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AC problem help??

H

Harrry

Addicted CEG'er
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
6,869
Location
Michigan
Okay i replaced the compressor the accumulator and all the ac lines.

Now it doesn't work again. I have no idea what to do.

The only thing left is the condenser? I think

I had all the prior work done at a dealership. So they were able to search for the problem. It seems they don't even know what they are doing cause the problem still exists.

So i don't want to take it back there again and i would rather do it myself.

Does anybody have any ideas. Is there an AC sensor? Never heard of one, but i guess you never know. The control panel works fine from all the adjustments i did with playing with the temps at night time.

Just last week it was working.
When i ran to the store it wouldn't work. i tried it again after leaving the store and it worked all of a sudden? So i don't know whats going on.

Any ideas?
 
More information would help. When you say it's not working do you mean it's not cold or there is no airflow at the dash outlet? Do you hear the compressor running? Is there any change with a/c or defrost setting?
 
twocontours said:
More information would help. When you say it's not working do you mean it's not cold or there is no airflow at the dash outlet? Do you hear the compressor running? Is there any change with a/c or defrost setting?
Click to expand...

no cold air
The compressor does not turn when teh car is running with ac on.

charge ac or defrosting? Its been charged if thats what your asking.
 
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Could be the low pressure switch. It's located on the top of the accumulator which is located on the frame to the right of the radiator. Take the connector off the top and short the two pins momentarily. If the compressor turns on that's your problem. Do not run the A/C with the short in place as it is unregulated and could damage the system. The switch itself just unscrews and is a simple replacement. It can be done without loosing the charge in the system.
 
Thanks i will try this tomorrow. Hope its it. I guess that and the condesor is the last thing left for the ac on this car.
 
It is extraordinarily unlikley there is anything wrong with your condensor since it, in itself, cannot possibly directly prevent the the system from activating.

Look, not to be rude, but if you don't have the technical expertise to diagnose and repair the system, find a professional to do it for you. Anyone who just hangs parts on the system trying to fix it is a hack, which sounds like what you may have gotten at your recent dealership experience.

Since your details are lacking, it's tough to perform a diagnosis over the internet.

If you have the initiative and some basic test equipment (a multimeter comes to mind) and a strong willingness to learn, we can talk you through the diagnosis and, if possible, repair. You will need to follow instructions, ask approriate questions, and provide feedback and answers as needed.

First off, a failure of the clutch to energize might be either an electrical or a mechanical problem. Keep that in mind while troubleshooting.

Do try the jumpering of the cycling switch as suggested. It's easy and the switch is a common fault. Let us know if that makes a difference.

FWIW, you might have had your refrigerant leak out which would prevent the system from activating via the cycling switch.

Steve
 
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projectSHO89 said:
It is extraordinarily unlikley there is anything wrong with your condensor since it, in itself, cannot possibly directly prevent the the system from activating.

Look, not to be rude, but if you don't have the technical expertise to diagnose and repair the system, find a professional to do it for you. Anyone who just hangs parts on the system trying to fix it is a hack, which sounds like what you may have gotten at your recent dealership experience.

Since your details are lacking, it's tough to perform a diagnosis over the internet.

If you have the initiative and some basic test equipment (a multimeter comes to mind) and a strong willingness to learn, we can talk you through the diagnosis and, if possible, repair. You will need to follow instructions, ask approriate questions, and provide feedback and answers as needed.

First off, a failure of the clutch to energize might be either an electrical or a mechanical problem. Keep that in mind while troubleshooting.

Do try the jumpering of the cycling switch as suggested. It's easy and the switch is a common fault. Let us know if that makes a difference.

FWIW, you might have had your refrigerant leak out which would prevent the system from activating via the cycling switch.

Steve
Click to expand...

While you are at it, want to fix my ac? LOL Has a leak somewhere. :)
 
Harrry said:
Just last week it was working.
When i ran to the store it wouldn't work. i tried it again after leaving the store and it worked all of a sudden? So i don't know whats going on.
Click to expand...

projectSHO89 said:
First off, a failure of the clutch to energize might be either an electrical or a mechanical problem. Keep that in mind while troubleshooting.

Do try the jumpering of the cycling switch as suggested. It's easy and the switch is a common fault. Let us know if that makes a difference.

FWIW, you might have had your refrigerant leak out which would prevent the system from activating via the cycling switch.

Steve
Click to expand...

Steve,

I thought about a total loss of charge but the fact that it turned on and worked after failing kind of ruled that out.

Mike
 
While we are on the topic of AC, I need to recharge my system(I think, I will find out when I pressure test it), and I need to know which one is the low pressure port.

Is it the green cap in the back of the engine compartment in the same general vicinity of the O2 sensors, or is it the black cap in the front of the compartment just in back of the radiator connected to the AC line/hose?

Any help would be appreciated, once I know which one it is the job is a piece of cake.

