Help 1997 explorer AC replaced but air feels like outside air blowing.

[Bjones1309]

I have a 97 explorer XLT 4.0 SOHC, I have replaced the air compressor dryer/reciever , orifice tube filter and O-rings as well as cycling switch on the low side and It's been evacuated , flushed and vacuumed for over an hour. I still have no cold air, the compressor clutch is kicking but seems fast as far as cycling but either way, after charging , pressure is good on low side but high side pressure is about 150 but no more than that when it seems it should be 250 to 300 So my question is what else could it be? Oh and I have checked blend door and all is good but the air still blows like it's just outside air. Not hot and definatly not cold.

Any help would be greatly appreciated .

 

[masospaghetti]

How much refrigerant did you put in? How much oil did you put in? Does the accumulator feel cool/cold? Too much oil will reduce cooling capacity.

Depending on the ambient temperature 150 psi on the high side may not be that far off.

 

[Bjones1309]

I put the recommended amount of refrigerant in the system after vacuuming to 0 psi and made sure there were no leaks . Oh and I also put 7oz I think of oil in the compressor , I have a manifold gauge set as well as all the diagnostic tools etc so pretty familiar with the process it just can't figure out why it's still not blowing cold air and why the hi side only goes to 150 psi

 

[Bjones1309]

Ok so if 150 is normal at 75 to 80 degrees ( Fort Worth Texas) than why is there no cold air lol. Help me pretty please lol

 

[Bjones1309]

AC help Anyone , anyone , Bueller lol

Bump

 

[masospaghetti]

I think 7 oz of oil is too much but it should still blow cold. Have you felt the accumulator? Does it get cold? And how much was the "recommended amount"?

 

[Bjones1309]

I have not felt the condenser yet to be honest I will try that. I was thinking it might be clogged but was hoping it was a relay or something but I have checked all those that I know of lol.

 

[ranger7ltr]

I put the recommended amount of refrigerant in the system after vacuuming to 0 psi and made sure there were no leaks . Oh and I also put 7oz I think of oil in the compressor , I have a manifold gauge set as well as all the diagnostic tools etc so pretty familiar with the process it just can't figure out why it's still not blowing cold air and why the hi side only goes to 150 psi

The last time I did an A/C system on an Explorer, I vacuumed the system down to about 27-28 in. hg. indicated on the gauges... Also the high side should be 2.3x-2.7x ambient at the condensor so if the air temp is 80 F the high side should show 185-215 psi and since the compressor is quick cycling I bet the system is still low on R-134A...And 7 0z of oil is on the high side but the excess will puddle in the bottom of the accumulator and probably not affect the system although if you flushed the entire system the oil will distribute itself throughout the dry system and might be ok...

With the system running, is your low side hose getting cold and the high side hose getting hot??? If not either there is still air in the system or you are low on R-134A and need to add more...

Let us know what you find...

 

[Bjones1309]

thanks ranger, as far as the cold side hose it is getting cold and the high side is luke warm but not hot and the car is at operating temps. as far as the low side. when I checked it last it was at 45 psi and the hi side at 150 but Ill check it again to get the actual pressures, thanks for all your help btw

 

[Bjones1309]

low side pressure at 45 psi and goes to 25 when clutch kicks on
Hi side goes to 100 and down to 50 when cycling.

the clutch kicks on every 8 to 10 seconds and goes off within couple seconds.

hi side hose not hot at all , luke warm at most

 

[ranger7ltr]

Don't really worry about the low side...

As it will change with the amount of cycling and the internal temp of the air...The high side is more important as it tells you how much heat the cold refrigerant is removing from the air flowing over the evaporator...Also check the condensor for external blockage and debris as well as the fan clutch...

And what did the orifice tube look like? Please tell me it did not have what looked like tar or burned oil on it...If it did stop and replace the condensor as it has experienced black death and no amount of flushing with solvent will remove it...

If you have any question about black death here are a couple of pics to see what it looks like...

 

[Bjones1309]

actually ranger I got lucky, it was somewhat clean to be honest. Even thought it was serviced recently since the orifice tube looked pretty clean considering what I read and what you just showed me so no luckily nothing like that. the compressor needed to be changed and didn't have any oil in it when I took it out so assumed that was the problem.

 

[masospaghetti]

low side pressure at 45 psi and goes to 25 when clutch kicks on
Hi side goes to 100 and down to 50 when cycling.

the clutch kicks on every 8 to 10 seconds and goes off within couple seconds.

hi side hose not hot at all , luke warm at most

...

I have not felt the condenser yet to be honest I will try that. I was thinking it might be clogged but was hoping it was a relay or something but I have checked all those that I know of lol

Sounds like you didn't add enough refrigerant if the high side is between 50-100 psi.

Also, as ranger said -- did you really vacuum it to "0 psi" (which would normally indicate ambient, meaning the system is full of air) or to 28 mmhg?

If the accumulator is getting cold than the system is probably OK. That's why its important to know how much refrigerant you really put in.