Strange 940 A/C compressor (?) problem

[snowing]

Hey all-

I just recently had the A/C system on my 95 940 wagon fixed. Needed a new condenser, as there was a massive leak in the old one that had been there for some time. Anyhow, since the repair, its been working perfectly until today.

Strangely, the onset of this problem seems to be related to my removal of my OEM stereo, which has been on the fritz. The volume pot on the stereo had been on the blink for a while, and my typical solution had been to give it a good whack, which usually fixed the issue for a while. Anyhow, today I finally had enough, and after a couple nice bumps failed to fix it, I pulled the whole unit out. Anyhow, shortly after removing the stereo, I noticed that the A/C wasn't coming on when I turned it on.

With the car running, the clutch on the compressor turns by hand, but I can definitely feel some resistance. I don't have to force it to spin per say, but it is certainly not smooth. Anyhow, I fiddled around with various settings at the dash, and I got it to turn on twice since it stopped working earlier in the day (don't know how--it just seemed to randomly turn on). Both times the compressor clutch engaged in all but the lowest fan setting, as well as the fan off setting. On the lowest setting, I could see the clutch spinning very, very slowly--intermittently, really for a few seconds. Otherwise, it only worked on the second setting and above, but that was only two times. Elsewise, nothing.

Other details:

-the a/c dash light does light up when pressed
-I can hear a soft "click" a few seconds after pressing it, even if the a/c doesnt turn on
-since the repair it has worked absolutely flawlessly. this is the first sign of trouble whatsoever


Anyhow, my question is, am I crazy for thinking this is related to the stereo removal? Could it be a pure coincidence? Is that amount of resistance when spinning the clutch by hand suspicious?

This video show the clutch moving slightly with the fan off (it might also be on the lowest setting with the a/c on--cant recall exactly):

[jimmy57]

91-95 740/940 (except the 91 940 SE) have an integrated relay on A/C control that gets cracked solder joint. The relay solder problem kills compressor operation but usually not associated with any fan speed.
It would be worth taking control out and making sure no wiring is not fully connected.