A/C compressor always running

[VyReN]

New to the forums, new to my 1994 Firebird Formula.

The vehicle was in storage for 2+ years when I purchased it. New tires, brakes, fluids, etc to get my new baby road-worthy.

I was having a problem with my cooling fans not turning on, removed the radio (That had an obvious short in it, the time would change on its own, not all the speakers would work, etc etc) and now the cooling fans are spinning up at about 200 degrees. But the A/C compressor is always on. I can tell by the condensation building up on the lines under the hood.

All the relays check out (Tested all of them when working on the fan issue). I can pull the fuse, but then I loose my cruise, and that is not conducive to avoiding speeding tickets.

I'm also getting about 16 MPG... I'm figuring the extra load on the motor from the compressor running is killing my MPG.

Not sure if it matters, but my low coolant sensor is shot. Haven't replaced it yet, but have one in the glove box.

There will be more questions (Like a mysterious sensor that has a hose hanging off of it) in the next few days.

[shannon french]

your refrigerant maybe low causing the a/c compressor to always run . but also it will run if you have the switch selected on defrost. these compressors work off of an high and low limit switch set-up so when it reaches too much or too little pressure it wil kil the compressor.

but check your switch and clean it with some contact cleaner to make sure that one ofteh contacts isn't hanging up at all.

yes the compressor constantly running will cause an extra load on the engine.

if nothing else unplug teh electrical connection to the compressor and run around with out it hooked up and see if that helps you gas milege. and clean that connection as well since you have it off.

if you have lost charge it is probably b/c of these little vales on your refrigeration system that look like the ones on your tires. they can only be replaced with a special tol that allows yu to ectract them while the system has pressure. i hope this helps you out a little bit

[VyReN]

Ah ha! I had no clue. I will have to test out that switch. Although, today on my way to work, I kept the tops on and used the AC. As I was getting close to work, switched off the A/C and I felt the compressor stop (The motor had less load) so if this switch is sticking, or was stuck, this may be the problem.