new compressor needed ? - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

railman · 05-25-2006, 03:50 PM

well, first off the compressor was not coming on, o i thought the refrigerant level was "low" enough to need a little charge so the pressure switch would activate the clutch.

so i hook up my el-cheapo hose/gauge and can of 134A....

after a minute the compressor clutch kicks in and the gauge comes up to the "green" charge indicator....

but, there is still only hot air coming out of my vents....so i bite the bullet and take it to my local shop that i trust.

well, my shop guy hooks up his unit and recovers from the system to a 30 pound vacuum, and then shuts it off to see if it will hold the vacuum.

after it holds the vacuum for a while he starts to charge the system.... well once it is charged enough we start up the engine and the low side jumps up to the 100-120 psi range and the high side is in the same ballpark ( basically equalized )

now my shop guy seems puzzled and is honest in saying that he just normally charges vehicles but never does much on the "hard" side of A/C ( like replacing the compressors et al ) hence why i like the place ( honesty when you are not sure and say you aren't goes a long way in my book )

so, is this a case of a bad compressor, which i would put on myself and have him charge back up, or something else entirely?

sorry for the long post, just wanted to put out as much info on this as i can

thanx for the help in advance, John

**Glacier991** · 05-26-2006, 05:20 PM

Generally you have described a system with a failed compressor or in an extremely rare case, a blown out or stuck wide open orifice tube.

96 Explorer · 05-27-2006, 11:58 AM

If you need a "kit", I highly suggest ebay from the user name carcompressors. It cost $235 (OEM Version) and included KIT INCLUDES NEW COMPRESSOR FILLED WITH ULTRA PAG OIL, NEW ACCUMULATOR/DRIER, NEW EXPANSION VALVE/ ORIFICE TUBE AND ALL ORINGS.

Just had it installed this week and works awesome.

No affiation to the ebay seller, just a happy customer.

05-25-2006, 03:50 PM	#1
railman Wannabe Elite Explorer Madisonville, KY 96 xlt Supercab Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 116 Vehicle Specs	new compressor needed ? well, first off the compressor was not coming on, o i thought the refrigerant level was "low" enough to need a little charge so the pressure switch would activate the clutch. so i hook up my el-cheapo hose/gauge and can of 134A.... after a minute the compressor clutch kicks in and the gauge comes up to the "green" charge indicator.... but, there is still only hot air coming out of my vents....so i bite the bullet and take it to my local shop that i trust. well, my shop guy hooks up his unit and recovers from the system to a 30 pound vacuum, and then shuts it off to see if it will hold the vacuum. after it holds the vacuum for a while he starts to charge the system.... well once it is charged enough we start up the engine and the low side jumps up to the 100-120 psi range and the high side is in the same ballpark ( basically equalized ) now my shop guy seems puzzled and is honest in saying that he just normally charges vehicles but never does much on the "hard" side of A/C ( like replacing the compressors et al ) hence why i like the place ( honesty when you are not sure and say you aren't goes a long way in my book ) so, is this a case of a bad compressor, which i would put on myself and have him charge back up, or something else entirely? sorry for the long post, just wanted to put out as much info on this as i can thanx for the help in advance, John

05-26-2006, 05:20 PM	#2
Glacier991 EF Tranny Guru Sacramento, CA 95827 1992 XLT Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 9,779 Vehicle Specs	Generally you have described a system with a failed compressor or in an extremely rare case, a blown out or stuck wide open orifice tube.

05-27-2006, 11:58 AM	#3
96 Explorer Wannabe Elite Explorer Alta, UT 96 Explorer XLT 5.0 Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 5 Vehicle Specs	If you need a "kit", I highly suggest ebay from the user name carcompressors. It cost $235 (OEM Version) and included KIT INCLUDES NEW COMPRESSOR FILLED WITH ULTRA PAG OIL, NEW ACCUMULATOR/DRIER, NEW EXPANSION VALVE/ ORIFICE TUBE AND ALL ORINGS. Just had it installed this week and works awesome. No affiation to the ebay seller, just a happy customer.