94 Taurus A/C:Should compressor stay on continously?

[Dgrim]

I'm still working out the kinks on this new (to me) 94 Taurus 3.8L . Ive noticed the a/c is hardly working, so I went ahead and recharged it today using one of those idiot kits with the pressure gauge. Everything feels cold inside, but not as cold as my 94 3.0L. Also, I noticed the compressor and clutch would kick in and out alot, about 8 seconds between cycles. I ran the 3.0 and noticed the compressor never stops, at least for the ten minutes or so I observed. Is it supposed to run continously like the 3.0 (which blows cooler also)? Could it be that I'm still not fully recharged on the 3.8? Or is this normal? Or is there a difference between the systems in each model? Again, thanks in advance to the helpful people of this forum.

[NakedDancer]

http://www.autoacforum.com/ try that question at this forum.

[shorod]

It is possible that you overcharged your system. I did the same with my Pathfinder with R-134A. The guage in the kit was horribly inaccurate. Like yours, the system would cycle too often. So, I'd add a bit more refrigerant. After a bit, I noticed the cycling got quicker, but the low pressure line would get cold in the few seconds that the compressor was running. I figured that the system was probably overcharged so I proceeded to release some refrigerant (capturing all I released, of course) while the engine was running with A/C on. Eventually I got to where the compressor was staying engaged for an appropriate duration (45 seconds on or so, a few seconds off) and the temperature was getting down to 32 degrees F in the cabin).

If your system is overcharged, the properly working pressure sensor will turn off the drive to the clutch until the pressure drops below the threshhold. If your 3.0L truly stays engaged for 10 minutes straight, something isn't right. Were you watching it continuously for those 10 minutes, or was it just engaged everytime you checked it? If it was truly on the entire time, someone may have shorted ther plug for the pressure switch.

-Rod

Originally Posted by Dgrim

I'm still working out the kinks on this new (to me) 94 Taurus 3.8L . Ive noticed the a/c is hardly working, so I went ahead and recharged it today using one of those idiot kits with the pressure gauge. Everything feels cold inside, but not as cold as my 94 3.0L. Also, I noticed the compressor and clutch would kick in and out alot, about 8 seconds between cycles. I ran the 3.0 and noticed the compressor never stops, at least for the ten minutes or so I observed. Is it supposed to run continously like the 3.0 (which blows cooler also)? Could it be that I'm still not fully recharged on the 3.8? Or is this normal? Or is there a difference between the systems in each model? Again, thanks in advance to the helpful people of this forum.

[Dgrim]

Originally Posted by shorod

It is possible that you overcharged your system. I did the same with my Pathfinder with R-134A. The guage in the kit was horribly inaccurate. Like yours, the system would cycle too often. So, I'd add a bit more refrigerant. After a bit, I noticed the cycling got quicker, but the low pressure line would get cold in the few seconds that the compressor was running. I figured that the system was probably overcharged so I proceeded to release some refrigerant (capturing all I released, of course) while the engine was running with A/C on. Eventually I got to where the compressor was staying engaged for an appropriate duration (45 seconds on or so, a few seconds off) and the temperature was getting down to 32 degrees F in the cabin).

If your system is overcharged, the properly working pressure sensor will turn off the drive to the clutch until the pressure drops below the threshhold. If your 3.0L truly stays engaged for 10 minutes straight, something isn't right. Were you watching it continuously for those 10 minutes, or was it just engaged everytime you checked it? If it was truly on the entire time, someone may have shorted ther plug for the pressure switch.

-Rod

Thanks for the info. I also dont believe that gauge is worth a dime. I charged the system very slowly and never has the compressor ran any longer than 8 seconds, although I am getting the cool air. I recharged a little more today and it got even colder, although still 8 second cycles. Perhaps it is overfilled, or the pressure switch is not working properly? I cant swear to the "10 minute running" on my 3.0, but I did sit in the car with the blower speed on low and never heard it cycle off for that amount of time. How exactly do you release the refrigerant? I'd like to try and see if I can get longer cycles. Also, thanks to the other guy for the link. Those are some hard-core A/C guys!