Need help figuring out this problem

[oldendays33]

Hello Everyone,

I am a new member and this is my first post. I have happily owned my '98 Expl XL for about 10 years now. Since the beggining I have had this issue with the AC. Here in southern CA we have these "Santa Ana" wind conditions that can occur any time of the year and when they do it gets very dry and hot even in December.

The problem seems to happen only when I have been running my AC on Max during very hot conditions (85 F.and up) for 30 minutes or more. What happens is that after running it I will stop somewhere for a few minutes and when I start the engine it doesnt turn over and start right away, it kind of struggles. Then when I get it going I it wont idle on its own with out stalling-I have to gun it to keep it going.

Once I get going for a little while it seems ok, and if I turn it off and let the engine cool for awhile (more than 30 min) it seems ok.

I know it is related to the AC and the extreme heat. But I run my AC most of the year because it never gets very cold here and this problem only happens in extreme heat.

If anybody know what the issue may be please post , I will appreciate any ideas...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Did you clean the IAC solenoid or the battery terminals? How old is the battery? Did you check the charging system?

 

[oldendays33]

Thanks for the suggestion,

I have replaced the battery twice in ten years and have never had any charging issues. The problem has only occurred during extremely hot weather.

I am pretty sure it is somehow related to an overheating situation. However, my temp guage does not show any different when I experience the power loss.I wonder if somehow there is more friction, ie heat, being generated by the AC compressor pulley in the extremely hot conditions which causes this problem...

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check the resistance range of the ECT sensor when the problem occurs.

 

[oldendays33]

Thanks for the suggestion Brooklyn Bay. I have replaced both the coolant sensor and sender. Now my temp gauge does not move, my check engine light is on and my AC is not blowing cold air. Any ideas from anyone.

Thanks in advance....

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you check the coolant level?

 

[oldendays33]

I did lose some coolant in the process. I did check and I could see the top fins so I put some water in. Would the coolant be responsible for the symtoms described?

 

[BrooklynBay]

It's possible. Make sure that the radiator & reserve tank are full.