When I bought my truck (see sig) almost 2 years ago, I knew the A/C wasn't working. Engine blew after 300 miles and it took me over a year to rebuild it. Now I'm back to the stuff I expected to fix. Totally new to A/C stuff and not very good at reading schematics. There is only 1 guy within 100 miles that I would trust to work on this and he doesn't really want to do it other than evac/charge. So, I'm trying to learn.

The stem with the high side port had worn a hole in the tube going from the condenser to the evaporator. I replaced that tube and had my friend test it for leaks and charge it. He found that the low port valve leaked and suggested I replace the whole accumulator since the system had been open for so long. So, new accumulator also. He tried to charge it but the compressor would not kick on and passed it back to me.

It looks to me as though the cycling switch is never closing. It has battery voltage coming in, but never coming out. Low side pressure is about 35. I went to NAPA and got another switch. Same result. It looked like cheap Chinese junk, so I ordered a Motorcraft switch. Still same result. If I jumper the cycling switch connector, the compressor does come on. I'm stuck. Any suggestions?

Edit: Never mind. I understand how it works now. Kicks on at 42-43 psi and off < 23. I misread the docs. So, since I don't know how much it has in it, can I just keep adding little by little until the compressor stays on for more than 2 seconds. As soon as the compressor comes on, the low side drops < 23 and so (I assume) the cycle switch kicks off. Or do I get my friend to evac/recharge to the specific amount?

 

If you don't have any gauges nor the knowledge about air conditioning then please get someone that has those things. I can't tell you how much I have made over the years by people that buy those refill kits and muck things up. If your system has been open for over a year then you need to replace the accumulator and orfice. Then you need to put a vacuum pump on the system for a few hours to get the moisture out. You probably need to add a couple of oz of oil to the system also. It's not complicated but you need to have some proper equipment to do the job properly and safely. JMO

 

I've already replaced the accumulator and my mechanic did the vacuum after that. I can get the equipment, but the knowledge is harder to come by. Most of what I've found online is too sketchy. My friend is generally booked 2 weeks in advance which means I'm not the only one who trusts him. But if it's not complicated, I'll try searching again and see what I can find online. Hopefully I can do it in less than the 2 weeks wait.
Thanks!

 

Did you change the orifice when the accumulator was replaced? If not it needs to be replaced before recharging the system. If your going to teach yourself to work on the A/C buy a good quality 4 valve, 4 hose gauge set, NOT HARBOR FREIGHT. If your going to charge from an empty system you also need a good vacuum pump.

 

4 hose? I don't see any sets that have 4 hoses. They all look pretty much the same to me and none have any brand I recognize. I'm very suspicious of the "Best 10" lists. "Bang4Buck" really doesn't sound like a quality brand to me and most of the descriptions sound like they're translated into English and I bet I can guess the source language. Is there a recognized quality brand?
No, didn't replace the orifice. Bummer. Shop manual calls for a special tool to remove it. Do I need it?
I think I understand the vacuum and charging, but it looks like I need to add some oil. It isn't clear when, where, and how I do that. I'll keep looking but if there's a short answer, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!

 

What is nice to have a 4 valve 4 hose gauge set one hose connects to the low side, one to high side, one to vacuum pump or recovery pump, and one connected to refrigerant cylinder or what ever your using for refrigerant. Using a setup like that you pull a vacuum on all lines and system at the same time less of a chance contaminating the system with air or moisture. Do you really need a 4 valve gauge set probably not. If it is going be a one time use you don't need to spend $150 - $200 for a gauge set.
Here is a selection of 4 valve 4 hose gauge set

This is what I have.
https://www.zoro.com/imperial-mechan...d&gclsrc=3p.ds
For the orifice I have just used needle nose pliers to remove it unless it breaks then you need a tool to get it out. Take your time pulling it and it will come out in one piece. Coat the o-rings with refrigerant oil when installing the new orifice.
The reason I said not to buy a Harbor Freight gauge set is they use a hard plastic for the hose end seals and they leak unless you tighten them with pliers.

 

Yeah, that looks good. I don't know why one of those didn't come up in my searches. Anyway, I don't expect it to be one use. With average life span, I may have a little over a decade left, and I'm getting into auto restoration as a very fun hobby, so I should get a few uses out of it.
Thanks again!

 

First off, I want to thank y'all again for insisting I needed to replace the orifice. I've never seen one before, but the replacement has an arrow on the white end which I understand to mean that end should go in first. But when I shined my light, I saw a white tab. None of my 3 needle nose pliers would reach it and I finally fished it out with a wire bent into a hook on one end. The red end is bent where the pipe curves. Argh! Quite a bit of metal shavings on it.

I'm out of time for today but am making progress. My gauge manifold and vacuum pump arrived while I was working on it.

 

Good your making progress. Probably could of used this to remove orifice. I'm going to order one.