98 Ranger Compressor On & Off

[benjaville86]

Hi all,
First time posting. Appreciate any help you may be able to give.
I recently replaced the compressor, drier, and orifice tube.
Wanted to do it the right way so I had a friend who does AC help me evacuate, pull vacuum and charge up.
When idle the system seems fine. When driving the compressor kicks on and off about every 30 sec.
Don’t know that much about auto AC but I assume that is not good for the life of the compressor.
Pressures read: L33 – H227 when idle.
Any ideas??

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! It sounds like it needs more freon.

 

[benjaville86]

Update:
Now the ac only blows about half as cold as before and compressor cycles on and off every 5 sec.
I have thoroughly checked for leaks cannot find any.
Pressure on low end drops down to about 25 when compressor is on then when off it builds back up to about 45 and so the cycle goes. If I take it somewhere they will charge me $50 just to look at it. So I am very bagful for any help you may be able to offer.

 

[BrooklynBay]

It's low on freon as previously suggested.

 

[benjaville86]

Thank you!
I added one can of Freon and now the compressor stays on when the truck is idle and the AC blows nice and cold. However, when driving I still hear the compressor coming on and off about every 30 sec.
Gauges read: L-25, H-210
Do I need to add more?
Thank you again for all your help. Nice to talk to an expert.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Temporarily jump the low pressure cycling switch with a wire then add more freon. Remove the jumper wire, and plug the switch back in. Check the pressure after you add more freon. Was compressor oil added?

 

[benjaville86]

Thank you. I'll work on this after work tomorrow.
If the compressor stays on while idle do I still need to jump the low pressure switch?

Also, the new compressor came pre filed with oil and for my size truck I didn't need to add any. Do you suspect that might be a part of the issue?

Thank you again for your help and advice

 

[BrooklynBay]

If it came filled with oil then it should have the correct amount of oil. You don't have to bypass the cutoff switch if the compressor is continuously on.

 

[benjaville86]

Now I am more confused now than ever... when I hooked up the gauges Before adding more freon they read: L-24 H-150
Then with the compressor continuously running I added another 12 Oz can.
Now gauges read: L-25 H-175
I have looked over every connection with UV light and can't find any visible leaks. .
Times like this really remind me that I am not an AC guy.... I hate to take up your time but appreciate your help SO much.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the A/C lines for kinked hoses.

 

[benjaville86]

None that I can see. Could it be a clog in the line or orifice tube ?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you flush the lines prior to installing a new compressor? Did you find black death in the lines?

 

[benjaville86]

I replaced the drier and the orifice tube but did not flush the lines as a friend told me I didn't need to...
Not sure what Black Death is. But I didn't see anything but some gunk around the old orifice tube when I replaced. What would be your recommended "next step"?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Remove the orifice tube, and check to see if it's clogged with black fragments from O rings, gaskets or hose. I've never tried the variable orifice tubes which they claim are more efficient. Each one is color coded. Compare the color of the new one to the one which was removed.

 

[benjaville86]

Decided to wait until system stopped cooling before taking the next step.
Just checking before I evacuate the system again.
Stopped cooling about 2 days ago. Compressor kicks on and off every 3-4 sec
Pressures: H 115 L 30
Should I proceed with checking the orifice tube?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Yes. Maybe it's clogged.

 

[benjaville86]

OK so I May be at the end of my rope here but... I flushed the system which had some gunk and lots of gell like refrigerent came out. replaced the orifice tube which had a little gunk in it too. Put it all back together and put a vacuum on it for a little over an hour. When I turned off the vacuum pump it took about 4 min but the negative pressure rose to 0. Then I assumed I had a leak. Put one 12oz can of refrigerant w/ UV dye and still cannot find a leak... at this point I honestly have no idea...
Anything else I can try? I have looked the condenser and don't see any dye, only place I can't see is the evaporator...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Try a can of stop leak.