Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting ac running warm

okay everybody relax ... so I can jack this thread .

I believe my A/C problem is very similar to yours. My A/C blows cold air if I turn it on while I'm stopped and engine is idling. Once the A/C is engaged city driving (stops and starts) or highway driving doesn't cause problems; she still blows cold air. The trouble happens when I'm on the highway and then turn it on.

This causes the A/C air temp to feel like I only turned on the fan to draw in ambient air( i.e. temp dial setting cranked fully to the left in the blue). No matter how long I'm on the highway she won't get cold. To get her cold again I have to pull over and come to a stop.

So far this problem hasn't been insurmountable. The work around is to turn on the A/C before getting on the highway. Does this sound like what your experiencing? I believe my problem is either a worn relay with excessive coil resistance or a slipping compressor clutch.

If you narrow down the failure mode(s) or better yet fix the problem please repost so me and others can benefit. Obviously I'm too cheap or lazy to fix my problem, but your victory might get me off my arse.

yapper

This is not applicable here but my Contour has a bracket in front of the AC condenser that rubbed a hole through one of the tubes. I think the bracket was part of a small oil cooler, like for the power steering?? Tried to have the condenser repaired but ended up replacing it. Replacing it was easy, but the service manual said I had to remove the radiator, condenser and fan as a unit. Was able to get the condenser out and back in without removing the rest. Found a new original Ford condenser for less than a replacement at a local AC parts house.

Al