• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

AC problems

T

trhlz1222

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
919
Location
Holly Springs and Parish
my ac hasnt been working for a year now. i had the compressor taken apart to see if it was even spinning and from what i could see it wasnt. i was wondering if there is a way to find out if the compressor is turning on or if its shot. how hard is it to replace the compressor and accumulator??
 
ok well refrigerant does come out. not sure if its full though. does the safety switch engage below a certain point to where it wouldnt come out of the high pressure side?
 
Good grief! Please stop taking advice from someone who doesn't know what he is talking about. He's already given you advice that is unsafe and unwise. You're lucky you didn't freeze dry an eye or any skin.

Depending on the ambient temperature, the static pressure in the system should be between 30 and 140 psi. If you don't know how to read a PT chart, then you won't know what it should be. Here's one: http://highperformancehvac.com/HVAC...c-refrigerant-pressure-temperature-chart.html That pressure doesn't mean it's properly charged, but it does mean it isn't so low as to inhibit compressor operation. In general, the static pressure for R134a is just a bit higher than the ambient temp in degrees Fahrenheit. The low pressure cycling switch should close and enable compressor clutch operation at 45 psi ascending.

The gauges on the el-cheapo charging kits probably just are color coded. You need a real set with numbers. The el-cheap gauges won't tell you dick if the compressor isn't operating. It will show in the red and your next post will include "I let out the extra freon..." or something along that line.
 
projectSHO89 said:
Good grief! Please stop taking advice from someone who doesn't know what he is talking about. He's already given you advice that is unsafe and unwise. You're lucky you didn't freeze dry an eye or any skin.

Depending on the ambient temperature, the static pressure in the system should be between 30 and 140 psi. If you don't know how to read a PT chart, then you won't know what it should be. Here's one: http://highperformancehvac.com/HVAC...c-refrigerant-pressure-temperature-chart.html That pressure doesn't mean it's properly charged, but it does mean it isn't so low as to inhibit compressor operation. In general, the static pressure for R134a is just a bit higher than the ambient temp in degrees Fahrenheit. The low pressure cycling switch should close and enable compressor clutch operation at 45 psi ascending.

The gauges on the el-cheapo charging kits probably just are color coded. You need a real set with numbers. The el-cheap gauges won't tell you dick if the compressor isn't operating. It will show in the red and your next post will include "I let out the extra freon..." or something along that line.
Click to expand...

wats your advice then?? by a good gauge and get the numbers?? is there a way to test the compressor to see if its a switch somewhere or if the compressor is gone
 
Zetec_contour said:
and it is an OPEN topic so other ppl can chip in those were my two cents,chill out,and it's not like he's taking the advise anyway, jeez:nonono:
Click to expand...

Your response indicates you are either careless or clueless.

One is dangerous to safety, the other just detrimental to the process of diagnosing and repairing the system.


wats your advice then?? by a good gauge and get the numbers?? is there a way to test the compressor to see if its a switch somewhere or if the compressor is gone
Click to expand...

Yes, you need to VERIFY adequate pressure first. That means you have to MEASURE it. You can test to see if sensed low pressure is causing the failure of the clutch to energize. Just unplug the low pressure cycling switch and briefly jumper the connector's terminals. If the clutch pulls in, then either the pressure is too low or the switch is defective. If it doesn't energize, the problem is either electrical or mechanical.

If this is over your comfort or skill level, take it to a shop and let a trained tech diagnose it.
 
i wouldnt mind letting a trained tech do this but i dont have money to toss out just to see what the problem is when i could probably figure it out myself.

where is the low pressure switch located and how would i go about jumping it?
 
projectSHO89 said:
Good grief! Please stop taking advice from someone who doesn't know what he is talking about. He's already given you advice that is unsafe and unwise. You're lucky you didn't freeze dry an eye or any skin.
Click to expand...

Yikes. Overreact much? You act like the can is gonna blow up in his hand, freeze the hand off and then damage the ac system.

I believe the switch is on the accumulator.
 
ok well i wont be able to look at it till the end of the week. i have finals till thursday but i would really enjoy ac cause my car feels like a sauna constantly....how would i jump the switch if its on the accumulator?
 
What you really need is a gauge and manifold you can plug into both sides of the system. Then to properly charge the system, you need to pull a vacuum on the system and charge with the appropriate amount of refrigerant/oil. Some of the recharge stuff doesn't come mixed with oil btw. As long as your system has below a certain amount of refrigerant, you will not be able to charge the system using the recharge kits that are sold over the counter though. Sometimes you can overcharge the low side and get it to kick in till it can cycle the freon through and jumpstart the system, but not often. Usually what happens is you blow out o-rings, and then your day goes from bad to well, I dont want censored smileys on this post, but you get the point.

Your contour holds 1lb 10oz of refrigerant so if the system was empty, you haven't overcharged it using one can. The low pressure switch is on the accumulator. I don't feel like running out to look right now, but I think it's below the battery. To jump it, you put a wire into the hot side, and plug the other side of that wire to the switch side.

Ford AC systems are really generic. If you really insist on doing all this yourself, you can find Haynes AC manual at the parts store that actually explains things pretty well and has pictures to help you out.

Unfortunately, if you aren't very familiar with AC systems, I dont really recommend doing much of it yourself. I hate to say it but you are gonna have to suffer in the heat for a while. Roll down your windows, and I hope you have a sunroof that works.

Dyoel182 said:
Yikes. Overreact much? You act like the can is gonna blow up in his hand, freeze the hand off and then damage the ac system.

I believe the switch is on the accumulator.
Click to expand...

Well, he could very well cause himself personal injury by some of the testing methods stated earlier, not to mention, they won't advance the diagnostic process any and are generally a waste of his time. Not to mention that bleeding even a little bit of refrigerant that way is illegal. I am 100% with projectSHO89 on this one. I would hope that no one reads this thread and tries any of that stuff.
 
trhlz1222 said:
i can check this by using a gauge right??
Click to expand...

yes you need the proper guage set to check the a/c system pressures

Zetec_contour said:
ya or find the high pressure end and get a screwdriver and press in the center briefly to see if refrigerant is in there,not to long tho cause that stuff is bad to inhale
Click to expand...

this is just dumb. but a guage set and check it the right way. autozone has cheap ones for $50. no excuse.
 
Zetec_contour said:
and it is an OPEN topic so other ppl can chip in those were my two cents,chill out,and it's not like he's taking the advise anyway, jeez:nonono:
Click to expand...

trhlz1222 said:
ok well refrigerant does come out.
Click to expand...

well it seems that he did follow your poor advice. yeah its an open forum and you can say what you want but a good rule of thumb is if you don't know what your talking about do say anything or give advice :help: interesting concept isn't it ....

trhlz1222 said:
i wouldnt mind letting a trained tech do this but i dont have money to toss out just to see what the problem is when i could probably figure it out myself.

where is the low pressure switch located and how would i go about jumping it?
Click to expand...


you don't need a trained tech but you need to read up and learn about the a/c system before you do anything yourself. you first need a good guage set as indicated to so you measure the pressures in the system. also you need a ford manual as it will have tables for compressor on and off times based on ambient temp. the compressor shouldnt run all the time until its well over 90 degrees. remember you can't jsut add R-134a to fill the system. it needs to be brought to a vacuum first.

just do some reading first before doing anything else. the info is out there on the web.
 
i understand the part about evacuating and filling the system. i would have a shop do that part. what i want to do is to check to see what needs to be done, whether i need to change the compressor and accumulator or if it just needs to be charged properly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top