I am posting this to share with others on how I have fixed my air conditioning the 2 times it stopped working on me. Please do not harass me because it is winter.

I have a 1991 convertible that came with broken air conditioning. I never use air conditioning but I chose to fix it. The first problem we found was that the Shrader valve (like the kind that screws into a valve stem on a tire) had failed on the cold pressure tubing right near the firewall. The old valve broke apart and I had to remove the pipe, drill out the old valve, clean the pipe with soapy water followed by lots of water, dry the pipe in an oven, reinstall the pipe with new valve, and finally vacuum the system and recharge with a R-12 alternative (Johnsen's Freeze 12).

The air conditioning worked fine for several months but when I tested the system to lubricate the seals there was no more cold air. The second problem turned out that the clutch was not engaging and the fuse for the Cigar lighter was blown. The burn in the fuse was barely visible but it was indeed broken. Once I replace the fuse the air conditioning started working perfectly again.

Hope this helps someone fix their AC on the cheap.

 

Great job. A/C is not complicated, but it demands precision. It sounds as if you did this fix right the first time. Freeze12 is a fine refrigerant for our cars.

Thanks also for the reminder that the ROOM fuse will keep the A/C from working.

 

The ROOM fuse was blown on mine. Thanks for the quick repair. I had to replace the cigarette lighter and fuse and I have AC again.