No A/C, compressor not engaging
 

Got a 98 Explorer Sport with the 4.0L OHV, automatic. I hardly use the A/C, but Last weekend the A/C stopped working on me, so I popped the hood to see the compressor engage and quickly disengage, so I turned off the switch and didn't have a chance to look into it to figure out what the deal is. Today I went out to investigate being that we are to be at 100 degrees today, and I might wanna use the A/C. I was going to break out the multimeter and check all that stuff, but found that it's missing and no where to be found, so I'm gonna have to get me another, but in the meantime, I checked it out again, except this time the compressor won't engage at all. So I decided to replace some of the electronic components, since I had a spare relay, replaced that, fuses, replaced those, and still nothing. I should have a multimeter either this evening or tomorrow to go take a look at if I have power to the compressor, but I was wondering if anybody else out there has had this happen, and what it turned out to be. Thanks ya'll.

Side note: I have recharged the A/C about a month and a half ago, and it worked fine then, and worked fine about once a week when I used it until last weekend. Also, surfing through some other problems with a/c, can't find a good one with a good response to my problem, there are guys saying that the A/C made a gurgling or grinding noise, mine used to when I'd shut it off, it would gurgle. Not sure if this is bad or not, I'm not an expert on A/C, FAR FROM IT, lol, just tryin to avoid taking it to the shop and payin an arm and a leg. thanks again guys.

Sounds like you might have a leak. I would check to see if there is refrigerant in the system. If the pressure gets low enough the compressor wont kick in.

well, I got a chance to look into it this morning before the rain sets in, and I think i've found the issue, i checked the voltage at the plug in to the compressor and got nothing, checked the resistance on the compressor, and it shows resistance, so that was a good sign, so i traced it back to the fuse panel under the hood. Checked the output on the relay pins and it was all good except for the contact that would lead to the compressor. Upon further investigation, I found that that pin was missing completely, it appears to have fallen through or broken off or something has happened, but it's missing. So now I guess my question is, how do I remove the fuse panel box and replace that pin?

I have a spare power distribution panel - I'll look at it when I get home tonight. the pin may not have been completely seated and dropped down in the panel. (Shouldn't take a Math major to figure it out. LOL)

I know it has a case on the bottom, so if it fell through, it shouldn't be lost forever, lol, hopefully it just broke off the case and the wire is still attached, I just don't wanna dig too far and screw something up since this is my daily driver and my only vehicle, lol

Did you get to the loose connector? If not, try this.
Disconnect the + battery lead

Release the two tabs that hold the panel to the inner fender bracket and lift it up and off of the bracket.

There are three tabs on each side of the panel case that hold the bottom cover on.

Release the tabs carefully with a screwdriver blade and remove the bottom cover.

Good luck.

You may check one more thing. If you recently had it recharged, you obviously have a leak. The cycling you described sounds like the low pressure switch on the dryer causing the compressor to cut on and off according to the suction-side pressure. Once the freon level got low enough, the low pressure switch has shut down the system to avoid burning up the compressor. A simple way to check to see whether this is the case is to take a paper clip or a small wire and jump the two terminals on the low pressure switch. If the compressor comes on when you complete that circuit, low freon level is your culprit. (FYI- the low pressure switch is located on the side of the drier/accumulator which is the aluminum canister normally mounted near the firewall on the passenger side. Just unplug the connector and jump the two terminals).

Hope this helps...a broken a/c these days = a broken vehicle in my book!
Randy

yeah, i got the connector, it wasn't the culprit, it was a pain in the rear, but apparently it came loose when i replaced the relay back in, stupid thing, oh well, i'll have to try the jumper, i noticed that switch, as well as one on the backside of the compressor, and was wondering if they were prone to going bad. I was gonna ask and see if anybody had a diagram of the a/c wiring, since all i have only shows the cutoff relay lead from the pcm. So if anybody has a diagram, that would be great. Thanks guys, we'll see what happens, kinda starting to run out of daylight now, so i'll see in the morning what happens.

Now if it turns out that the compressor cuts on after i jumper the switch, I assume that it's a bad switch? Or is there someway to reset it. What are my options?

<i.Now if it turns out that the compressor cuts on after i jumper the switch, I assume that it's a bad switch? Or is there someway to reset it. What are my options?</i>

Find the leak, fix it, vac the system down, add new oil and freon. There is nothing wrong with that switch, turns off to save on the system when all the freon leaks out....

Same problem with my son's '95 grand prix. Serviced it with freon, and it's been working for a week now.

Well, it has to be a leak, ran the jumper, compressor cut on, so I hooked the gauge up to the low side, cut the compressor back on, and I had 0 pressure. So I guess i'm taking it to a shop when I get some money, and have them fix it, any ballparks on what it'll run me?

Unfortunately, I see a quite a few evaporator leaks on late 90s Explorers. You don't have to pull the instrument panel, but it's still pretty pricy. Figure ~$450. If you get lucy and it's just a leaky fitting, maybe $150. It all depends on where the leak is.

Try and find a shop that will work with you. Start by asking them how much to diagnose the system. If they won't give you a ballpark estimate for that over the phone, keep looking. Most shops hate AC comebacks, so they will probably want to replace anything that is questionable. HOpefully, you have a very obvious leak in one easily accessible component like a line fitting or the accumulator.

I agree, sort of, but most shops will need to at least see the vehicle. AC diag can take from 10 minutes to many hours. If you have a specialty AC shop in your area, that's your best bet. They can usually "eyeball" the system and give you a ballpark on diag and repair initially. (Firm repair price comes after proper diag). General repair shops often have a hard time with AC repairs and can't give an accurate "ballpark" figure on either. The nature of AC systems and their failure modes don't lend themselves to "over the phone" pricing of either "proper" diag or repair.

So is this thing still broke or what?

My A/C didn't work and the only thing I assumed was the culprit was a freon leak somewhere. Here's how it worked for me:

1. Made an appointment at a local repair shop to vacuum the system and properly charge it and add dye. Cost - $80

2. Drive the Explorer and hope the A/C continues to work for a long time. If it breaks within a few weeks, return to the shop and have them check for leaks.

3. Within 2 weeks the A/C stops working as I expected.

4. Return to the shop and have them check for leaks. The have a special light and glasses they use to see the dye that they added 2 weeks ago.

5. The inspection is free, and he finds 3 areas that are leaking. At this point, the total I have spent is only $80, which I feel is cheap for the diagnosis of my problems and an accurate estimate on the cost of repairs.

6. What was leaking? The compressor, accumulator, and 1 hose. The total for parts, labor, and recharging the system was just under $500.



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