radiator fan 1984 Stanza

[J Burns]

I rarely drive my Stanza more than 4 miles and don't use the AC much.
The other day I'd driven about 6 miles when the AC quit cooling. The
magnetic clutch wasn't engaging.

It took me a day or so to realize that the 20-amp fuse was blown. I
replaced it and, with the engine off in my driveway, heard the clutch
click when I turned on the AC and blower.

When I left the driveway the next day, the fuse blew as soon as I turned
on the AC. I disconnected the wire to the clutch and tried another
fuse. It blew immediately when I turned on the AC.

The next fuse was okay with the radiator fan disconnected. Aha! When
the first fuse blew, it might have been the first time in years that the
fan had been called for. I tried the fan from the battery through an
amp meter. It consistently drew about 9 amps, but the starting surge
was huge.

Now the AC works again, but the radiator fan hasn't yet come on.

I wonder if the fan motor was sticky from years of disuse, and the
starting surge was blowing fuses. Does this happen with electric
motors? Should it be lubed?

A pressure switch, indicating a hot condenser, turns on the fan. If the
fan was blowing the fuse, the pressure switch must have been on even
with the clutch unplugged. Can a system hold high pressure in the
condenser several hours like that? Can the pressure switches get sticky?