91 Vanagon A/C relay and 50amp fuse location?

[ROBINLINNEA]

Hello,

Our '91 Vanagon has developed an A/C problem. The compressor won't engage and only blower speeds 1 & 2 are working. I recently replaced the alternator and battery; however, the A/C functioned after that.

I am trying to locate the 50amp A/C fuse and the A/C relay. Can anyone tell me specifically where these are?

The system has freon (pressure) and the thermotat switch engages the blower fan (only on speeds 1 &2). The atc fuse in the fuse panel is good.

Thanks for the help,
Peter

[funagon]

The fuse and relay you're looking for are behind the driver's side plastic "pillar" that runs up the wall, in the rear of the van (from the engine compartment up to the a/c).

[McVanagon]

The AC relay is located in the rear of the car under the plastic cover on the driver's side that covers the "D" pillar

***edit*** Funagon beat me to it....
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'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop

[funagon]

. . . and in addition: if your fan isn't turning on when it should, it could be a problem with the fan switch (in the radiator) or the fan resistor (behind driver's side headlight). But I'm an electrical dummy so don't listen to me, do a search for "a/c" "air conditioning" or "radiator fan" because this has been discussed thoroughly by others more knowledgable.

[ROBINLINNEA]

Thank you! We found it... The fuse and relays appear fine; however, the alternator feed wire (right side of 50amp fuse) was melted and corroded. Still no A/C compressor clutch and only A/C blower fan speeds 1 & 2. Any ideas? Peter

[McVanagon]

There is a gentleman here that answers to dogpilot. He has a few manuals that share a bit more than the Bentley (that we'll assume you have)

http://homepage.mac.com/greystoke.eng/.Public/86%20Vanagon%20Protraining.pdf

Print it, read it, live it.

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'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop

[jliving591]

I know this is a very old post, but my 1990 MV just developed the *exact* same problem a few days ago: "The compressor won't engage and only blower speeds 1 & 2 are working." Did you ever find out the problem with this? My compressor was noisy for a long time before this happened, not sure if this is related.

[ROBINLINNEA]

The smallest wire on the alternator ended up being disconnected which related to the A/C. Once I connected the wire properly our problem was solved. Hope this helps...

[barteringlines]

Peter,

awesome for you to jump back on this old thread and help others out. I believe I may be experiencing the same with my 86. Speeds 1 and 2 good, sometimes though I have to run to the back and force the fans to get moving by just touching them really. Speed three seems to shut the engine down.

Sounds similar, did you find this wire connection issue in the D pillar by the fuse?

Hoping this is my issue as well, ac is cold but in Charleston will def. be better with a higher speed fan.

Thanks again. Just picked mine up last week and one of the great things about owning a bus is the community.
Jon

[Corwyn]

I have the same problem with the third position on the A/C fan switch. Is there a PART number for the relay and/or fuse in the D pillar?
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FAS Gen V 2.0
The Annual Baja Rally
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[RBEmerson]

Jus' lurkin'...
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[fosibear]

I have a 1989 2.1 L Westfalia. I have been scouring the Samba site for two days in a hopeful search for some solutions to my (what I hope to be) simple A/C non-working blower issue.

The AC and blower was working just fine last summer. This spring I have done some finishing upgrades to my auxiliary battery, solar panels, Dometic upgrades, etc. and still everything worked fine.

Then the other day I installed my GoWesty High Power Headlight upgrade kit. The AC blower has stopped working some time after that. Not being sure if that was the cause of the issue of my non-functioning A/C blower issue or not I have been trying to find some suggestions for diagnostic and/or testing of possible problems.

So far, I have double-checked the headlight upgrade instal (seems to be done correctly and hi/low lights are working), I have checked ALL fuses at main fuse panel, then replaced the two 20a fan fuses at pillar D (one crumbled in my hand on removal), the 50a fragile fuse there is also intact. I also checked some corroded terminals in both places and did find some corrosion and cleaned that up too. I pulled the in-dash fan switch out and followed the wires back to the fuse panel and all seems to be fine (externally).

Although I do have a voltmeter I have NOT tested any relays. I admittedly am unsure of how to do this and am not sure which relays or switch could be the culprit.

I have tested the possible steering column relay by running lights, wipers and blower with key off and pulling back on the high beam arm. All work except for the AC blower suggesting that is not the issue.

