92 Eddie Bauer A/C not working

[dcj50]

A neighborhood kid asked me to help him get his A/C working in his 92 Eddie Bauer which his grandfather gave him. It had been previously converted to 134. I tested with gauges, ~45/200 in 85 degree heat. Clutch cycles off/on as it should. With A/C on high, it just doesn't blow very hard at all and it is not cold, 70 deg center vent. Cycling through the fan speed switch, it seems to work, but each setting blows weak. To me, high feels like what low should be.

Anyway, not sure how to proceed and looking for ideas as to what could be the problem. Climate control panel bad? Blower motor resistor? Thanks for any help!

 

[ChildIdenticant]

Welcome to ExplorerForum!

Knowing nothing else about its history or condition, suggested to start by removing the fan, to make sure there are no obstructions.

Mice in blower

Anyone figure out how to keep mice out of the vents and blower? If my '94 sits for any period of time they build nests in the blower. Just waiting for one of these *******s to have the Hantavirus.

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How to: Prevent a Fire Hazard!

Fall time=fire hazard time. After a fire happened in the 94, I had to figure out where it started. After a serious freaking out and pulling off the road to a safe spot, I looked everywhere possible, there was no clue to where the fire was. The cabin filled with smoke and had an aroma of a wood...

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In the conversion, was a heater core bypass valve added?

 

[LG57]

Can you elaborate on the heater core bypass? I converted mine, but didn't know about this.
To adress the OP's question, the resistor pack on the blower might be bad causing the weak fan speed. As noted, you'll probably need to pull the fan assembly and clean out the plenum.

 

[ChildIdenticant]

The heater bypass/ control valve was included on the 94, or part way through 93. It is a vacuum assisted diverter that makes the AC system more effective. Not a very difficult or expensive retrofit but pics will definitely help.
1991 Ford Explorer Heater Bypass Valve Installation
Already notified Rick of pictures repeating issue on that page so may have to check back.

 

[dcj50]

I will check on the heater bypass control valve when he brings it by next time. Looks like pulling the fan motor assembly is the next step. Hopefully we can do that very soon, Alabama heat is getting brutal. Thanks!!

 

[Nadams01]

I will check on the heater bypass control valve when he brings it by next time. Looks like pulling the fan motor assembly is the next step. Hopefully we can do that very soon, Alabama heat is getting brutal. Thanks!!

Also may help to check your recirculation door. It is a vacuum actuated diaphragm with a rod that extends or retracts a air door to either allow fresh air in or recycle cabin air. It makes a big difference, with out it you are trying to bring in air from the engine bay which easily could be upwards of 100 degrees or more and cool it down through the condenser to a lower temp vs using already cold cabin air and further cooling it. There are 2 vacuum lines that run into the cabin, on is black and it runs from the intake manifold with a check valve to your HVAC controls. This runs to a block with a button on top of it, and when the lever is in the max position it detents the button down allowing vacuum to run through the clear vacuum line and suck the diaphragm down to use cabin air instead of fresh air. Check the diaphragm by attaching a small hose and using either a vacuum pump or a vacuum line off of the manifold to make sure it contracts without leaking. It's 30 years old so it could be cracked. I had to remove my HVAC panel and noticed the lever which is supposed to push down on the button was worn out and had some play in it, causing the button to not be depressed full and not allowing vacuum to flow to the door. I wrapped it with a healthy amount of electrical tape to take up the play and it works like a charm. The diaphragm is located behind the glovebox. Back to the freon question you could still be low on freon but have good pressures. As a tech. We use fancy machines which tell us how much freon was recovered and pull a vacuum on the system for 30 mins or so to get moisture out as well. May be worth doing as the charging the system with a can is not accurate.

 

[dcj50]

Thanks for the tip about the recirculation door. I'd forgotten about that. My 89 Mustang had a similar problem with the vacuum hoses and the diaphragm. Next time I see him, I'll check those things too. Thanks!