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I have a '97 Plymouth voyager with a 3.2 liter V6 and my a/c don't work.  The compressor doesn't turn on and I'm not sure why, I cleaned the temp control switches and the printed circuit, connectors, and wires all seemed fine the fuses aren't burnt and the blower and heater work normally. But the a/c switch does nothing.

Is there any way to safely test the compressor and clutch to see if its burnt?

How can I know if I need to put more refrigerant?

What are some other things that could cause this problem?

also the previous owner for some reason bypassed the radiator fans and connected them to a toggle switch in the dash. could that have something to do with the a/c problems?

Thanks in advance.  

i took a look around..   looks like the radiator cooling fans are controlled by a solid state relay.. that is activated by the PCM...

its going to take more research...

do you have an OBD2 scan tool.... that displays live data... and more than just the Engine controls...

there are more than a hundred  possible trouble codes...   each one leads to a specific group of trouble shooting pages...   Not just the sensor or circuit described...

i will look around some of the stuff i have... but most of my info is drivability..  not climate control...

the cooling fans are controlled by the computer.. so you need to look at the ECT signals..  Engine coolant Temp sensor..  verify that there is a 192 thermostat.. and that it works...  

Thanks for the reply.

the fans are connected directly, bypassing the computer, so they only come on when I flip a switch.

I dont have a scanner.

the fans not being connected to the computer doesnt seem to have an effect on the engines performance, and the engine temp never got high enough for me to turn them on.

i was wondering if the fans being direct connect, could prevent the a/c from turning on.  

all i could find is my drivability manual...

it does cover the cooling fan relay with test TC-12A     and the cooling fan relay is controlled by the PCM...


and it covers the AC clutch relay control with test TC-16A   and the torque converter clutch is controlled by the PCM...


there does seem to be a AC pressure transducer...  pressure sensor on the AC system to tell the PCM how much pressure the ac has...

it really looks like you need a scan tool.. and examine any trouble codes.. and live data...


How can I know if I need to put more refrigerant?

a ac manifold gauge set to check ac system pressure...


Is there any way to safely test the compressor and clutch to see if its burnt?

you can test the clutch by unplugging the ac relay...   jumping the connector terminals to see if it works properly..

jumping the connector that match relay pins. 30 and 87A as outlined in test TC-16A