1997 Cobra AC clutch does not disengage

Gagesdad86

New Member
Jul 10, 2023
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Hey fellow stang owners, new to the board so want to say a quick thanks for any help. Got a new to me 1997 Cobra and drove it a few times and noticed the air coming out was not cold at all. Not warm but not cold either. So tonight since my dad was over at the house I decided to have him help me. We noticed that the AC clutch stays engaged no matter what. I can have all AC off and it stays engaged or I can have it to highest setting. We are hoping to check line pressures sometime this week, but I had one of those cheap cans that has a built in pressure gauge on it and it just went to red where it says to read directions everytime and wouldn’t change for anything. I replaced the CCRM and I have a AC compressor, but don’t really want to waste the time changing it out if it might be an easier fix. Thanks again for any help!
 
Unplug the compressor. It should be disengaged then. If not, points to a clutch failure and not an electrical issue.

I wouldn't bother checking AC pressures until you solve the compressor clutch issue. Once that's fixed, you can check pressures. Use a proper manifold guage set that measures high and low side. Record ambient temp/humidity as well.

In general, you want high side pressure to be around 2 to 2.5 times ambient temp. Low side should fall in the 25-40psi range but that will depend on temp. The cooler it is, the lower your pressures will be. When the system is off, the pressures should equalize and settle at a temp pretty close to ambient temp.
 
Unplug the compressor. It should be disengaged then. If not, points to a clutch failure and not an electrical issue.

I wouldn't bother checking AC pressures until you solve the compressor clutch issue. Once that's fixed, you can check pressures. Use a proper manifold guage set that measures high and low side. Record ambient temp/humidity as well.

In general, you want high side pressure to be around 2 to 2.5 times ambient temp. Low side should fall in the 25-40psi range but that will depend on temp. The cooler it is, the lower your pressures will be. When the system is off, the pressures should equalize and settle at a temp pretty close to ambient temp.
Thank you, I am getting a proper set of manifold gauges so hope those can help me with it all