Hello. I have a '97 VDP. I had to replace the left front main engine compartment wire harness after having it accidentally pulled out completely (see pictures). The replacement harness had the correct replacement part number for a '97 VDP, so it was a direct replacement. My situation now is that the climate control does not work at all. The fan comes on for the front defroster and blows warm air after engine has warmed up, which is good on a cold misty morning. But there's no cooling at all. I'd set the climate temp to 66, but just blows warm air. Also, the heater portion does not seem to work - just the defroster. The system was functioning perfectly before the harness got pulled out and replaced. I've check the fuses and they looked OK. I've also swapped out the AC relay (one of the three large black relay cubes in the left front engine compartment), but still nothing. I don't see any other wires that might be disconnected to cause it not to work. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. It's beginning to heat up for summer, so a working AC will certainly make life a whole lot nicer. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Double check the fuses and wiring connections.

Is the compressor engaging?

 

@mikesmith2, thanks for your prompt reply/post. Much appreciated.

Not sure about the compressor, but I did check the fuses and connections before. I will check again, however. I had to go out of town yesterday for work and will be away for at least 3 weeks (I'm posting from the road right now). But I will check as soon as I get back and will give an update. BTW, there were 2 large semi-round connectors (about 1-1/2" diameter) down by the frame rail as part of the right front main wire harness. Each had a bunch of wires coming out of them. They connect to their counterparts which were pinned to the frame rail. I'd noticed that one of them if not pushed in a certain way, some of the contacts won't seat properly, and the car won't turn over. Maybe these have something to do with not having any climate control or AC. I will recheck these 2 connectors when I return...fingers crossed.

 

Is ur car right hand drive? On my left hand drive those 2 plugs u mention are on the right side. There is specifically a brown wire on one of them that makes the climate control work or not work. On mine one of the plug legs broke and I had to do a bridge. Good luck

 

Yes, Avioni, sorry, I meant to say that it was the right front main harness that got pulled out and replaced (btw, it's a LHD car). I guess I should have been more attentive with my post as I'm rather dyslexic...I should have zig instead of zag! Thanks for the suggestion. I know there were a whole lot of pins in those 2 plugs, and some may have got skewed when we were attempting to plug them in. I will definitely check them when I get home. Thanks again!

 

Finally had time to look into my situation. Thanks to avioni for the suggestion regarding those two big connectors. Turns out both the black and the gray ones from the replacement harness (bought used off of eBay) were missing their pin keepers (these are flat pieces of molded plastic with holes corresponding to their respective pins, and holds them in place to make the proper connections. In fact couple of other pins were not aligned properly and thus were not making proper connections. Wonder what they were for, however? So, I salvaged the keepers from my old harness (thank goodness for being such a pack-rat that I am - I don't throw away anything!), and put them in the connectors from the replacement harness. And, voila, I have climate control. However, the AC was still blowing hot air (it's been in the 100s here this past week). I looked at the compressor, and the clutch was not engaged. After doing some research here on this fine forum and elsewhere, I was convinced that my refrigerant has leaked out and causing a Code 23 (from the self-test), a refrigerant pressure switch fault, which is most likely caused by a low refrigerant level - the car has been sitting for over a year since the wiring harness mishap. So I went to O'Reilly's and bought a recharge kit. I had to jump the AC compressor clutch relay in order to get it pumping, and recharged the system with some R134a. Lo and behold afterwards, it was blowing cold air again!

My only question now is, it seems to not be as cold as it once was - it used to be ice cold. Could it be that it needs more refrigerant? I've pumped about 22 ounces (hopefully, it was a full can when I bought it, but one never knows at auto parts stores these day. Some people might return slightly used products!) into the system, and the pressure gauge read 45 psi with ambient temp at 92 degrees. Should I try putting more in?

BTW, thanks to all who's chimed in. It was a big help. Much appreciated.

 

Why not get it checked by an A/C expert who can leak test service and put the right amount of gas in e system?

In the UK they only charge around £60 and come to car where it maybe.

 

I'm definitely with Mike. If you do not have gauges and a thermometer, and or you do not know how to properly fill an AC, then you should either get the stuff and learn, or get someone to do it. Many folks are lucky and get their AC going by just adding refrigerant (they will all chime in and tell you so!), but you can cause a big problem and kill the compressor if you overfill, and you will have low performance if you do not evacuate properly or if you under fill. And just because it is blowing cool does not guarantee good performance- and with gas costing what it does...