A/C not working after radiator swap

So I just finished putting in a new radiator in after my clutch fan in my 2000 5.0 poked a hole in the fin area. I had a metal one from a '96. Anyways since I replaced it now the A/C clutch doesn't kick in now. The fan inside blows It's fully charged although the gauge didn't show it, checked fuses,etc. Fuses are good but when the test light is used on the plugs for the clutch and condenser behind the radiator on the driver's side it doesn't light up. So I know this has to be an electrical issue most likely. Any insight on this? I'm curious on what the cause could be for future reference.

Hows the connector to the AC clutch? Did it get knocked slightly to the side while you were working?

The reason i ask is because on my 4.0 ohv my air quit recently, and after inspecting I found a piece of my belt had come off, and while tearing off, it must have hit the ac clutch connector a 'few' times and knocked it to the side. I reseated the connector and the ac clutch started doing its thing right away.

I still need to replace that belt though.

Im just getting to know my 5.0 under the hood, but Im guessing that ac connector will be up front also. Pretty much has to be.

I know I didn't touch it replacing the radiator BUT I did replace the camshaft synchronizer right before I poked the hole in the radiator. That was the reason I had the fan and shroud off because it gave me room to turn the engine TDC before settin the new one in. Are you talkin about the connector on the clutch itself or the plugin that goes to it?

Check the wiring harness plug that plugs in to the connector on the clutch. If the clutch isn't turning on (locking), that could easily be it.
Its a shot in the dark, but its an easy thing to check.

Are you sure that the freon pressure is high enough? Check the connector at the low pressure sensor/switch also, and check for current to it and the clutch.

I used my SCT device. Got this code.....
P1460 Wide Open Throttle Air Conditioning Cutoff circuit malfunction

ouch.
Im not finding much on that when I google it.

P1460 Description
Monitors the wide open throttle A/C cutoff (WAC) circuit output from the PCM

So, the ac is supposed to turn off when at full throttle. Wiring diagram to find the WAC circuit possibly? No idea.

might have to jump start it to get it working again, no i'm not talking about battery

JusTheUsual said:

might have to jump start it to get it working again, no i'm not talking about battery

Click to expand...

lol I assumed the compressor. What method would I have to go about? If it's electrical I'll need a good detailed explanation on what to do since I'm by no means an electric expert.

That might be an easy fix, the WOT relay. Find the relay in the PDB that should be labeled in some way, and swap it with another relay like it.

All cars have a WOT relay for the AC. Some have one also to power the AC clutch, which would still feed through the WOT relay. I think there are two relays for the AC, the WOT relay is always easy to find though.

I swapped 3 relays in relay 2 which is the AC relay with no effect. Still gettin the same codes. P1309 and P1460. The volt meter and test light are showing no power from the. Canister nor compressor plugs. This is frustrating considering it happened suddenly. I also tonight swung by the O'Reily's that my friend works at. Him and a co-worker lead a hot lead wire directly from the low side plug in to the battery to see if it would jump start the compressor clutch. Still didn't work. So he's guess it's either the in dash switch or wiring somewhere in between.

That sounds like you show no power to the low pressure switch(sensor), and that's from the AC head unit(or the relay which it triggers).

I'd find the wiring schematic for the dash AC wiring. From the dash to the low pressure switch it doesn't seem to get power.

Jumping power straight to the AC clutch should engage it. If that didn't happen, then the clutch should need servicing(which can be as simple as too much clearance(wear) between the plates).

Might try reaseating the 2 large PCM connectors on the firewall. The PCM main harness connection near the hvac box, and, the square one above the upper intake, against the firewall. Un plug them, look for bent pins, or, pins shoved back into the plug housing too far, then blow some air over them and screw them back together.

With ac switched to Max ac, and engine running, un plug the sensor on the ac accumulator bottle. Now, stick a paper clip ( or other metal device) into the wire harness plug to jump across the switch circuit. the compressor should click on when the circuit is jumped.

Still not any real luck. We managed to jump start the clutch by leading a wire from the plug to the positive terminal. It was low on freon but after filling it up still wouldn't turn on. We tried the paper clip technique and even went to the pull yard and got 2 different AC switches. I'd have to say I'm pretty stumped at this point.

Also as I'm researching back into the WOT AC cutout switch. Anyone know where that's located at on our truck? Is there a relay for it somewhere? I'm still thinking that's the main culprit considering I got a code for it at one point.

TekMan, your way over my head. I don't know anything about air conditioning at all. Not even the circuitry. Im sure someone here will help.

$75 later it's finally fixed. I just took it to a small mechanic shop by my GF's place. Essentially there were 2 areas of broken wires. I was kinda confused by what all was wrong but that was the main part. One of the wires to the switch was worn and stretched he's guessing from the stress of taking the engine out last year. But they added new wiring and soldered it in and kept it looking neat and OEM. I'm pretty happy now especially since this will be the hottest week of the summer.

Probably the best $75.00 you have ever spent.
Very reasonable.