A/C Full Charge - Comp Cycling Every 3sec - No Cold

[brihan]

Hi,

'98 Explorer.

Has been no cold air for quite some time. Compressor clutch cycles every 3 - 5 seconds.

Due to budget I bought a can or r134 with pressure gauge on it and thought I'd give it a squirt. When I connected the can the pressure on the gauge (color coded for Green (low pressure), Blue (optimal pressure), Yellow (High/over charged), Red (Hit the deck, she's gunna explode)) was already up at the start of the Red.

Obviously I didn't ad any and my therory that there was a leak and I had now charge was blown.

Receiver/Dryer does not look rusty on the outside.

Oh ya, my question. Will a diagnostic computer tell me if it is an A/C switch problem before I go into replacing other parts?

Thank you,

Brian

 

[Glacier991]

First off... those little "on the can" gauges are all but worthless, or worse, misleading. Did you connect it with the engine running and the system running? The gauges make it appear like checking tire pressure - t'aint the same, at all.

Cycling compressor means you are pulling low side down below the cutout pressure. No cold suggests you are not getting refrigerant over the evaporator coils. I suspect you may have a plugged orifice tube.