I know, I know. Read the threads. Use search. I have gentleman. My situation is similar in 'Fuse 56 blowing.' Up until today I thought it was the compressor (Have gone some time without AC).

Anyway, here's the deal. I saw that the condenser fan and ground wire on the compressor weren't attached. I purchased a #8/32 Machine Screw & installed it. Fuse still pops. I swapped out the 20 amp fuse for a 30 amp and my ac has been blowing cold all day.

Any insight? Is it okay to leave the 30amp? The fact that it draws 20 amps or more makes me think there is some resistance in the fan. However prior to the fuse blowing (5-10 seconds after each start up like clock work) the fan would spin. Then stop (Fuse blew).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Car information is required for all threads. See Rules sticky.

 

Blah, I thought I did. The car is listed as 1998 Civic DX, however I was told it's actually a 1999 and was made in Canada...

I was hoping you'd reply Ron. From what I've read you seem the have the most knowledge in this regard.

 

It's unsafe to use a higher rated fuse than the one intended.

Re-install the 20A fuse.

If you unplug the condenser fan does the fuse still blow?

If you unplug the compressor clutch does the fuse still blow?

 

Unplug the big black fuses under the hood? Or the actual connections?

Also, how unsafe is it? Because for the time being (95F) I'd like AC.

 

Unplug the connector to the fan itself.

Unplug the red wire at the compressor.

Risk of burning up your wires and car in a fire.

 

If I unscrew the red wire and black ground at the compressor the fuse does not blow. This means I need a new compressor doesn't it? I was quite happy the 30 amp has been working and blowing AC all day**. Meh.

 

20A fuse blew?

Was the fan still plugged in?

What black ground at the compressor? Post pictures. You should only need to unplug the red wire at the compressor.

Or did you mean fan here^

 

 

Pic 1: Where is the black ground you mentioned unplugging?

Pic 2: Was a 20A fuse installed into that slot for the test?

 

Pic 1: Right underneath the flat head screw.
Pic 2: Yes. A 30 amp ensures the fan spins. 20 amp it blows and fan stops, as does cold a/c.

 

So if you plug the compressor wires back in, does the 20A fuse still blow?

 

Yes sir.

 

Measure the field coil resistance:

 

I'll have to wait till tomorrow afternoon or Saturday to do that. Things are quite busy here at the office. Do you think it would be safe to leave the 30 amp in until then?

Also, thank you for posting that diagram & for your help. I greatly, greatly appreciate it sir. I'm not exactly a mechanic. I did used to be a DIY when I had my S4. Had a stage 3 S4 and a Stage 3 Viggen pushing 26 PSI.

EDIT: I will post my results once I complete the coil resistance test.

 

The problem is probably a bad field coil, but you want to verify by testing.

There's a risk, but how long have you be running the 30A fuse?

 

Not very long. Maybe two 30 minute sessions.

As for the coil, are there any good reman places for these compressors? I used one before for a throttle body and had great results at a great price.

 

I've already mentioned the risks for using the 30A fuse. It's your choice.

The field coil itself can be replaced without replacing the entire compressor.

 

Alright. Thank you for your help. Will post back with results this weekend.

 

I'll just chime in and say DON'T use a fuse rated higher than recommended. Bad things tend to happen (ie., you'll make it worse and hate yourself). Just suffer in the heat until you diagnose the problem.

 

Well, the AC stopped working with the fuse in the very next day. Just stopped blowing cold. All fans still spin and the higher rated fuse isn't blown. Was caught up in a few things this weekend so I wasn't able to do the resistance test. Few more days of 90+ won't kill me I guess.