Nissan Repair: air conditioner keeps blowing fuse, amp fuse, nissan sentra

Question
QUESTION: hi, help, i have a 1993 nissan sentra that keeps blowing the 10 amp fuse located on the dashboard.  when it first started a fuse would last about 10 min, now it only last for a few seconds. it would blow cold air until the fuse blowed.  where is the best place to start looking.  any ideas would be much appreciated, thanks

ANSWER: Kim,

I would start with the blower motor as that is the thing that draws the most current.  If the blower is fine then the control panel is the place to start looking at replacement.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi, the blower keeps working, just blowing warm air. when i replace the fuse the compressor kicks on for a few seconds blowing cold air then the fuse blows again, then it just blows warm air again. would the blower moter keep working if it was the problem., thanks so much, kim.

Answer
Kim,

Thanks for the additional information.  What you say means that the fan that cools the condenser is binding and blowing the fuse or the compressor is binding and blowing the fuse.  They are on the same circuit until each relay, respectively.  So, if one is binding and overloading it would blow the fuse.  You should be able to spin the fan by hand, engine off, and see if it is binding.  This is the fan that runs only with the airconditioner on.  The other one cools the engine and cycles.  The compressor is much the same in that you should be able to turn the center, by hand, engine off, and it should have resistance.  But, you should be able to turn it.  If not, that means that the compressor is binding and needs to be changed.  Email me back and let me know what you find.  Also, if the compressor is binding the clutch should show signs of overheating.