'88 2.8 AC (Page 1/1) Modesto MAY 04, 09:04 PM So the previous owner said the AC worked 2 years ago but when he went to pick up a belt no one had any so it sat there not hooked up. I just installed a new belt and it squealed for the first 20 seconds or so (presumably until the compressor clutch broke free and started rotating). I ran it for about 5 min on max and the air didn't get any colder. Any ideas? Do I just need to let it run longer to "pump up"? I generally steer clear of AC systems but I'm trying to figure out what all works before the swap. Thanks! RWDPLZ MAY 05, 12:44 AM Hook up a gauge set to the low side port and high side port, and see what the static pressures are before turning on the car, and note the ambient air temperature. They're both in the front compartment, low side on the accumulator, high side below it towards the driver's side. If the system has pressure, turn on the car and let it cycle, and note pressures. Note the range of the low side when it cycles. Patrick MAY 05, 12:56 AM I would've just said it was probably low on refrigerant... but it sounds like RWDPLZ knows a whole lot more than I do about A/C operation. Modesto MAY 05, 05:55 PM So it was totally empty, 0 pressure. I drew about 15 inHG on it and closed all the valves back up. I'll let it sit overnight to see if its zeroes out again in the morning. Modesto MAY 06, 12:42 PM Well it held all night, so I'm going to draw a vac for an hour and recharge.