A/C Problem..Advice? Suggestions?

[I8ACHEVY]

Hey All,

The past 2 summers I have had A/C issues with my '99 Sport. Summer of 2003, A/C was blowing warm, and Ford Tech under warranty just added refrigerant and said that was probably the issue. May of 2004, A/C was blowing warm again..went back to different dealer (I had moved
) and now they found leak issue...they replaced the O rings. That fall of 2004, there was one occasion where I ran the A/C and it was not blowing as cold again..but I second guessed an issue because the weather was getting cooler too. In the meantime, Ford Warranty on the truck expires in December 2004. The A/C is blowing warm again..I take the truck back to dealer yesterday to follow up. I am thinking that they never really found the REAL problem the first 2 times they serviced it and now that it's not under warranty of course, the dude just calls me back and says it's a $946 problem involving the compressor and the accumulator. Had a big arguement with him and his service manager and told them to not do the work. They said there was nothing they could do because it was not under warranty anymore, and now this is a different problem than what they found last May. I feel that they never solved the issue to begin with. Also, of course they have to get paid for their trouble of now finding the problem, so that's another $89 to get my truck back now.

Any suggestions from anyone?
Also, I do alot of the mechanical work myself, but I'm not that experienced with the HVAC stuff...How difficult is it to do this kind of job yourself?

Thanks,
Aris

 

[zhanx]

aris.. being a/c mechanic i think its easy.. but you wont have all the tools.. at the min you need a vaccum pump and a set of gauges with r-134a adapters. you can buy the stuff in a can at most automotive places (*edit*the 134a not the hoses and gauges).

Easy way to trouble shoot it..

compressor - does the clutch engage, if so your low (now sure if the xplorer has a front TEV).
if not it could a combination of electrical or refregerant. I.e low charge or a wiring problem.

got a multimeter and a wiring diagram? if so you can check the wiring low pressure cutout for continutity if it exists then you have a good charge - *might* need a new compressor (never know could be a different problem).

accumulator - is there an oily dirt built up around the fitting or a hole in it?

this is a start, how much more you wnat i got tons (on deployment in Iraq i work on hwmmv's every day all long so i got a bit of experince)

 

[rd090983]

If you go to Auto Zone or Checker you can pick up a Haynes Automotive Heating and Air Conditioning manual for like, 15 bucks. I have one and it was well worth the Investment, it will explain every part in your explorers AC system in great detail with cool pics, and how to trouble shoot it. Good book to have in your garage for oddball stuff like AC systems...Good luck to you!

 

[Glacier991]

The thread in the Useful Threads section on converting to 134a has an extensive writeup and links to a lot of good info. Suggested reading even though you are not converting.

 

[I8ACHEVY]

Thanks for the response guys. What exactly is involved in evacuating the system? I take it that I can't just start ripping parts out and swapping them out? The clutch on the compressor engages and disengages every few seconds. I have not had a chance to look at the accumulator yet..the truck is still at the dealer. I'm waiting for my ride to go get it back. I am looking at buying a manual for the 'ol Explorer. Didn't need it because of the warranty I had on it all these years, but it looks like the time has come. What brand manual do you all recommend? The Haynes or the Chilton?

Thanks again,
The info on this board is priceless!
Aris

 

[Glacier991]

Evacuating the system should not be confused with vacuuming the system, like one might be vacuuming a carpet. The purpose of evacuation is to remove all air (and hence all moisture as well) from the system, not clean it out. Cleaning a system is accomplished by flushing it.

If a system still has a charge of refrigerant and oil, the proper method is to hook up a recovery device, and suck out all the refrigerant and separate any oil off the refrigerant and capture it separately. Ideally no refrigerant is lost in this process.... this become important on older R-12 systems pre 95 - r-12 is now $40 a lb! and can be resused if properly recovered. Anyway, now you have a system empty of refrigerant....

This is the point at which you would perform any work on the system. Once that is done, the system is closed, and then pulled into a state of extremely low vacuum and held there for 40 to 45 minutes... at this vacuum any moisture becomes vapor and is removed by the constant vacuum process. The system, still under a closed vacuum, then has refrigerant and oil added as appropriate to reach a full charge.

This is a slight oversimplification, but it's more or less the procedure.

NOW, your problem sounds like it may just be a low charge. Adding refrigerant may be all you need to do. One of my frustrations in trying to assist diagnosis is that the key things I need to know are pressures, and those can only be accurately gotten using a gauge set - which cost about $50. There are some great auto AC boards on the net, and most of them ask that you be able to provide both high and low side pressures, vent temperatures and outside air temps. The gauge set is a worthy investment for anyone doing their own AC.

 

[BigBlueBiotch]

Sounds familiar

I actually had an almost identical problem last spring. With Glacier991's help and some tools I borrowed from a friend, I was pretty much able to do everything myself.

Read about it here. . I hope you will find something helpful.

 

[I8ACHEVY]

Thanks again for all the input. I got the truck back last night, and as part of the diagnosis procedure, they recharged the system. I'm curious to see how long it's gonna last. I know it will get worse, but maybe all it will need is a can of R134 every summer! hahah
My girlfriend's old intrepid that we got rid of...I spent a few bucks the past 2 summers and just recharged the system and she was good to go. That thing was definitely not worth the money fixin'!