A/C Compressor question

[PhilMateo]

Folks,

I've searched all posts, and don't see this question addresses yet, so here goes...

In my '65 Overlander with original Armstrong Bay Breeze a/c, the compressor seems to trip off after an hour or so of hard work. We get cool air during that time.

I am assuming the compressor is over heating, and the thermal switch is cutting unit off.

Is this assumption correct, and what does that tell me about what I need to fix?

Thanks

[lewster]

Hi Phil,

If your compressor is overheating as you say, then you either have a comp. going bad or there is a blockage somewhere in the refrigerant line, condenser, evaporator or capillary tubes that is causing a restriction that will overheat the compressor and causing the shut-down due to lack of refrigerant entering the unit. If you have an AC amp clamp, you can do a running amp test on the compressor to check how much amperage it is drawing and compare it with the data plate. Otherwise, it sounds like you need a qualified A/C tech to look at it to verify if there is a blockage or not.

One other problem might be the run capacitor, but I have never seen one shut down a comp. after an hour. They usually act up right away.