2001 A/C Issue

I charged up my girlfriend's A/C because she said it didn't always work. I was thinking that it didn't have enough refigerant to activate the compressor. Well, when I charged it up, it was really cold coming out of the vents. Then, I turned off the car, turned it back on and there was no A/C just vent air.

I talked to a couple people at a Ford Dealership and they said there are no relays for the A/C compressor the command comes straight from the PCM. So, I am thinking I need to trace the wiring to look for a split in the line.

The issue is, even though the A/C is charged, the compressor doesn't always kick on.

Did you use gauges when you charged the A/C? The A/C system has a low charge pressure switch as well as a dual pressure switch to detect normal pressure or high pressure. If you overcharged the system, that will prevent the compressor clutch from engaging too.

The PCM controls the A/C clutch relay which is located in the Battery Junction Box. There is no way Ford would try to drive the load of the compressor clutch from the PCM directly. The wiring diagram for your 2001 supports there being a relay in the battery junction box. I'm not sure what the Ford technicians thought you were asking about.

-Rod

Where is said battery junction box located and will there be some kind of label for me to check the relay there?

Edit button not working?

I charged it to 45psi.

On my wal-mart gauge the blue "good charge" area is from 25-45 psi.

<25 Low
25-45 Filled
45-65 Alert
>65 Warning


It started around 25psi, which felt cool but not cold, so I put a can of R134a in and it brought it up to 45 psi.