A/C problems

[Ish man]

I noticed several people having prolems with their A/C. My A/C is one of the ones that blows only on high and 60 degrees. I also noticed a ticking sound near the floorboard when I first start my car. Also does anyone's A/C turn off when the wipers are on intermittent? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[awpstl]

same problem with 97 eddie bauer explorer

My a/c only works on 60 degrees + MAX A/C has to be pushed in also

 

[Ish man]

Did you find any ideas on the problem? I heard that it could be some realy or resitor in the engine compartment. I jsut have no idea which one. Let me know if you find anything. Thanks

 

[TTG]

The resistor is bad. Most of the info on the boards points to the resistor being where the relay is, but that is not the case. The resistor is near the back of the engine bay on the passenger side under th blower motor. They get all corroded and die, replaced mine and my AC blows nice now.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Fan only blows on Hi = Blown Resistor

A/C only works on MAX = Broken Blend Door

 

[gijoecam]

Indeed, here's what happens to the resistors and the connector:

I thought I had pics of the repair, but I guess not. They're on the computer at home.

The repair costs $30 in parts. $15 for the resistor, $15 for the pig-tail. I soldered and shrink-tubed the connectors, then wrapped it with eiectrical tape. I injected some polyeurethane sealant into the outside of the connector where the wires go in to keep the elements out, and injected the connector side with dielectric grease to do the same. It's working great now!

-Joe

 

[Ish man]

Wow that is messed up!!! The good thing is that it did not cost you too much. Did the Ford dealer had it in stock or did you have to wait? I would hate to tear my A/C apart then wait for the resistor. I guess I'm calling my dealer tomorrow to see what they got. Thanks for the pictures...good shot of the part numbers. I'll let you know what I find.

 

[gijoecam]

Most stealerships should have them in stock. They're a common failure item for fleets, so they're one of the few pig-tails Ford made available separately. Poor design if you ask me... they left all the connections completely exposed to the elements. That's just askin for trouble unless you live in the desert.

-Joe

 

[section8joe]

my ac kicks on and off every few seconds. Do you think this might be my problem?

 

[gijoecam]

Doubt it. Short-cycling of the compressor is usually indicative of a low freon charge. You'll need to have the system leak-tested and re-charged to fix it.

-Joe

 

[section8joe]

what part of the AC would be leaking?

 

[gijoecam]

Any part.

 

[section8joe]

how can i find out what is leaking? im sorry i don't know much about trucks.

 

[Glacier991]

Check out the useful threads on AC. In order, leak points are usually... valves for recharging HI or LOW... Accumulator, garter joints with O rings and compressor seal. DIY dye checking is about your own option... shops have "sniffers.

Great pic posts Gi !

 

[Ish man]

Okay I don't have the resistor in my truck...not at least I can see. I did find that I have one of those A/C controllers (same loacation as the resistor in other posts)...costs about 150 bucks from the Ford stealership. One of the good things is that I found an easier way to get to the controller. I went from underneath through the right wheel well. Removed 4 bolts and 4 screws...took about 5 minutes with an air ratchet and phillips screwdriver. A lot easier than removing the windshield washer and radiator resevoir. Just something I wanted to add in case anyone else was going to replace this part...and from what I can see, there will be others.

Ish

 

[toddious]

so is it true that if you have the eddie bauer or limited model explorer, then you do not have the resistors? and instead have the A/C controller? My blower does not work at all, at any setting. I took it to aamco today and they told me it was the resistor. however, i drive a "limited" and everything i'm reading says that the limiteds have the controller. and if i had resistors, and they went bad, shouldn't it still work on high? because mine does not work at all.

please help, because i'm supposed to take it back to aamco in the morning to have a new resistor put in, and don't wanna waste money. thanks, todd.

 

[97emerald]

Yes, the blower should still work on high if the resistor is bad. If you have no speeds, I would suspect a bad motor, switch, or fuse.

 

[gijoecam]

On a 96, If you have the manual temperature controls, you'll have the resistors. If the blower does not work at all on any settings, you'll want to start with the basics:

Interior fuse panel #6 (7.5A)
Power Distribution Block #6 (50A)
Aux. relay block #2, blower motor high speed relay
Aux. relay block #2, blower motor relay

It's possible that it's the resistor pack too.... that'a VERY common problem. The connector under the hood is exposed to the elements, and the terminals corrode away. (I have pictures of that in the gallery linked in my signature)

Now, if you have the electronic automatic temperature controls (which I suspect was standard on a Limited) it's a whole different ball of wax.

Power Distribution Box, Fuse #6 (50A)
Interior fuse panel: #6 (7.5A), #18 (15A), and #9 (10A) (all feed the EATC module)
Check the blower motor relay in aux relay box #2.

The EATC uses a blower motor speed controller instead of a resistor pack. I'm not sure if it's located in the same position as the resistor pack would be or not. At any rate, if you have the EATC, Aamco will NOT be replacing the resistor pack, regardless of what they said.

Also, if you have the manual controls, and the resistors are bad, the motor will work if and only if the high speed relay is good and the motor itself is still good.

-Joe

 

[toddious]

The EATC uses a blower motor speed controller instead of a resistor pack. I'm not sure if it's located in the same position as the resistor pack would be or not. At any rate, if you have the EATC, Aamco will NOT be replacing the resistor pack, regardless of what they said.

Also, if you have the manual controls, and the resistors are bad, the motor will work if and only if the high speed relay is good and the motor itself is still good.

-Joe

i do have the automatic temperature control. When i took the truck back to aamco today, they realized that the resistor pack they had ordered is similar, but not identical to the part that i need. I'm assuming it resides in the same location. If this a/c controller is bad, would the blower motor not work at all then? aamco told me that they somehow bypassed this controller, and the motor was working. So i'm assuming I should just replace this part. agree?

 

[budwich]

The blower motor can readily be "started" and run in one speed by grounding one of the leads coming from it to the "AC speed controller".... in essence, that's all that the controller does plus "adding a thing or two" for speed control / adjustment... which may or may not be solid state (I doubt it). Anyways, that's probably how they tested to see if the motor works. It is likely that your "speed control" is done and needs replacement... I don't know if it can be "bench fixed".