#70 Fuse keeps blowing

[KT060217]

2013 Explorer XLT - Put a new A/C compressor on and had the system evacuated and charged and once you turn the a/c on in the car within a matter of minutes the #70 fuse blows. Any ideas as to what could be causing this??

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d go over any wiring related to, or in the vicinity of the compressor.

 

[peterk9]

For general info;
Fuse #70
VPWR #3 (coil), All-wheel drive
module, A/C variable compressor
control.

Peter

 

[KT060217]

For general info;
Fuse #70
VPWR #3 (coil), All-wheel drive
module, A/C variable compressor
control.

Peter

Crazy question here but what exactly is the A/C variable compressor control?

 

[blwnsmoke]

Crazy question here but what exactly is the A/C variable compressor control?

The computer that controls whether the AC is engaged or not? I know in hot climates when you go full throttle, it will turn your AC off until you let up to give you full power. It also seems this happens now after the exhaust recall when going full throttle based on other members comments.

 

[peterk9]

Crazy question here but what exactly is the A/C variable compressor control?

I have no idea. Maybe this thread might help or maybe not. I believe the diagrams are for the 2011 and 2012 models but the 2013 might be the same. 2011-2015 Explorer Component Location Views
Found this (part #4);Evaporator Components for 2013 Ford Explorer | Auto Nation Ford White Bear Lake
I did a search on that site for the word 'variable' and came up with 2 results both had to do with the engine variable timing so that part must have another more specific name.
BTW, welcome to the Forum.

Peter

 

[KT060217]

I have no idea. Maybe this thread might help or maybe not. I believe the diagrams are for the 2011 and 2012 models but the 2013 might be the same. 2011-2015 Explorer Component Location Views
Found this (part #4);Evaporator Components for 2013 Ford Explorer | Auto Nation Ford White Bear Lake
I did a search on that site for the word 'variable' and came up with 2 results both had to do with the engine variable timing so that part must have another more specific name.
BTW, welcome to the Forum.

Peter

Thank you so much! My husband is working on it now trying to trace down the problem, and I will show him this information, hopefully it helps! This car is becoming quite a frustration, we've had it about a year and a half and have had to replace the blend door actuator 3 times in it and last fall the a/c failed so we put a new compressor on it and had it evacuated and charged and it would just cycle off and on continuously and sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't, so we put yet another compressor on it and went through all of it again, he's out there putting a new condensor on it now.

 

[KayGee]

Some problems aren't easily diagnosed over the internet and it is easy to go down the rabbit hole of getting "advice" and throwing parts at something without fully diagnosing what the actual problem is. Was the vehicle ever taken to a shop to diagnose the issue when it first happened?

Unfortunately, electrical gremlins can require some time to trace/identify. There are OBD codes that can help with ac related issues - some will show up with generic scan tools and others require more advance manufacturer specific scan tools. Did you check codes and were any present?

I believe the variable compressor control is internal to the compressor and adjusts the compressor displacement to match the a/c cooling load requirements and improve fuel efficiency. The HVAC module may send the command to control it, probably with assistance/communication from other modules (PCM, BCM, others?).

 

[KT060217]

Some problems aren't easily diagnosed over the internet and it is easy to go down the rabbit hole of getting "advice" and throwing parts at something without fully diagnosing what the actual problem is. Was the vehicle ever taken to a shop to diagnose the issue when it first happened?

Unfortunately, electrical gremlins can require some time to trace/identify. There are OBD codes that can help with ac related issues - some will show up with generic scan tools and others require more advance manufacturer specific scan tools. Did you check codes and were any present?

Right now we are putting the new parts on it that we've already purchased to replace on it. I have no checked for any codes, but I will go out and do that now as we do have a generic OBD reader. If what we've got doesn't solve the issue we are gonna have to take it to our local Ford dealership and get a diagnostic test ran on it.

 

[KayGee]

Some of the things that came to my mind were why did the original compressor need to be replaced and when? What diagnosis was done to confirm it was the compressor that needed to be replaced?

After the new compressor was installed and system charged, it began blowing fuse. It's possible a wire could have been damaged in the process, new compressor is defective, or that there was some other issue that was missed.

Now you are replacing the condenser. Why replace that after you just replaced the compressor and recharged the system? For AC repairs, you typically want to repair/replace everything before you recharge. Same as with suspension repairs - replace all the parts before the alignment, not replace one part, align, then replace another part, and align again...

Hopefully you get it all ironed out, and if you need to take it in, I think I'd opt for a local indy shop vs the dealer as the diagnosis time may get costly if the tech has to try to troubleshoot the original issues, plus any new issues that may have been caused by parts that were replaced.

 

[KT060217]

Some of the things that came to my mind were why did the original compressor need to be replaced and when? What diagnosis was done to confirm it was the compressor that needed to be replaced?

After the new compressor was installed and system charged, it began blowing fuse. It's possible a wire could have been damaged in the process, new compressor is defective, or that there was some other issue that was missed.

Now you are replacing the condenser. Why replace that after you just replaced the compressor and recharged the system? For AC repairs, you typically want to repair/replace everything before you recharge. Same as with suspension repairs - replace all the parts before the alignment, not replace one part, align, then replace another part, and align again...

Hopefully you get it all ironed out, and if you need to take it in, I think I'd opt for a local indy shop vs the dealer as the diagnosis time may get costly if the tech has to try to troubleshoot the original issues, plus any new issues that may have been caused by parts that were replaced.

gi

The original compressor completely locked up on it and we couldn't drive it at all without it so we had to replace it. We was told by a mechanic to just replace the compressor so we did and now it's blowing fuses within minutes of turning the a/c on so then was told we should have replaced the condensor when we replaced the compressor....so.. that leaves us where we are at with it now. Once the system is evacuated and recharged again if it' still blowing fuses we are just going to take it and have a diagnostic ran on it. My husband works out of town and won't be home to work on it anymore for a little while.