AC doesn't blow cold. I start the van. AC off. I turn the AC on. The compressor clutch does not engage. The compressor has two connectors on top. With the van running, I checked voltage across all leads and between leads and ground. Zero everywhere regardless of whether I have turned AC on or not. I consulted the James Danko manual and found the "AC Control Unit" behind the glovebox. Removed it. Checked voltage across all the pins on the vehicle-side 7-pin connector that plugs into it, with van running. Zero everywhere. Turned AC on. Zero everywhere. Took the AC control unit apart. No obvious signs of electrical issues, no burnt spots, etc. I assume there's a broken relay somewhere, but the Danko manual is not helping me find it. There is precisely one page about relays and all it does is show where the "AC control unit" is. That thing is not getting any signal to turn on at all as far as I can tell.
AC wiring completely absent from the James Danko manual. What a useless purchase. It covers about 30% of what you need to know to maintain one of these vehicles.
If you haven’t already you could check some of the diagrams that show the parts of the AC. It’s not a wiring diagram but it does show the components. My truck doesn’t have AC so I’m not much more help. Parts diagram is found at. https://jp-carparts.com/
Reese' Do you have power going to the switch? Sounds like your pretty adept electrically. I have found, that these mini's can have complex electrical issues. I want to clarify, my statement. I only have one 89 Daihatsu mini truck, that had multiple electrical problems, I have fixed. By no means am I knocking any other mini trucks, or their counterparts, but I have read about many electrical issues with these things, while experiencing my own difficulties! Don't give up, you'll find it! Limestone
I would make sure there is enough Freon to turn on the low pressure switch. There are a bunch of reverse ground circuits on these trucks so sometimes you have to work backwards.. I don't know if this is one of them, but you can buy a bottle of Freon with the low pressure side gauge on it for pretty cheap. The low pressure switch should supply 12v to the compressor clutch when it has sufficient pressure.
I checked the clutch today by directly connecting it to 12 V and it engages just fine. Cleaned the terminals on that and the other plug (pressure sensor? 2 wires) with electronics cleaner spray, they look a lot shinier now but that doesn't seem to have made a difference. I noticed today for the first time that when I press and hold the AC button on the dash, it lights up blue. So it is definitely getting power. But when I release it, the light turns off, whether the button is engaged or not. Is it supposed to stay lit up blue when the AC is on? It would be nice if this was as easy as just replacing that switch. The site Botl01 linked to has it listed for about $40. If I knew the pinout of the switch, I could remove it and try to hotwire the AC into turning on. I'm staring at the dash now wondering how to get it out of there... Eventually it seems like I'm going to need to take it to an AC shop but I'd at least like to rule out all the low-hanging fruit before I start paying for someone else's time.
I wouldn't be checking electrical connections. I'd be checking the charge state. Low charge will prevent anything from turning on. A leak is much more likely than an electrical failure.
Mine would do the same thing , I’d turn it on/off/on off etc and then it started working , dirty contacts on the switch , all 3 vans I’ve messed with seem to have this issue
Well, after a very long wait, today I was able to get it in to the only shop in my area that will work on R12 systems. Recharged it with 1 lb of R12 ($100 for the R12 and $140 labor) and it's working great now. I notice that the relay in the passenger front footwell area is quite loud when it engages, and the compressor clutch also makes a loud click when it engages a fraction of a second later. Not a problem, just an observation. Both are very audible, so to future readers with AC problems: If you only hear one click near the front, your relay works and you likely have a problem with the compressor -- bad wiring, broken clutch, etc. If you don't hear any clicks, neither is engaging, and you may have the same problem I did.
Hey Allen I am also struggling with A/C issues. I hear no click from the relay but the clutch did engage a couple of times and the fan started once. I may have overcharged it though, almost 500grams. On another note I read your blog and I hope you don't mind me posting it on FB - I just started a group for US Sambar Dias van owners to centralize van specific info as they are different front trucks in some aspects. Please join and share some of your experience. https://www.facebook.com/groups/806722379856152/?ref=group_header
Yes, please share the blog. It needs an update but there's lots of good info there. What did you charge your system with? The recharge kits you can buy in the US are no good, you need R12. I had to call around to find a shop that would service mine.
Welp, it stopped working. Compressor still kicks on but it doesn't blow cold anymore. The AC shop warned me there was a good probability that this would happen. I'm debating whether it's even worth it to return it to the AC shop for further debug. Probably not. I do want it to work but I don't want to shell out $500+ in labor just to dive into it further with no guarantee of success. Considering that with the glass tops and windows all around the vehicle is basically a greenhouse, and the puny size of the AC system which was clearly sized for a truck cab and not a van, it takes an awful long time for even fully functional AC to make a dent in the temperature. Much quicker to pop open the sun-sun and roll down the front windows. I also have a WRX with functional AC that I can drive instead on the hottest days of the summer.
Did they put any dye in when they charged it ? Sounds like it’s got a small leak and if they put the dye in it you can get a black light and googles off Amazon for cheap and do some detective work 1st and poss find the offending part before revisiting getting it charged again
Granted I only have a small cab truck but the AC rocks in it. Super cold and It's been 100 degrees here the last week. Did they convert the system to 134? That will drop the output right there. This stuff makes a much better replacement than 134- https://www.es-refrigerants.com/products/w/id/31/t/134a-replacement/ Because of US regulations they can't sell it outright or say it can be used as an R12 replacement. I've used it many times and always had great results.
banzair I have 134 and am not very impressed. Do you think it would help with my hp loss? If I get good cold air like a modern vehicle, I lose a bunch of hp.
134 does use a bit more power since the pressures are higher. You're still going to feel a good drop in power with anything though. My truck makes probably 70hp and it is noticeably slower with the AC on. A normally aspirated one of these trucks makes I think like 45hp?
It is flammable. Doesn't worry me much. We think nothing of driving around with 80+ pounds of gasoline in our vehicles. You might have a pound of this? The other argument is that is under pressure but modern fuel systems run at 1,000psi and more but nobody balks at that.
Me nether , just answering the question, the “ brand new , greatest stuff “ (r1234yf) now starting to be installed is somewhat flammable too and when it does burn it makes some nasty byproducts . I’m also one who uses brake cleaner to clean my really cruddy hands and other no no’s Hell I drive these little things and well , “ I’m” the crumple zone
The shop reports that they did NOT add dye because R-12 leaks out like an oil and can be seen without dye, whereas R-134 comes out more like a gas and needs dye to be seen.
Sounds like you need to start looking at all the hose connections , the condenser, compressor and the evap core for oil residue , Im a big fan of the dye as you can tell if it’s coming from the very hard/ impossible to see stuff like evap core since it enclosed under the dash but the drain hose will have telltale signs of the dye when the condensation dips out
Ordered some of the Enviro-safe for my van as the a/c is short cycling on my sambar van . I’m 99% sure it’s low and it’s still running the “bad” R12 . Not worried about flammably of the new stuff , reading other older posts on forums about this stuff before the EPA got their panties in a twist about mixing gasses/ converting etc . Found no real post about it killing the systems by replacing or mixing gasses , only people loosing their mind about how the cans are “ not full” or a rip off as there’s not the same amount in the can but not reading about you only use a 3rd of the amount of the original. Since it summer here in the nice humid northeast and pop up storms are almost a daily thing a/c is a nice thing to have as a back up to all 4 windows down and both sun roofs open ( almost like riding a motorcycle with a windscreen )
I put the stuff in and it’s working very well now , stopped my fast cycling issue , I want to really check and clean the evaporator if needed plus the condenser. these guys are the ones I got it from https://www.bestrefrigerant.com/r12-r22-products
