Originally Posted By: larry818
Did you check your compressor to see if it even has a clutch? A lot of new cars don't, they have a modulating valve built into the compressor and just allow it to bypass when not needed.


Dunno, but it could be something like that. Just weird that the factory service manual at the dealership shows a (non-existent) relay.

The compressor has two electrical connectors attached to it. One has two wires, the other has three wires. Both disappear into a massive wiring harness.

EDIT: Ah, found this description:
Quote:
No clutches in the newer compressors. They are "variable displacement". The compressor pistons are moved by a "wobble plate" attached to the input shaft which is driven continuously by the accessory drive belt. When the AC is off, the plate is perpendicular to the input shaft; it spins with the shaft but the compressor pistons don't move. The spinning shaft and wobble plate put little or no load on the engine. When the AC is turned on, a solenoid in the compressor assembly, controlled by the ECU, moves the plate so that it's no longer perpendicular to the shaft. This causes it to "wobble" as it rotates. This wobbling causes the pistons to move back and forth in their cylinders, compressing the refrigerant. The solenoid can vary the degree to which the plate wobbles, and therefore, the amount of compression. This allows the compressor load on the engine to be better matched to the AC need and engine operating conditions.


Apparently some Subaru vehicles began using those in 2010, though my deceased 2013 Impreza still had a clutch. Looks like perhaps the new Crosstrek has one of these newfangled beasts. Effectively, the "clutch relay" equivalent is built-in, so I just need to figure out which wires for for that part, and install my kill switch onto one of those.

EDIT2: Yup. Denso TSE14F: ECV Compressor. Thanks for the hint!

EDIT3: Good description: https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/Variable-Displacement-Compressors


Edited by mlord (20/10/2017 12:15)