engines ticks in idle with ac on

[Jmulv]

well my 97 exploerer xlt is making this ticking sound while the car is in idle when the ac is on. it sounds fine other than the fact that it ticks ever 7 seconds or so. i was wondering if this is a big problem or if i shouldn't worry about it. the ac has always sucked in this thing and its already been repaired once. I don't know exactly what they did with it though since my mom owned it when it was repaired. also a ton of water drips onto the ground when the ac is on and it seems normal but i was just wondering because i honestly have no idea. thanks

 

[jgilbs]

sounds like the A/C compressor kicking on and off - if its interval is pretty short, then you might be low on freon. try adding some R-134a with "leak-stop" and see if that helps.

EDIT - water dripping on the ground is normal. that is the system removing the mositurre from the air in the cabin and disposing of it.

 

[gensic11]

i had the exact same problem with the exact same truck.. 97 XLT, go to autozone and pick up an AC recharging can... the cans alone are 5$ or so but the can with a hose/pressure guage attached to it is like 20$.. you hook one end of the hose up to the truck and the other to the can and just fill'er up.. the low pressure is what's causing your compressor to kick on and off.. once you fill'er up then you will be good to go... anymore questions e-mail me at gensic11@hotmail.com or chat on AIM at "hardba1l"..

josh

 

[Glacier991]

Good advice and good call jgilbs! Dead bang ON.

 

[jgilbs]

thanks glacier - i learned from the best - by reading all of your posts :smoke:

 

[Jmulv]

thanks guys i will try those suggestions and will report back if it worked or not.

 

[Jmulv]

Ok i got the can of r-134a and the hose but i ran into a small problem. i cant find the port to fill it up. This is the exact first instruction it says on the back of the can.

1. locate the vehicle air conditioner's low-side service port and remove protective cap. the low-side service port is located between the evaporator and the compressor and its the only port that this gauge will fit. the evaporator is located either under under the dash or in the engine compartment close to the firewall.

Now here lies the problem. I cant find this low-side service port.I found this hose that said evap on it rite next to the radiator cap but the hose will not fit on the port that i guessed was the service port. I didnt push down on it to hard because i didnt want to brake it and didnt know if it was the right one. I just need to figure out where the hell this thing is and im good to go.

 

[Cali' Explorer]

Ok, the Low Pressure port is located near the Evaporator. It is near the firewall on the Passenger side, it has a cap on it and looks like a Tire Pump Valve. You have to put some pressure on it to get it to seal and fit, but not a lot. Its a piece of cake. Just make sure you have the car running and the A/C on full blast when you start fillling.

Good luck.

 

[glfredrick]

Cali' is correct... The valve is a schrader-type valve - just like those you use to fill your tires, only larger.

When you screw on the freon hose, take care - freon FREEZES when it expands (as in when it leaks out of a fitting rapidly) and can cause some skin freezing if you are not careful. Just find the fitting, and when you screw on the hose, commit to doing it. Don't over tighten the fitting, most of those lines are aluminum - finger tight is good - but make them snug.

Just so you know - you will still hear the "clicking" after adding the freon, just not as often. You may also feel a bit of surging when the air compressor kicks in. That is normal - as it robs the engine of some horsepower when it cycles on and off. The click is when the magnet starts and engages the air conditioning pump pulley - when it is not on, it just free wheels. Once air is called for, the magnet engages, and then the pump itself starts to pull, and compress the freon in the system. The click is the magnet engaging.

BTW, air conditioning works by expansion of the freon gas. When freon expands it becomes cool. The compressor compresses the freon into a liquid at hgh pressure (the high line - which is smaller in diameter and goes from the pump through the dryer (a small canister) and then into the evaporator coil (in your heater box) where it expands, and cools. After the expansion, it is returned to the pump, through the condensor coil (that radiator thing located in the grill area of your truck) where it is compressed into a liquid again, to repeat the cycle. That, simply, is how air conditioning works.