Four years old and the A/C doesn't work?

[TowingExplorer]

Purchased my 2006 back in June of 2009. The A/C was great. Went in to the winter and it had occasional use with the A/C but not often.

Now that we had a warm spell, I found out that the A/C was no longer working.

On a rather long drive (150 miles each way or so) last weekend, I think it might have kicked on once for a short time, but it could have just been the night air in a valley as by the time I got out to look at the compressor to see if it had engaged, it was not engaged.

The only engine related changes I made over the winter was replacing the battery. Could that have reset something which disabled by A/C?

I'll check the fuses today.

 

[Brokeback Mtneer]

I've been having the same problem with my '06 Mountaineer for the past two years. I'll take it to the dealership and they say they can't find a leak, so they charge it up and it works for a couple of months(funny...if they need to charge it, doesn't that mean there's a leak?). I had a long road trip last year and had to bring some freon with in case it went out. Now that it's starting to warm up, I'm going to have to bring it back to the shop again. Very frustrating.

 

[TowingExplorer]

I forgot to update this thread.

The one fuse I found was good. I then jumpered the pressure switch and the compressor kicked on... this told me that the pressure was likely just low / at zero.

Since I was pretty confident it was not a mechanical issue, I brought the X to my local A/C place instead of the dealer. They pressure'd it up and let it sit for a couple hours not finding the leak. They communicated this to me and suggested I just charge it up and put some dye in it so that if/when it does leak next, they should be able to find it. Cost for the charge with dye and diagnosis - $100.

They were pretty amazed it didn't leak in their two hour test considering it worked fine last fall for me.

I've been having the same problem with my '06 Mountaineer for the past two years. I'll take it to the dealership and they say they can't find a leak, so they charge it up and it works for a couple of months(funny...if they need to charge it, doesn't that mean there's a leak?). I had a long road trip last year and had to bring some freon with in case it went out. Now that it's starting to warm up, I'm going to have to bring it back to the shop again. Very frustrating.

I hope you're not still bringing it to the dealer for this work. Obviously they don't know how to find it.

 

[Brokeback Mtneer]

I think I'm going to take it to an independent shop like you did. I got screwed on my extended warranty anyway. Thanks for the info.

 

[YBCold]

leaks do happen. do you know if there is any refridgerant in the lines?

 

[TowingExplorer]

I think I'm going to take it to an independent shop like you did. I got screwed on my extended warranty anyway. Thanks for the info.

My independent shop put dye in like I said and even put a sticker on it. If it ends up being the compressor, it'll go back to the dealer as I also have an ESP (purchased after the original 3yr/36k warranty was over) which would cover it.

IMO, if it's not an ESP item as a recharge is not, then they shouldn't complain about where I get the work done.

 

[Brokeback Mtneer]

I think it's empty again, so the low pressure switch won't turn the compressor on.

 

[TowingExplorer]

I think it's empty again, so the low pressure switch won't turn the compressor on.

Did you try jumper'ing the switch? If the compressor kicks on, then you are probably correct that it is at least low, if not completely empty.

Again, bring it to an HVAC professional and ask them to add dye to the system when charging it if they can not find it during their inspection.

 

[Brokeback Mtneer]

Finally got it fixed last week. They had put dye in it, and the leak was coming from the lines running to the rear AC. They replaced the lines, and everything is working so far. Keeping the fingers crossed, though. I have a long roadtrip up to Canada next month, so if there are any problems, I hope they show up before then.

 

[TowingExplorer]

Finally got it fixed last week. They had put dye in it, and the leak was coming from the lines running to the rear AC. They replaced the lines, and everything is working so far. Keeping the fingers crossed, though. I have a long roadtrip up to Canada next month, so if there are any problems, I hope they show up before then.

At least that is a start to the solution! Was the line actually broken or was it just an O-Ring at one end or the other? Hopefully you are all set from here.

My A/C is still working great so far. But at least I'll be prepared with the dye if/when it does drop again.

 

[Tan03]

Brokeback Mtneer - I belive I have the same problem with my 03's rear unit. The dealership I purchased it from said the rear lines were leaking and it would cost 1k to repair them. So instead of fixing it, they crimped the lines and charged the system.

If you dont mind, how much did it cost to replace the lines? I want to fix it but dont want to take a ride with the price. Thanks!

 

[TowingExplorer]

A/C is still going strong. I had my doubts a couple days ago when it hit 100 degrees, but after a few minutes it was noticeably working. At least the dye will be in there if/when it ever decides to purge again.