Checking a/c clutch & compressor questions

Just want to make sure I have this right. First checked the battery voltage. Then I cut a length of covered wire. Put one end in the clutch wired (male) connector. Touched the other end of the wire to the positive terminal. No click. Checked fuse. It looked a little dirty, so I changed it. Still no click. That would mean the clutch is shot?

If so, how do I check the compressor? My understanding via a @Timmah! comment on one of the threads, is basically if the ac still works, then the compressor is ok. My confusion is if the clutch is shot, how does one know if the ac works? The pulley spins freely, so anything I need to check with the belt on is not a problem.

Last I knew, the a/c did work. The pulley had a slight wobble & there was an increasing whine. I had not checked the clutch. I took the belt off since I figured I could live without ac. Then I learned if I need defrost, which I do (Massachusetts), I needed to remedy the problem.

So two fold -
1. Did I cover the bases with the clutch
2. How to check ac compressor without a functioning clutch

 

Going direct to the Compressor clutch from the positive battery terminal and the Clutch did not pull in tells you the coil is open in the clutch As long as you had a Good Connection with your jumper wire .When you jump the AC clutch the only fuse that is in use is the one in your jumper wire .

As the clutch grounds through the Compressor via the brackets

You could put your manifold gauges on and check the static pressure about all you can do

 

My clutch seems ok so far. I wasn't making a good connection....
Question - I am havng a hard time finding what running psi should be if it is 50 degrees outside. The static charts provide this info, however the running ones don't. Do you know what would be acceptable?

 

I would have to look I have a cheat sheet floating around some place finding it might be a challenge .

 

my high pressure reading is about 75.

 

low is about 40.

 

that's ok. I can hunt around a little more.

 

ac is working. blowing cold air consistently.

 

just check again in the spring as temperatures rise .

I used to leave mine in the defrost mode all winter .

 

Ha-ha! It did start rising. I am still getting the whirring/whining that increases under load, ac on & off. I put a new belt on & idler pulley is good. Clutch bearing?

 

Noises can be tricky !!

The sound goes away with the AC belt removed??

Bearings tend to growl and rumble . How did the clutch feel with the belt off then feeling rough bearings might take a few years to pick up .

Alternators can whine under increased load.

 

Sorry. I had to go help a neighbor.

Yes. It goes away when the belt is removed. That's what kicked off me removing it some time last year. It sounds like a power steering pump when there's air in it.

Other thing is the ac fan kicks on & off. Say I set it on high, the clutch engages for a bit & then disengages. I think it's been like this for a while. Stays cold though so I thought nothing of it until someone mentioned today that it was not supposed to do that.

It's supposed to get into the 60's thursday, so I'll get some better numbers then.

 

I'm now getting my ac compressor/clutch education, thank you. My thinking was that it needs to be in good "health" in order for the defrost to do its job. Yes? That's why I'm tackling it now.

 

50 degrees temp wi be ~45.4 /46 PSI. There are pressure temperature charts all over the internet.

If your AC clutch is engaging and disengaging then you might have a high pressure problem. The the pressure gets too high the high pressure switch opens and disengages the cutch.

 

I looked at quite a few sites. Found plenty of static pressure charts that covered 50 & colder. However I couldn't find a running pressure chart that went below 65 degrees. Would be grateful if you could point me in the direction of one.