Thanks
 
EatRiceBurnRubber said:
While we are on the topic of AC, I need to recharge my system(I think, I will find out when I pressure test it), and I need to know which one is the low pressure port.

Is it the green cap in the back of the engine compartment in the same general vicinity of the O2 sensors, or is it the black cap in the front of the compartment just in back of the radiator connected to the AC line/hose?

Any help would be appreciated, once I know which one it is the job is a piece of cake.

Thanks
Click to expand...


put all your tools down and step away from your car right now!

seriously, A/C problems are not easy to deal with without any knowledge.

one, the green cap is for the evap system ....

second you can not just check the low side pressure, let me guess you got your refill kit at wal-mart or autozone :blackeye:

and the job is not a piece of cake because you don't know two very large issues! one if your refrigerant needs to be refilled then chances are you have a leak that needs to be repaired. second you failed to realize/and or search and read here that you can not just fill an empty A/C system.

you need to take your car to a shop to have the A/C fixed. Period.
 
projectSHO89 said:
Do try the jumpering of the cycling switch as suggested. It's easy and the switch is a common fault. Let us know if that makes a difference.

FWIW, you might have had your refrigerant leak out which would prevent the system from activating via the cycling switch.

Steve
Click to expand...
I believe that is the issue.

Well to be honest i contacted the dealership and they said it will be fixed for free. It has been the 3rd time in 2 years the AC has been serviced. Thanks for your opinions and suggestions. I rented a light and glasses last night and checked the lines for a leak since i was told from the mech that he added die into the system 8 months ago. No leaks were found as far as i could tell. Now i have read up on a ac switch under the glove box. I will try to read up on that more on ceg old forum.
Since my car is under warranty there is not point me spending my own money to correct this issue.

I guess i will update this post with final results after Thursday.
 
BrApple said:
put all your tools down and step away from your car right now!

seriously, A/C problems are not easy to deal with without any knowledge.

one, the green cap is for the evap system ....

second you can not just check the low side pressure, let me guess you got your refill kit at wal-mart or autozone :blackeye:

and the job is not a piece of cake because you don't know two very large issues! one if your refrigerant needs to be refilled then chances are you have a leak that needs to be repaired. second you failed to realize/and or search and read here that you can not just fill an empty A/C system.

you need to take your car to a shop to have the A/C fixed. Period.
Click to expand...

Why can't you refill an empty system?

I got the Interdynamics, AUto Airconditioning Measure and Charge bottle.
R-134a Refrigerant an Oil.

It was recomended to me by a friend that works at Napa and a friend who is a Lincoln Tech graduate, both who constantly do ajor repairs on assorted cars.

Still a bad idea, seriously?, I am not trying to be sarcastic.
 
EatRiceBurnRubber said:
Why can't you refill an empty system?

I got the Interdynamics, AUto Airconditioning Measure and Charge bottle.
R-134a Refrigerant an Oil.

It was recomended to me by a friend that works at Napa and a friend who is a Lincoln Tech graduate, both who constantly do ajor repairs on assorted cars.

Still a bad idea, seriously?, I am not trying to be sarcastic.
Click to expand...

ok, so does this kit have guages to read low and high side pressures? if not the kit is worthless. to properly fill the A/C system you need to monitor both pressures as there are pressure requirments when filling the system. This pressure depends on the ambient temp.

As I scan the Interdynamics product page they do not offer a kit with the proper guages.

now your buddy needs to take his A/C class over if he graduated .... if you have a leak the refrigerant has been replaced by air. so there are two things about this .... one, air reduces the efficience of the A/C system. the properties of air and refridgerant are very different. so this leads to the big point that was missed, the A/C system is filled after it is brought to a vacuum. yup to properly refill the system that is empty you need to bring it to a vacuum. again I don't see any wal-mart kits with a vacuum pump.

This also leads to what I said before, if your system needs to be filled then chances are you have a leak.

now you can do this yourself if you really want, do some research and read up on A/C repair .... get a guage set and a vacuum pump (about $60 for a venture style from Eastwood company) and you will be able to recharge the system yourself ...

and finally, not directed solely at you but I have said all of this before many different times ... please search posts on A/C problems ....
 
FavoriteMystaque said:
You won't want to add oil, unless you had to replace parts of the system.
Click to expand...


this is true, the ford CD or the printed service manual say something about needing to replace the same amount that comes out of the accumulator when it is replaced. so I am not sure you have to worry about it when you change something else.


now I am goign to go out on a limb and say more often then not an A/C leak is normally from a very small hole. this means it will have a high velocity and could take the oil with it ... Most of those wal-mart kits have stop leak and oil in them and I can't see alittle being a bad thing. I added some to my system when I got it running again ...
 
I had to add oil to the new compressor as directed in the Ford manual (I think it was there, did it last year). It said how much for other parts too.
 
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