Need help - I'm trying to add refrigerant to the AC system of my 1998 ford club wagon - the compressor won't run and I think it is because the charge is low - I was going to jump across the compressor relay slots to get the compressor to run but can't find the compressor relay in the fuse box under the hood - I have the owners manual and it shows a lay out of the fuses and some relays but none are designated compressor relay - the owners manual lists 7 relays being used but not one listed for the AC compressor - can anyone please help me find where the wanted relay is in the fuse box - the inside of the cover of the distribution bo doesn't have any information about fuses or relays - thanks

 

You can't find the relay because there isn't one!

According to the wiring diagrams there is no relay in the clutch circuit (see attached)

 

Thanks for the response but I'm confused - your second diagram where it says except diesel it shows a compressor clutch -

 

OK... now I'm the one that's confused...

Of course there's a clutch on the compressor but the clutch is directly powered through the A/C control and the two pressure switches. There is no relay.

 

I watched a lot of guys on you tube - when they wanted to engage the compressor clutch because it was not running they would remove the compressor relay and insert a jumper wire between the 30 and 87 slots in the fuse box - I guess I can't do that -

 

You are correct... there is no relay to jumper. You would need to jumper the "A/C Clutch Cycling Pressure Switch". I do not know the actual location of that switch but it has to be on the A/C lines somewhere.

Here's the location from the Service Manual.

 

OK - I'll look for that pressure switch - I watched some guy pulling the electrical connection from that switch and jumping the two wires - when doing this it makes compressor think that there is no pressure problem and won't prevent the compressor from operating - thank you for responding and helping me - thanks - Joe

I'll let you know what happens -

 

The cycling pressure switch is on the accumulator

 

Thanks guys - I found the pressure switch - pretty tough to get at - but doable - so I thought before I go that route let me just try to add refrigerant to the system using the gauges and manifold that I bought - I hooked up the manifold to a can of refrigerant and watched the gauges - the low gauge was higher than normal and the high gauge was around zero - the compressor clutch was not spinning - I left it hooked up for a long time-about an hour - it took a long time before there was some small movement of the high side gauge - eventually the compressor clutch began to cycle on and off at small intervals - after about putting a can of refrigerant into the system the compressor stayed on - added about a can and a half total - the ambient temperature was about 72 and according to the chart I got the high pressure gauge should read around 150 psi - I finally got to that pressure and the cooling vents in the van felt nice and cool - so that's where I am now - want to thank you guys for your information

I probably got a leak somewhere in the system - this van has rear seat cooling so there are a lot of places where a leak can occur - what I should do is add some dye into the system sometime and check for leaks - first I gotta find out how you add dye to a system without screwing it up - I love this van and hope I can keep it running for a long time- it has 167,000 miles on it - it is a shame Ford stopped making them - best wishes - Joe

 

You can buy R134a that has dye in it
And
Your van came with dye in it
They used to say that the dye quit fluorescing after a few years
But
I can still see the dye years later
Oil on the condenser or lines is the best indicator of a leak
Buy a sniffer

 

I experienced leaks with both of my econoline vans. One was at the evaporator and did show green dye in the condensate drip on my garage floor. The other never showed itself until I pressurized the system with air and used soapy water. That leak was on top of the compressor. Good luck with it.