96 windstar no A/C or radiator fan fuctionality

[showtimex]

96 3.8L no A/C clutch engagement or rad cooling fans. Searched through other examples and found lots of help but......not quite resolved yet.

Thanks to wiswind and the others that have helped out so much around here with the previous answers.

Verified dropping resistor is good and working. Fans do come on when water cooling temp sensor removed (first low speed then high) Took the temp sensor out to test, far as I can tell it works.

Verified 14V at A/C cycling switch (when A/C selected in cabin)

Verified 13ishV at high pressure switch, tan/green / black white (for the rad fan) but no voltage for a/c clutch.

No voltage at a/c clutch (2 pin harness)

Fuses all fine and good.

I swapped the CCRM from a 95 but that made no difference, probably because they are not compatible.

Is this most likely a CCRM problem or could this have to do with a defective high pressure switch? I'm at a loss.

Thanks for your help, I feel I'm almost ready to quit on this, its been such a crappy "summer" in the northwest anyways I might not even need A/C

[grog11]

Have you put R134a gauges on the high side low side charge ports and read the pressure? You will need to verify if you actually have pressure to know if the cut out switch is working. It is possible the switch is performing its job perfectly and not allowing you to burn up your compressor if the charge has all leaked out. This will also stop voltage supply to your compressor.

If you have already confirmed you have an adequate R134a static charge pressure in your system, you can stick a paper clip in the 2 wire switch connector while engine running, ac button engaged, and jumper it to see if your compressor engages.This is just a quick test to check a non working cut out switch, do not run the compressor any length of time while jumpered. A defective switch can be unscrewed from its schraeder valve connection underneath, and replaced without losing charge.

[showtimex]

Thanks for your response. I have not been able to verify pressure on either side as I just have one of those cheap recharge kits. My 95 has the ball type fitting on the low side which works with my kit but the 96 I have is the schrader type.

I'm wondering if the ball fell out or if this is to do with the fact the system was rebuilt previously and they've used a different part with different fittings. I actually did try and jump the low switch to see if it would do anything. It did not.

[grog11]

If you have tried the switch jumper, that voltage circuit is looped to your computer and then thru the ac relay to engage power to the compressor side of the relay. If you remove the relay, you can jumper thru the relay board female socket with a paper clip and see if this engages the compressor. Jumping the relay will bypass the ac cutoff switch and computer wiring all together. If this does not engage the compressor, you have a bad wire going to the ac clutch, or a bad compressor clutch coil. If the compressor engages, that narrows the problem to the relay, pressure cutoff switch, or computer, along with the wiring in that loop.

Your charge ports should be the standard R134a adapters, if they are not somebody has changed or tampered with that system set up. This would be something to repair also.

[wiswind]

Here in Wisconsin, they don't permit the R134 to be sold to the public, you have to have a license to buy it.
In other words, it is not easy to do much on our A/C on our own.
In your case, I would have a shop check out your A/C.
They can do so very quickly, your time is worth money, and it does not cost a lot to have your A/C checked out.
1/2 hour of shop time cost is all it should cost to find out.
A shop has all the tools and equipment to get right to the root cause in a hurry.
Then, you can know if it is a A/C issue or something else.
It might be something cheap and easy for them to replace.
If not, they can tell you what the problem is.
I had a leak develop in the evaporator coil......the cold coil inside the heater box inside the vehicle.
That is about the worst place to have a leak due to all the labor to replace that part.
In my case, my A/C would keep cycling on and off, so I disconnected the A/C compressor clutch connector to keep it from cycling until the shop checked it out.
They could not find a leak with their "sniffer" so they put a dye into the system and charged it up and told me to come back in a week or so, or when the system started cyling again.
The dye running out the water drain line from the passenger compartment verified the leak location.

[showtimex]

So far All I've been able to do is hotwire the clutch (12V) and it does engage just fine. I didn't dare leave it on without knowing if there is any coolant in the system so quickly shut everything down. Here is a pic of the low side fill fitting I mentioned.

http://www3.telus.net/morquidcomputers/IMG_1899.JPG

Grog I am not able to jump the pins on CCRM as they are male on the connector side, female on the module side and everything has to be plugged in, in order to function. It may be possible to jump the male pins with the CCRM disconnected but its a little tricky and I haven't tried it yet.

Perhaps wiswind has the most sensible advise, bring to a shop, but I don't really know of a good shop and I'm just a little bit stubborn The more I beat my head on it, the more knowledge there is to gain? Perhaps I should consult the google master for a trustworthy shop around here......

[olopezm]

From that picture, it looks like you'll have to take it to a shop. My Lincoln was the same and that drove nuts trying to refill it myself. I decided to take it to a shop to have it tested (system had been empty for at least 4 years) and refilled. When they were done I saw they installed the quickplug on the valve in your picture.

The system does not have many options to ripp you off, if it has a leak they will show the exact point where it leaks to you. If it's an electrical problem they must show it to you too. Finally, you can always have them install the quick plug and walk away just to do the job yourself or take it to another shop.

Oscar.

[grog11]

Originally Posted by showtimex

So far All I've been able to do is hotwire the clutch (12V) and it does engage just fine. I didn't dare leave it on without knowing if there is any coolant in the system so quickly shut everything down. Here is a pic of the low side fill fitting I mentioned.

http://www3.telus.net/morquidcomputers/IMG_1899.JPG

Grog I am not able to jump the pins on CCRM as they are male on the connector side, female on the module side and everything has to be plugged in, in order to function. It may be possible to jump the male pins with the CCRM disconnected but its a little tricky and I haven't tried it yet.

Perhaps wiswind has the most sensible advise, bring to a shop, but I don't really know of a good shop and I'm just a little bit stubborn The more I beat my head on it, the more knowledge there is to gain? Perhaps I should consult the google master for a trustworthy shop around here......

The pic is of a standard r134a charge port fitting and it looks fine. Perhaps you are trying to fit your low side adapter on the high side port.

I was discussing pulling the Air Conditioning 4 pin relay to test for power temporarily to your ac clutch, this is located probably in your under hood electrical distribution panel with several other fuses and relays, ( check your owners manual diagram) not a constant control fan relay with a female socket.

wiswind has a good point about finding a shop to check the system out. If you are not familiar with the workings of the AC refrigerant system, sometimes its worth the money, and can save some a lot of frustration and time.

Good Luck