Hello All,

I have a question about the A/C unit in my 94 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 (v6). Recently I stopped getting cold air in my SUV, First indication was that the refrigerant was out, so I had that recharged. The mechanic said that the A/C unit was going bad but there were no leaks in the line. To make a long story short, I had 3 days of cold air and then none again. When pushing in the A/C Button, I would hear a single click and then it started to cool off, but when it wasn't getting cold, I would hear it click every 4 seconds or so. Now after the 3 days of cold air, it no longer clicks at all, and no cold air. The mechanic of course tells me this is going to cost $600+, Is there a cheaper alternative to this or shall I just bite the bullet on this?

Again, Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

 

you might want to post in heating and AC.

I would go look the system through for any signs of leaking, such as oil leaking around the fittings.
then I would consider converting to 134 which is cheaper to buy.
if it is still r12

 

First if the unit was low on freon, there has to be a leak somewhere. Compressor seals, lines, o-rings, evaporator, condensor? Just from what you say about it being intermittent, I would be looking at the possibility of the clutch coil being weak. Without pressue readings and a test light I can't be sure of this over the phone (so to speak).

 

Thanks for responding, perhaps my explanation was a bit misleading, so I will try to straighten out what I meant.

The A/C was working fine for a long time without recharge. About 3 weeks ago is when it stopped getting cold and I heard the click every 4 seconds. 2 days later I had the A/C recharged. I had cold air for about 3 days after that and then that's when something went south. When I engage the A/C, I hear a single click and then it starts to cool down. After the recharge + 3 days, no clicks and no cold air. It seems like the switch (or whatever it is) is dead now.

Again, I know jack about cars, so I'm just trying to figure this out paying the least amount of money to get it fixed.

Thanks,
Bill

 

all we are saying really is to look at the system for any signs of leaks if you see any you will know if someone is trying to get more $$$ out of ya.
you really shouldn't need to replace any parts other then a dryer
or a high presure switch

 

Where are you at? What's the weather like? My A/C doesn't work right now either, but that's because it's too cold. I don't know at what temperature the A/C stops working. I want to say 50 F, but I really don't know.

 

I am in San Diego, so weather is not an issue

All,

After a lot of looking into this and talking with my sister and father who are both pretty knowledgeable, we applied manual power to the compressor and it fired up, so that tells me the compressor is not the problem. After looking really closely at the A/C lines, we noticed some residue on the top cap (Left side) and a small section of the line (Right Side). I'm going to take it into an A/C specialist and see what they say, hopefully the line on the right side will do the trick (and of course another recharge). If anyone else has any other advice to offer, feel free.

Thanks for your help, All...

Bill

 

You definitely have a leak, and that's probably your only problem.
(Going south is a smart move, I love it here).

I have had the schraeder valve leak after a recharge. Take the cap off and momentarily push the valve in for a split-second and release it quickly.

When you have it recharged, ask them to check for leaks. Any good A/C shop will have a leak detector.


Winford

 

What do you mean you "put manual power to it and it fired right up?" The compressor is driven by the belt with an electric clutch that is controled by the environmental system. Going back to the first post, the mechanic was not accurate when he said you did not have a leak. The coolent will not just go away. Something caused it to be low in the first place and if he fixed nothing it is still there. The clicking you heard was the compressor short-cycling due to low pressure in the system caused by lack of coolent. The next sound you will hear will be the compressor failing internally due to lack of lubrication (the lubrication travels around the cooling system with the coolent; no coolent = no lubrication). The $600 figure is a little low for a compressor replacement and a system recharge. The compressor itself will cost about $450 for a good one. You will need a new dryer, the seals or hoses which leaked in the first place, coolent, labor, et al, and you are looking at about $800-$1000.

If you don't know squat about cars know one thing; do not take your truck back to the first guy. He doesn't know all there is to know about air conditioning. Take the truck to a shop who only does AC work. They will have the equipment to fully test your system (should take a couple hours because they will put their sniffers in different places around the system to find leaks) and make repairs if you want to leave it with them.

 

I think when he said "applied manual power" he meant he put 12 volts to it. When 12v (power) is applied to the compressor it will run (e.g. engages)..

When I was troubleshooting the A/C on our 1992 I did the same thing.. Put 12v to the compressor, does it engage? If so.. a/c clutch is working
I also cheked the the wires from the low pressure switch by shorting the switch.. with it shorted the compressor would engage and stay engaged..

While I had it engaged you can check for low charge by putting a guage on the low pressure side.. it should be about 30psi.. (turns out ours was 15).. If you don't have a guage you can get an idea if you have enough freon by grabbing the a/c line on both sides of the evaporator. One should be hot and the other should be cold.. If they are the same temp you are low on freon.. if they are different you have a deeper issue..

On our 1992 out freon leak was the low side valve.. We tightened the schrader valve and now it hold freon again.. and the a/c blows between 32 and 40F.

I agree with what everyone here has said.. Freon doesn't just go away.. if it was there 3 days ago.. and isn't there now, there is a leak.. A/C technicians ususally can add dye or use compressed air with dye to find the leak.. but you definately have a leak somewhere.

~Mark

 

Thanks for the explanation....

As for the AC...I took it to a well respected place out here in San Diego and he basically told me the lines are ok, but the Compressor and Evaporator are both leaking. He said he doesn't see that very often where they both leak.

I was prepared for this really, I knew it wasn't going to be anything minor in this case. Lucky Me...LOL

-B