is too low.

[peteinengland]

Getting somewhere now - when engine running noticed air con pump doesnt turn when switched on. can rotate pump by hand so not seized up or anything therefore i think it must be the clutch not engaging. checked the fuse and swapped the clutch relay with the horn as same relay - that all seems ok too.

so am I right in thinking it must be faulty clutch, faulty pump, faulty switch or system disabled due to not enough pressure/ leak etc?

a friend suggested unplugging clutch electrical lead, earthing it and giving it 12 volts directly to see if it engages  - would that work?

how can I check the switch?

[Mike Pavelin]

As I said, it will not work if the refrigerant pressure is too low. If you want to test the compressor, run the engine, pull the relay out and short the two big terminals in the relay socket together. The ckutch should engage and spin the compressor up. Everything else is controlled by a computer.

[peteinengland]

just tried that mike - when short together it clicks once(even when engine off) but doesnt spin compressor up with engine running

i assume the black piece at front of pump is clutch - the bit with like three arms on it and the bit i can rotate by hand - is that thi bit that should be going round with the belt?

what does that mean then?

[Mike Pavelin]

When the clutch is disengaged only the outside of the pulley spins with the belt, the centre stays still. When the clutch coil is energised it should pull in and cause the centre to spin and drive the compressor. If this doesn't happen the clutch could be faulty. Sometimes they can be dismantled and re shimmed, otherwise they have to be replaced.

[peteinengland]

its not spinning definately mike - theres just one click when you short the relay so it sounds like a faulty clutch? can you talk me through stripping it down and shimming?

if I have to buy a new clutch is this available separate from the compressor? any idea on cost and best place to buy from?

am I right in thinking that the test we did shorting relay should have worked even if the system not up to pressure?

really appriciate all your help thanks

Pete

[Mike Pavelin]

Are you looking at the right component? The compressor is very inaccessible on the CRD, low down on the front passanger side of the engine. There is a similar looking device on the front top driver's side with a very similar type of magnetic clutch. That is the viscous heater, not the A/C compressor.