'99 Windstar Air Conditioning

Did a search of the forum and didn't find anything related to this so here is the problem.

Went to use air for the first time this season and the only thing that happens when the 'A/C' button is pushed is the light comes on. Everything worked fine a few months ago. Could the switch button possibly have gone bad? Hoping it is not anything major, laid off from job and really don't have the cash to take it in to be looked at. To make matters worse the passenger side window does not go down anymore either so something needs to be done before the real hot weather gets here.

Does the compressor try to engage?
The A/C will also be on in any setting that involves the defrost.....so you have a few switch settings to try.
Otherwise.....one could have the system checked to see if it still has a "charge".
If it does not have enough refrigerant in there.....sadly.....there is a leak that you will need to locate.
More of the refrigerant can be added.....along with a dye to show you where the leak is.

If it still has a charge......there are a couple of switches to check.....they are easy to replace.

Here is a link that shows the location of the A/C cycling switch and the A/C pressure switch on my 1996 windstar
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2077761460011220610tpjsMq

The pressure switch prevents the compressor from running above a certain pressure.....a protection.

The cycling switch looks for the system pressure to enable the compressor.
You need a "suction pressure" of 40-47psi to close the contacts.
A suction pressure of 22-28psi will open the contacts
This switch is located on the line going INTO the compressor......so this is the "suction" side.....that is....relative to the other side...the compressor PULLING the refrigerant IN.
Alldata calls it "suction side"......
I think that you will measure these values as a pressure, as relative to the atmosphere......someone correct me if I am wrong here.
The more common term might be low pressure side going INTO the compressor....and high pressure side going OUT of the compressor.

The pressure cutoff switch has 2 sets of contacts....
1 set opens at 415-445psi to protect the system from overpressure.....these contacts close again at 220-228psi.
The 2nd set of contacts close at 285-315psi and turn the radiator fans ON at HIGH speed.
They will open again at abut 250psi, turning the HIGH speed of the radiator fans down.

Take note that the radiator fans should be ON at LOW speed whenever the A/C is running.....

As a side note.....if your radiator fans are NOT running with the A/C on (not just a cycling ON and OFF in the high speed mode), then there is a problem that should be corrected.....as this will impact your motor cooling......and your transmission fluid temperature.
What I have found is that the radiator fan low speed dropping resistor can break.....causing you to have no low speed radiator fans.
This ceramic body resistor is located on top of the metal bumper.....which is inside the rubber bumper cover on the front.
You can see the resistor by looking down behind the passenger side headlight.....on top of the metal bumper.
It is my opinion that this is super important in stop and go traffic in hot weather.......particularly for the transmission.


Passenger side window.....I have been through this.
I have had the window slide rail inside the door break......
This is a dealer item....not expensive.....not hard to replace.
Each front window is protected by its own fuse in the I/P fuse panel.
I don't know that the fuse listing for my '96 will match up with your '99.
The push button switches can go bad.....I am guessing that you have tried both the driver door and passenger door switches to try to get the passenger window to move.
My window sticks.......even with a new motor/gear unit.....
My pictures cover the motor/gear replacement process as well.
I bought a new Cardone unit from rockauto.

Thanks for the reply, after further investigation the compressor does kick on and off but does not stay on. You suggest check the switches in your photos first?

The window went out intermittently. It would work then not then work and finally just stopped. Luckily it completely quit when the window was up.

As far as your window. I removed my motor and took it apart and cleaned it. works ok now.. Seeing your AC is cycling. You may be able to buy a can of freon, the one with the gauge on it. If there is enough it will show up in the green area. color my vary on some gauges but it says full.. Arctic freeze I think was the brand I used from Advanced Auto. Mine was full and I gave the can away.. I was just checking to make sure though.. The can was about 19.00 I think. The window motor cleaning was free.. I think with your clutch coming on and off you have a slow leak. Once it get real low it will no longer engage.. But seeing how AC can be a funny thing to work on that's just my opinion.

My compressor cycled on and off when my refrigerent got low.......a charge cured it very temporarily.
They put a dye in it.......and found the leak.....the evaporator coil in the passenger compartment......
Hopefully this is not what is wrong with your A/C as this is about the most expensive repair (labor).

Make sure to get the correct product.......some states may not permit the sale of even our 134 type.
Wisconsin just started letting it be sold a couple years ago.

But....in short....I would check the charge FIRST.

Just so happens I have a can in the garage. My truck needed what I thought was just a charge but it was fine so I have it on hand and will give it a shot tomorrow. Hopefully that is all it needs. I'll double check to see if it is the same refrigerant.

As far as the window goes I hope I get the air going. I hate dealing with internal door stuff. Nothing ever seems to go the way it should for me when I get into doors. It is like they purposely make them a pain in the arse when it looks so simple. Story of my life.

This is a link to the first in a series of pictures that show the removal of the door panel.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1445712578011220610uYhLWw

As far as the window motor access.......here is a link to the first of a series that show that......you drill out the holes that are next to the * marks in the first picture.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2098018730011220610yHIuFX

First, make sure that the slides that the window rides in are intact.
The rear most slide broke on both of my front doors.......just held by a tack weld.
I was able to easily replace them......just held in by 1 or 2 small bolts.....and a new replacement is not very expensive at the dealership.

Well, it took three 12oz cans to get the air to run cold and register a normal pressure reading on the gage but all is well now. Hopefully if there was a leak the sealer in the refrigerant will take care of it. Does that stuff actually do anything or is it snake oil for the most part? Seems you can buy most every fluid needed these days with a stop leak additive.

it does help to a certain extent...

it swells the o ring seals

most people dunno to run your AC system every month for ~10 minutes to circulate the oil inside the system to keep the seals in check...