[Vwdiesel] "Hillbilly "AC fix for Caddy

[Hayden Chasteen]

I spent more time on my Caddy this weekend getting it ready for the 
Texas summer which begins sometime in the next two weeks! ;^)  When I 
bought the original truck (the donor) it had a small AC unit in it that 
seemed to be intact.  I had the compressor rebuilt and installed 
everything with the new engine, including a condensor (thanks to a 
listee), new dryer, 1 custom made high pressure hose, and one slightly 
modified suction hose (had one fitting changed).  After pulling a 
vacuum, I charged with 2 cans of R134A but couldn't get the compressor 
or radiator fan to switch on.  The compressor would run when directly 
hot wired but the radiator fan still would not run.  After some back 
tracking from the switch to the underdash assembly, I found a small 
circuit board.  I discovered that one track on the board, the one that 
supplied energy to the compressor/radiator fan on-off relay, had a 
break.  After musing awhile, I simply took two strands of copper wire 
from a multi-strand speaker wire, twisted them together and then 
soldered  it to two connections, one on each side of the circuit board 
break.  Viola!  Now my AC works and cools like the dickens!  I tried it 
out on the highway and boy can you feel it when that compressor kicks 
in.  Oh well, I would rather loose a bit of get up and go than broil in 
the Texas summer heat.
Oh and BTW, my 2004 Passat TDI is on a truck headed for Dallas/Ft. 
Worth as we speak.  could be delivered as early as tonight!!!!!!
Hayden

Visit my website at  www.home.earthlink.net/~dieseltdi
Proud owner of:
2004 Passat TDI GLS, 2.0l, 16 valve, 134 HP, 247 lbs/ft of torque, Blue 
Graphite, Anthracite leather interior, ABS, ESP on the truck and on the 
way to me!   :^)
1998 Jetta TDI (Wetterauer Chipset, 2 1/2" exhaust, K&N Filter, propane 
dual fuel system, 109K+ miles, and running biodiesel)
1981 Rabbit Pickup ( with a freshly rebuilt turbo engine), Will burn 
biodiesel and WVO with a propane injection system.
One, yet to be finished, Caddy trailer (the back end of the truck that 
gave its life to my just completed Rabbit Pickup).
And many, many, many VWs; from a 1946 Beetle (11 Beetles total), to 
Vans (5), Rabbits (3), Karmen Ghia (1), Jettas (5), Passat (1), Dasher 
(1), New Beetle (1), and Rabbit Pickups (3) most now gone but not 
forgotten.