Hi all,

I have a 1998 Chrysler Voyager and its A/C compressor seems to have broken. When I put the A/C ON the engine starts to run unevenly and there is this occasional rattling sound from the compressor.
Before I get the A/C fixed, in the meantime, is there a separate fuse for the A/C compressor which I could remove? Is it all right to do that? The reason why I would like to do that is so I could use the windshield defog without the A/C compressor kicking in.
By the way, why does the malfunctioning A/C compressor make the engine run unevenly?


Thanks in advance,
Jake

 

just unplug the connector on top of the compressor or pull the fuse under the hood it will say AC.

 

It sounds like your compressor or the clutch is about to fail. Those nasty sounds are its death rattle. Unplugging it is a good idea. It's probably seizing up and then breaking loose. That's enough to slow the engine down temporarily.
Replacing it is not too difficult, but to do it properly, you'll need to suck the old refrigerant out of the system before opening it up. Special equipment is necessary, so you shoulkd have that part done by a professional establishment. There are a couple of ways to get the compressor out after unbolting it. It may come out through the side after removing the splash shield. I got mine out by removing the fans and taking it out the top.
Once the replacement is back in and bolted up, you need to suck the air out of the system before adding the refrigerant charge. You might want to go back to the pros for that part.

 

Hi again,

First of all, thank you for the instructions

I looked at the fuse panel (located at the engine compartment). There was one fuse labeled "A/C Clutch". I removed it, but apparently it wasn't the correct fuse to remove, because the A/C compressor still kicked in as usual. I couldn't find any fuses labeled simply as "A/C" or "A/C Compressor"... There was a blower motor fuse, but that's not it either...
There was also this relay called "A/C Clutch" (a black cube-shaped thing). What is that?

In my car the A/C compressor is located under the alternator, so it's not easy to see or access. I was thinking about unplugging the connector. What does the connector look like exactly? Is it on the engine side or the serpentine belt side of the A/C compressor?

 

Just in case someone's interested...

I removed both the fuse and the relay which were labeled "A/C Clutch". That did the trick and now the A/C compressor is finally disabled

 

Thanks all, this was usefull knowledge for me as I also have a -98 Voyager with a malfunction A/C compressor...