after I got my car running again, I kept thinking ill hold off on getting the A/C working until it starts to get hot again. well....I didn't think about the defrost and it running off the a/c, and its annoying if I drive it in the morning or at night. does the a/c system have to be full of "refrigerant"(couldnt think of better term now) or can it just have a vacuum pulled on the system. if I don't need to pay to get the system charged, then I won't do it until spring time.

not 100% sure how the defrost works.

 

with no pressure in the system the low pressure switch should keep the clutch from engaging, so you will be just fine.

 

cool, I just have to get a new dryer thing now.

 

If the a/c is not fuctioning, you just won't have dry air for defrost purposes. The air will still blow.

 

yeah I guess I wasn't sure if it would blow dry air if the system wasnt fully charged or not. I havnt had a chance to try it out because I never bought a new dryer.

 

The "dryer" has nothing to do with providing dry air for defrost, if that's why you think you need a new dryer. The dryer knocks moisture out of the recirculating refrigerant. When you turn on the defroster, it turns on the A/C. The A/C evaporator cools the air below saturation temperature, and knocks the excess moisture out. Then the heater core "reheats" the air so that it is no longer saturated. When the unsaturated (dry) air hits the windshield, it vaporizes the moisture and clears the windshield. If you turn on the defroster with no A/C charge, you will be using cool, saturated air, heated by the heater coil. It will still "defrost" the windshield, but it will be slightly less efficient at removing moisture form the inside of the windshield.

 

well that makes sense now. I guess ill have that done instead of new gears...that can wait. I just need a new dryer because I have no idea where the old one is. Can a dryer be reused, if I can figure out what happened to it?

 

if it's been open to the atmosphere , you should just get a new one, but don't install it until you are heading for a recharge

 

gotcha...wont even worry about it then and get a new one. thanks everyone