Update: turns out the issue is the compressor, it's dead. Brand new reman denso unit. Has one year warranty so I'm covered, just have to pay labor to remove/ install and recharge, and deal with sending it back and waiting for a new one. Probably a few hundred. I take comfort in the fact that with the help on this forum, I was basically able to diagnose this myself, just pissed I can't resolve it myself.
Funny, it was a 40 mile round trip on the highway to a mechanic to help confirm the diagnosis. That was the longest I've driven the car in well over a year and i forgot how fun it is to drive. So much so, that my urge to sell has lessened. It feels good to finally have a car that runs so well, it's about 85 here today, temp needle never moved more than a needles width off the first mark. Call it the glass half full view.
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AC shop got power all the way to the compressor, but compressor coil did not respond. They dropped it down a little to get a better connection htan I could and still nothing. Not much you can do when you get power there and nothing happens.
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I see.....so you are saying the electric coil in the compressor clutch is bad, not necessarily the compressor, as the compressor never spun because the clutch did not pick up.
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I had to replace my compressor clutch. It's a LOT less expensive than replacing the whole compressor. It's not an unusual part to fail. There's no electricity to the compressor, just the clutch. Replacing the clutch doesn't require disconnecting the freon hoses either.
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Thanks for closing the loop. And, glad you got the problem solved. With some luck warm weather is still in store for you. I think we may have seen the last of the weather were we need a/c.
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My six speed 968's AC system has never been recharged ( since the very day the car left the dealer lot in 1994 ) and until just recently it has always blown very cold air . But all good things must come to an end I suppose, because it's now just blowing " room temperature " air . The compressor engages just fine, everything spins smoothly , so no apparent mechanical or electric issues , and my first thought is that it just needs a couple of Freon cans and that should give me another 23 years of cold air , but is it really that simple ? I ask because I have no idea if this is indicative of a leak, or, if the freon just loses its effectiveness after so many years ..
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Freon does not lose effectiveness and it is strange that the compressor spins because if the system is low enough to blow non-cool air, it should cut the compressor out using the low pressure switch in the system.
Try a can and see if things go back to normal. By the way, you have R-34 and not Freon in your system.
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Hmm, maybe the low pressure switch does work as it should . BTW, is the compressors and condenser combined as one integral part this car ? ( in some cars they connected / attached, but as separate units ) And I thought " freon " is a generic name for all coolants and R34 is just a type of freon, but i guess I was wrong .
Will give it a can of R 34 and see what happens .
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(This post was last modified: 11-13-2017, 12:59 PM by ds968.)
A/C systems can work well for long periods of time (like yours) - - even without maintenance. Not unlike hydraulic brake systems, which normally don't receive regular maintenance either (is your brake fluid 23+ years old? If so, the suggestion is to flush/change it.).
It looks like your A/C system is due for some maintenance. It is something that you can do yourself - - if you have the equipment/tools & know what you're doing (there are many possible reasons why your A/C is no longer working properly). However, if you don't...it can get expensive really quickly to fix if you make mistakes. Adding more refrigerant will just be a waste of time and refrigerant if you have a leak.
You can check to see if the compressor clutch engages by carefully looking at it while the engine is idling with the A/C turned on and the temperature set to low.
Your '94 should have R-134a refrigerant.
The compressor is the thing that has the belt/pulley that the clutch is attached to...the condenser is the thing that looks like another radiator (in front of the radiator).
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Yes, it's a "late" 94 , so definitely R134. I have a friend who is a mechanic and who also happens to have two 969s on which he works all the time , so he'll check out the AC system for leaks and / or other issues, etc.
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oops, misprint I meant two 959s .. yeah, that's it ; me, Bill Gates and Jay Leno have all of them . having said that I don't care how fast those things are, they're butt-ugly, I would not be seen in one even if it was gifted to me. ok, maybe I would, but only at night.. not sure they have AC systems though ( to stay on topic ) so I could not drive one anyway.. my AC is on all the time , regardless of outside temps . Might have an impact of the systems' refrigerant ..
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Welp, living in the bay area doesn't require a/c. But, the guy I know with a 959 says the a/c works just fine. 2 and 200, best kind of air conditioning.
But, somebody we know will point out that aerodynamics take a hit with the windows down. :-)
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(This post was last modified: 11-15-2017, 12:20 AM by az968.)
.. yeah, that's it ; me, Bill Gates and Jay Leno have all of them . having said that I don't care how fast those things are, they're butt-ugly, I would not be seen in one even if it was gifted to me. ok, maybe I would, but only at night.. not sure they have AC systems though ( to stay on topic ) so I could not drive one anyway.. my AC is on all the time , regardless of outside temps . Might have an impact of the systems' refrigerant .. 
