A/C Questions
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Liverpool, NY
A/C Questions
I know folks are probably getting annoyed at me by now and I can't find the last thread I started asking info on so here we go...
My '84 Explorer has dealer installed a/c and I can't seem to get it going. Not even the fan. The heater works good and so does the defroster. All the heating stuff is in the engine bay while the a/c stuff is in the cab behind the passenger side dash. I can disconnect the fan and wire it directly to 12v and it spins fast and freely(like it was installed before I received it). I do have 2 wires that go nowhere but when connected don't do anything. The first wire comes off the coolent control switch and is solid green, the other one is a striped wire off the compressor.
I'm not the greatest in drawing and my phone isn't the best in taking pictures but below is a diagram of how my system is set up.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/system.png"><BR>
My question is where would I start in trying to get the system going again? All the lines are rubber and don't see any ports visible anywhere.
My '84 Explorer has dealer installed a/c and I can't seem to get it going. Not even the fan. The heater works good and so does the defroster. All the heating stuff is in the engine bay while the a/c stuff is in the cab behind the passenger side dash. I can disconnect the fan and wire it directly to 12v and it spins fast and freely(like it was installed before I received it). I do have 2 wires that go nowhere but when connected don't do anything. The first wire comes off the coolent control switch and is solid green, the other one is a striped wire off the compressor.
I'm not the greatest in drawing and my phone isn't the best in taking pictures but below is a diagram of how my system is set up.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/system.png"><BR>
My question is where would I start in trying to get the system going again? All the lines are rubber and don't see any ports visible anywhere.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Too close to Houston
Does the solid green wire that passes through the firewall have 12 volts on it when you try to turn on the A/C? It may be the wire that's supposed to energize the compressor clutch. (the wire from the compressor that goes nowhere) You won't get any A/C unless the compressor is spinning and it won't spin unless the clutch is energized.
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From: Virginia
Coolant control? What is this? They added a valve in the coolant line to cut off the flow so you can't run the heater and the a/c at the same time?
Your fan control. That is the speed switch for the A/C fan? If so, do you have any voltage at all to this control on any of the wires?
Out at the compressor. You should have a plug with two wires. One will go to a ground. The other will go over to something somewhere on the A/C plumbing, and be hooked to a sensor looking thing(the lowpressure switch). Do you have this? If so, where does the wire go leaving the switch?(the one not going to the compressor).
Your fan control. That is the speed switch for the A/C fan? If so, do you have any voltage at all to this control on any of the wires?
Out at the compressor. You should have a plug with two wires. One will go to a ground. The other will go over to something somewhere on the A/C plumbing, and be hooked to a sensor looking thing(the lowpressure switch). Do you have this? If so, where does the wire go leaving the switch?(the one not going to the compressor).
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From: Liverpool, NY
2 switches: one controls the speed of the fan motor and the other controls the coolness? one end says fan and the other says cold. This is dealer installed a/c remember.
I never thought to check the wires since there's 3 wires that come off that switch and go to the fan motor control board and another that goes to the second switch.
i have what looks like one wire that comes off the compressor and hangs. I have a wire that comes off the second switch, goes through the firewall and hangs. i tried to show everything in the video.
I never thought to check the wires since there's 3 wires that come off that switch and go to the fan motor control board and another that goes to the second switch.
i have what looks like one wire that comes off the compressor and hangs. I have a wire that comes off the second switch, goes through the firewall and hangs. i tried to show everything in the video.
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From: Virginia
Well, to get the system to cool, all you have to do is energize the clutch on the compressor, and it does this through the lowpressure switch. On the factory systems, this low pressure switch is located on the accumulator aluminum can looking thing. So you run 12v to some sort of toggle switch and then run that to the lowpressure switch, and then to the compressor, and it will cool, and take care of itself. The lowpressure switch controls the cooling of the interior coil.
So then all you have to do next is blow air through the evaporator(the coil in the interior), and there you have it, an A/C system.
So then all you have to do next is blow air through the evaporator(the coil in the interior), and there you have it, an A/C system.
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From: Liverpool, NY
Dave! I was just out looking at the wiring and I must not have looked at it all the way because one of the wires that comes off the fan switch goes to a bundle of wires zip tied under the dash. Looks like the PO used the connection intended to for the a/c controls for the aftermarket tach. I swapped one wire for another and air started blowin through the vents! I touched the wire coming out of the firewall to the one coming off the compressor and power's going to it.
Now comes my next question... where do I recharge this bad boy? My lines are rubber and i don't see any ports on/near the dryer. Steps in the right direction ^.^
Now comes my next question... where do I recharge this bad boy? My lines are rubber and i don't see any ports on/near the dryer. Steps in the right direction ^.^
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Senior User
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From: Liverpool, NY
yeah, when I had my 88 I had stainless lines with visible ports. Sounds like i'll have to pull the bracket holding the dryer and see if there are any ports anywhere. I deeply appreciate the help as i've been trying to figure this one out since I bought the truck in Iowa.
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Senior User
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From: Liverpool, NY
Ok. I looked the entire system over and i don't see ports no where to recharge. I do have what looks to be ports on the top of the compressor but I don't know if those are them since one isn't market and the other says DI. I took a couple of pics of the top of the compressor.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/IMG00722.jpg" width="200"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/IMG00723.jpg" width="200">
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/IMG00722.jpg" width="200"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/logansrun/IMG00723.jpg" width="200">
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From: Virginia
Those on the compressor look like service valves you can shut off so yo don't loose much of the charge if you have to change the compressor.
It has fill valves somewhere, you may need to take it to a shop.
It has fill valves somewhere, you may need to take it to a shop.
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Senior User
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From: Liverpool, NY
i was affraid of that. Anyone have a diagram for dealer installed air? or even have dealer installed air? I'd lilke to pull all my resources before I hand it over to the likes of Ford.