So, my biggest question is how can I test all the appropriate relays such as the the hi and low pressure relay switches and the fan switch to see if they are responsible? Or any other suggestions to check relays or switches or fuses that I have overlooked and their locations.

Lastly, is it possible that the in-dash switch has failed me and if so what is the easiest way to either jump power to it for testing or test it with my voltmeter?

Thank you for any input and suggestions!
Daniel

[fosibear]

UPDATE on above post:

After ripping apart my in-dash switch and using my voltmeter I found no issues.

I then moved to the D pillar relays and grounds and when I jump a couple of pins on the #13 A/C relay I get the fan to come on! I took it off and cleaned the connectors with some sandpaper and reinserted #13 but it sill didn't work. I jumped two pins again while it was inserted and the fan came on again. (I know risky).

Now, does this mean that this relay #13 is defective or is it possibly still one of the other two relays? Or, maybe I am still missing something up-current? How can I test to find out OR did I already find out that it is #13 by jumping two pins and getting the fans to cycle on?

Sorry, newbie back here on the D pillar and A/C troubleshooting. But with some direction I can learn! No, really

[MarkWard]

I would suggest you look at page 97.143 of the Bentley manual. The relay needs a ground and it gets power from the Evap blower switch to energize the Evap Blower Relay. Check for ground on pin 85 and power from the switch on pin 86. Jumping pin 87 and pin 30 only prove that the fans run.
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[fosibear]

Thanks Mark, I have been referring to my Bentley. Much of this AC area is simply new to me although I am willing to learn.

Your suggested testing will help me out today as I dive back into trying to track down the issue. I had a feeling that jumping the two pins 87 and 30 making my fan come on was likely NOT the main cause as you point out. I will check pins 85 and 86 and will report back on my findings.

Meanwhile I have bought some replacement relays just in case I need to have one or more of them on-hand hoping that the final issue lies with one of them not functioning properly.

Thanks!

[MarkWard]

I would be looking for power at the blower switch. It gets power from the AC switch according to the diagram. Jumping the blower relay appears to only handle the blowers on High. The lower speeds are from the blower switch through the resistor. If you have no blowers on any speeds, I would be looking further back at the blower switch. That is why I suggested looking for power at the blower switch.
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[bobbyblack]

When I was digging for my A/C power issue, the locations of the fusable links (50 Amp) fuses were back in that mess in the D pillar as well as one up by where the driver left knee (assuming LHD) would be, way way up / left under the dash. I had to unmount my fuse panel to get up to inspect the fusable link up in that left A pillar, its very close to the ground ring.

If your fan runs on setting 1 and 2, but not 3 or 4 then the rear fusable link is a good bet for checking, but if you get no power anywhere, the front one is a better bet.

However, the A/C switches are completely notorious for being messed up internally (the ones on the dash) and seem to easily crumble to dust if even so slightly "inspected" for function.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[fosibear]

Thanks BobbyBlack! Both you and Mark have pointed me in that direction as opposed the the relays back in pillar D and that is where I will be "headed' to this afternoon. I have seen the fusable link you are referring to behind and above the fuse panel near the circular ground ring. I have pulled off some of the connectors on the ground ring already as they were noticeably corroded and will now get under there and remove and clean them all thoroughly.

I think I had better focus on both of the grounds and fusable link and hope I get lucky! Without seeing the fusable link first is it "fixable" or should I look at replacing the whole thing if it shows to be at fault?

If I don't find the issue there, is it also possibly that the resistor behind the driver headlamp is causing me problems? I have seen a video on how to by-pass/jump that connector leading to the resistor but not sure if that is what I should be looking at quite yet.

Is there anything else "up front" that I should look at? I have all grounds and at ground ring, fuse panel fuses, fusable link, in-dash fan blower switch and A/C temp switch and resistor so far on my troubleshooting agenda list.

Thanks again and I will update any progress.
Dan

[MarkWard]

The resistor behind the headlight is for the radiator fan speeds not the blower fan speeds. So that is probably not your problem. Looking at the wiring diagram. Fuse 12 powers the AC switch. That would be easy to check. I'm not there, but the 50 amp strip fuse up front I believe is for the high speed radiator fan circuit, not the AC. A simple 12 volt test light makes quick checking of these points. The tester that looks like an icepick with a wire and alligator clip.
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[termuehlen]

Have you checked to make sure that your A/C system has pressure? If not, consider jumping the low pressure switch.
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1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx