I have looked at several AC posts and i want to try and get some direction for my exact issue. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and time.
05 R52- I noticed low to no cold output for cold air when AC was on.
I also noticed that my fan wasn't working all that well as i used to hear it loudly at at stop lights on hot days w/ ac on.
I could hear the compressor kick on and off when i turned the ac button on and off.
I took it in to an AC place for a purge and service.
They stated the compressor wasnt pulling enough freon in and wasnt holding it. No leaks but the they said the compressor was bad. They gave it back empty on freon and a 1300 quote to fix.
I cannot hear the compressor kick on anymore. I swapped relays in the engine compartment to make sure that it wasnt the cause and there were no changes. I checked all other fuses and they were all good.
After reading posts I also diagnosed my low speed fan as being bad (via the onboard temp/kick on test). The PS fan and high speed fan worked properly. The car would have went a week or so without this working in hot weather. I figured I needed to fix this first regardless before worrying about the AC.
I replaced the fan today and it works as it should.
I used a neighbors a/c gauge and it has NO reading of pressure- ac on or off and since i got it back w/o freon I figured this would be an issue, good or bad compressor.
I checked all fuses and swapped relays and noticed no changes.
Knowing it is out of freon and has NO pressure should I look at getting subzero and filling it up to see if this will kick on the compressor?
I know it was diagnosed as having a bad compressor but it worked before it went in (and it wasnt by a mini tech or dealer).
Having the fan now working properly should have no effect on the ac compressor working properly now, correct?
How would I test the ac compressor unit to see if i need a clutch coil or a complete unit?
Any other tips or suggestions/
Thanks again.

 

The low pressure switch will keep the compressor from engaging if there's no freon in the system, also with no freon the A/C will produce no cold air.

Since the system is empty you should have a vacuum drawn before you recharge it, and make sure the correct amount of oil is introduced with the freon. I expect they left it empty thinking that you were going to replace the compressor, so they did you a favor in a way.

If you think the A/C shop was wrong about the compressor, take it somewhere else, have it evacuated and recharged and let them check it out.

The cooling fam does affect the compressor, in that if it's not running you'll get excessively high head pressures to your compressor, which can wear it out.

There are no shortcuts, do it right or don't do it......

 

Given the first line above, I can't reconcile the last line.
If the AC was kicking in previously, then it's not your clutch.
My compressor failed as well, which lead me to discover that the low speed fan was dead.
If you're handy, you can replace the compressor yourself - it's just a few bolts after you've moved the engine back (remove lower mount, use ratchet strap to pull engine back.)
The book calls for removing the front end to get to the compressor, but that's not necessary.

 

I could hear the compressor kick on but it must have been on its last leg and when they tried to add the freon is killed it. I went ahead and replaced the compressor and drier. Found a reman. compressor (full of oil and ready to go) and new drier on ebay for $233. w/shipping and tax. Compressors of the world is the ebay store. I put it in service mode just cuz I have that down pretty good. Those bolts were a B in service mode so I cant imagine any less room. Had it properly re-charged and all is good. Thanks for the info.

 

Glad to hear you're up and running. It's not too bad to get those bolts from below, though the front one is pretty much blind.