560SL Radiator Fans and AC

[sdubret]

Have a 87 560SL with 86000 miles. Had one owner before me who lived out in the Desert in Palm Springs. Looks like He had the fan's wiring jumped in the front of the radiator so that both fans ran constantly (guess because it's so hot out there). Got tired of the constant noise so I disconnected it. Question: With the fans disconnected, will that alone prevent the AC system from even turning on, and also prevent the center vents from opening? The AC system worked great when we first got the car.

[Diseasel300]

The fans are triggered by a temperature switch on the receiver dryer to cycle with refrigerant temperature. There's also a switch in the engine head to switch the fans on if the engine overheats. If the fans are disconnected, the A/C will not work very well at low speeds due to excessively high head pressure from lack of airflow. Engine temp is maintained by the engine driven fan. The viscous fan clutch may be slipping excessively and causing poor cooling performance.

The center vents are vacuum operated, controlled by the pushbutton unit. If nothing is working, I'd look to see if you have a blown fuse to the A/C system. If the aspirator motor seizes and lets the smoke out, it can take the fuse out (been there, done that). A seized or shorted auxiliary coolant pump can also cause problems.