its on a 1995 2.3 5spd ranger ------i dont know when it stopped working.I dont use ac much but i am in the process of fixing alot of stuff that i have quite honestly neglected and overlooked on my ranger.
The compressor will not come on.It does not get juice to it.It will however work if you wire it direct.
what i have done-
I dunno the exact location of the ac fuse or relay but i have checked the fuses in the cab and in the "control box" under the hood on drivers side.A 15amp fuse was blown i replaced it and it made no difference.All others appeared good.I also noticed the relays all had the same numbers on them so i assumed it was safe to switch them around and that still made no difference.--for kicks i placed them back in the original locations.---------at this point i dont know what to check or do.
Any help is appreciated.

edit---also i noticed two wires with one connection plug that was unplugged.I have no clue what it is for,it runs directly under the wiper motor on the firewall towards the master cyl area.I dont see where it is suppose to go.Any ideas?

 

is the system fully charged with coolant? it might not run if it's empty. Just a way to prevent damage from lack of lubrication.

 

i have no idea.I figured i would cross that bridge next.---i do understand what you are saying though...i just always thought it would cycle on and off if that was the case.---if its not charged eneough will it not even make an attempt to come on?

If that is the case and i check it and its fully charged then my next question is...where is the sensor/? that evidently is sending the wrong signal located?

 

There is an AC relay on the underside of the fuse box in the engine compartment. You could try giving the box a rap and see what that does. Another option is to swap another relay for the AC relay and see what that does. Your problem many be due to a failed ac relay. Give is a try.

 

yep michigan that is what i was thinking but it never occured to me there was another relay UNDER the rest of them.--Thats odd....I will look for it tomorrow and post back.-thanks

 

As mentioned you are probably low on charge. The pressure switch will prevent the compressor from cycling if low on charge to prevent compressor from being trashed. That switch should be on one (or both) of refrigerant lines. I believe there is one near firewall where you connect to the low side for charging.

 

If the refrigerant level is too low, the Low Pressure Cut Out - LPCO - switch will disable the compressor clutch to prevent two things: 1)freeze up of the evaporator and 2)insufficient lubrication of the compressor. You can jumper the switch, most are mounted on the accumulator or the suction line leading to the compressor from the evaporator, and see if the compressor engages. Do NOT leave the jumper in place or you will cost yourself a pile of money. If it engages, you need to determine if the switch is bad or the refrigerant level is too low for safe operation.
If it doesn't engage, try thwacking the clutch with the engine running and A/C demand present to see if the clutch gap may be too wide. Be careful, as I did not tell you to do this...
tom

 

ok. I am gonna go get some things to check/fill my ac.As far as i know i can buy the refridgerant without a lic.-----------I am almost clueless when it comes to ac stuff....well i am not to swift anyway.I would just take it in but i have always wanted to have a better understanding of the ac system anyway.I generally always do everything myself so i guess its time to learn.---If anyone wants to give a few steps on how to check the ac pressure/amount and how to refill i would appreciate it.

MICHIGAN---i never did find another relay under the fuse box.There doesnt seem to be anything there just a cover over the wires going in to the fuse box.----I have only found the 3 that are inside the fuse box and none of them changed anything.

 

take it in newbie, if you think you can learn AC work over the internet, think again. ;-)

They can check for a vacuum, see if you have any leaks, put some dye in to find the leak, and get your system at least running for the season.

I had a compessor that blew out a couple of o-rings, but the system would hold Refrigerant for one season then I would have to refill again. Well, I got the guy to put some dye in the next time I filled up and bam problem solved with a little light and the right glasses, Compressor, $350 delivered, (it's a mercedes) and I put it in myself and refilled, that was two years ago.

 

I would bet it low or out of refrigerant (r-134a). Now some folks are going to have fit for what I am going to say next. Wal-mart does sell a refill kit that comes with a line and a gauge you can put on the low side connection. They do work. They just don't give you enough information to trouble shoot the problem with the system. Put the hose / gauge on and see what it says (would bet low- 0 pressure) if zero it would be best to find and fix the leak before adding more r-134a. If low add r-134a until gauge read in the normal range.
Now before people go bashing me I will make the statement Poor people have poor ways and the Ac shops around here have a tendency to rape people when it comes to Ac work. I would highly recommend that the OP take this to a good shop and get it fixed. Some circumstances dictate that that will not happen. Be carefull and follow the direction that come with the kit. Wear non-penetrating gloves and safety glasses.
I have a complete Ac rig recycler gauges and vacuum and the only reason I have this equipment is I will not give a shop $1000-$1500 dollars to replace a $200-$500 dollar compressor / acumulator package. It is not rocket science read and learn.

 

WTROGER----There is no reason for anyone to bash you.I came here looking for info period.I want to know what everyone and anyone has to say.----funny thing is i just bought that kit youre talkiing about and i bought it before reading this.I dont really take anything to the shop...but my ac knowledge is limited.Ive seen it put in a few times but thats it.i replaced an orifice/? once.I live in texas and i havent made an effort to fix the ac in the past ?? years...ifi cant get it i will keep living without it.Its about to start cooling down anyway.

 

There are several things that can be causing your problem. Low refrigerant pressure, the AC control switch, the clutch relay.

Its pretty easy to diagnose. Find the low pressure switch and make a jumper for it out of a paper clip. Turn on the AC and insert the jumper into the plug. If your compressor starts, you either have a bad switch or you are low on refrigerant. Either way you should take it to a pro to be repaired. DO NOT leave the jumper in. If you do, well you will have more damage.

If jumping the switch does not work, find the AC clutch relay. I am not sure about your model, but Ford began using a resistor across the coil on the relay. These go bad due to heat and age and will not let the relay pull in. You can ID the relay by looking in your owners manual. If you suspect it is bad, pull one from a non essential circuit that has the same rating and plug it in to try it. If it works, they are a readily available part for about $5.

 

well......i tried charging it.I could tell the coolant was low.I checked twice both times it was low.So i hook the can up tried charging for probably 30 seconds and then check it again and it was way over in the red.Checked it again..in the red.I stopped right there.----keep in mind the compressor is not turning.I thought i followed directions but maybe i missed a step i dunno.----what is the normal procedure of charging a system when the compressor is not turning? I thought about making the compressor stay on by running direct but I dont know if i want to risk it by forcing the compressor to stay on.Not sure how low it can be and still do no damage-------------------any more suggestions...besides taking it in..i know thats an option but im not quite there yet...getting close though.

 

If the suction pressure was in the red on the 'meter' you are using, then you likely have refrigerant in the system. It will develop higher pressures as it tries to evaporate/expand inside the system. If the compressor does not engage, you are measuring the vapor pressure of the refrigerant. The compressor pulls the gas out of the evaporator, thus lowering the pressure, and compresses it. It goes through the condenser, gives up some heat, and then is a liquid which is metered into the evaporator to, guess what? , evaporate. When you put a wet washcloth on your head, and have a breeze blow on it, it will cool, due to evaporation, or turning from liquid to gas, which takes energy{heat}.
Yours is sitting still, with no action. You cannot, well, should not, add any more refrigerant until you find out why the compressor is not engaging.
The LPCO jumper would be a good start.
tom

 

Compressor has to be turning to charge. To a certain extent it has to suck the refrigerant out of the can.