1997 Explorer "white" AC system troubleshooting

[amj441]

I would also check the pcm Relay power at the a/c relay.

Other ideas?

1. check the voltage drop between the two relays
2. Measure resistance of pink yellow wire to ground.
3. Clean pcm ground points
4. clean engine ground strap mounts.

 

[allmyEXes]

I made up a jumper wire for the test and even with the 3 matching relays out, the compressor clutch engages momentarily just for a quick click
and then off. It shouldn't do that at all. When I install the jumper wire, I cannot make it send power down to the electric clutch. It doesn't make
any logical sense.

 

[amj441]

I made up a jumper wire for the test and even with the 3 matching relays out, the compressor clutch engages momentarily just for a quick click
and then off. It shouldn't do that at all. When I install the jumper wire, I cannot make it send power down to the electric clutch. It doesn't make
any logical sense

I am assuming you are jumping using jumper #2 in this picture? and the coil only stays on for a little bit? That doesn't sound right.
Is the coil still magnetic will it attract a screw driver? If you jump this connection and tap the clutch gently with a hammer will it activate?

This green wire should be powered by the HVAC switch, The HVAC Switch should be powered by fuse 18 in the interior fuse box panel. There could be a chance of a small amount of corrosion on the fuse? Ive had my trailer fuses not work until I removed them and put them back in and have them scrape off a bit of surface scuz. Do you have a multimeter?

 

[allmyEXes]

@amj441 Earlier I was working with the wrong dang relay! Shop mate told me the one next to 3 fuses. Now I have the correct relay jumper'd and the clutch engaging. Pulling a vacuum now after going to get two more cans of refrigerant.

 

[allmyEXes]

@FordFlintrock @amj441 @410Fortune So far, I have two 12 oz cans of 134A refrigerant in the system. Outside it had cooled off to a chilly 90F and felt like 95. I did not have a fan in front of the condenser but with just 24 oz, it is cooling. The blend door motor is broken so all of the cold air is coming out of the defrost vent and rear AC station at the back of the console. The windshield was "Iced tea glassing". Humidity was collecting on the outside of the windshield, and I had to use the wipers to remove the condensation.
Soon I will remove the blend door off of the dead blue '97 Ex to put on this white '97. It is nice having two the same year and I have 3 '97s if you count the "modified" '97 5.0 Mountaineer that I converted to coil-near-plug. It goes on the lift Thursday.
Wednesday is chemotherapy day. a 6 hour one.

 

[410Fortune]

Don’t install a blend door from a 97! They break! By 99 they were much better and break less
If you are taking the dash down to replace the hvac box try to use a 2001-2011 hvac box, they have way less blend door issues

Or use the dorman parts to fix it

Wrong relay lol lol oh man that’s rich

 

[Turdle]

Excuse me for butting in.

Blend door does not control vent function. Vacuum does. If hot to cool and cold to hot are achieved, blend door is operational.

 

[Turdle]

Hold your dash on,

Here's the vent function ( floor vent defrost) thread

How to: - 2nd Gen NO AC ( or heat) FROM VENTS!!! A "How to" what to look for thread

Here is what to look for if you have a 95-01 with cold ac, and hot heat, but it only blows from the defrost vent. IF YOU HAVE COLD AND / OR WARM AIR BLOWING FROM DEFROST DUCT ONLY THIS THREAD IS FOR YOU!!! I will immediately delete all ac cooling questions without answer-let's stay on track...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[allmyEXes]

I may be calling the door that switches to all of the different def, vent, floor etc. the wrong thing but what moves the door is an electric solenoid, rather a servo. It is cooling well. To finish it needs a new thermal clutch for the fan and the 2-row radiator got replaced with the one row out of my 2002 Sport trac. So, a new radiator is on the way as well as the fan clutch and purchasing a 16" electric fan kit.

 

[amj441]

I may be calling the door that switches to all of the different def, vent, floor etc. the wrong thing but what moves the door is an electric solenoid, rather a servo. It is cooling well. To finish it needs a new thermal clutch for the fan and the 2-row radiator got replaced with the one row out of my 2002 Sport trac. So, a new radiator is on the way as well as the fan clutch and purchasing a 16" electric fan kit.

Mode door is the name you are looking for the vent, face, floor, etc. settings --- In our vehicles it is vacuum controlled using vacuum actuators. the vacuum line comes in through the fire wall next to the glove box, I have had passengers kick the vacuum line off of the recirc actuator and cause me to lose vents.

Blend door is for temperature only, where it "blends" the hot and cold together to achieve the desired temperature. --- This is controlled with an electronic actuator

 

[allmyEXes]

@Turdle @amj441 Thank both of you for the tips and Turdle for the how to thread, I see that page one covers the investigative part (Jon, I'm on page 1 while I drink my half a pot of coffee) Also, I won't be taking the dash assembly out of this truck to fix this.
Last night I looked under the hood at the vacuum lines under the hood going to the firewall and vacuum "ball" and everything looked intact. Then I released the glove box liner enough to see the vacuum lines and unplugged the bulk connector of lines and plugged them back in and traced the white one back to the far passenger side to what looks like a fresh air door and vacuum motor, and it is plugged in.

 

[allmyEXes]

@Turdle Should I be able to unplug the vacuum line bulk connector from the back of the AC control panel to see if the black vacuum line is pulling a vacuum? Physically is there enough room to do such without moving the control switch from the dash? I would do this after checking more thoroughly under the hood and the connection in picture of post #6 in your thread.

 

[allmyEXes]

When I got over to the shop here, I opened the hood and was tracing where the gray line went to and it snapped off.

 

[410Fortune]

Okay!

 

[allmyEXes]

@410Fortune Thanks Jamie. I got back in under the hood in the vacuum line area and not only was the gray one loose but the black line was broken in two places. I came up with some vacuum line to join the black lines and salvaged a gray rubber 90 and joined the two gray ends together. The gray line is going down to the heater hose temperature vacuum solenoid. That is the only place that I see where it could have gone. Now I have the dash vents blowing again.
In caps! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS AND YOUR EXPERIENCE!
So many things on these Explorers have I yet to experience!

 

[410Fortune]

Those poor vacuum lines they get so brittle after 20+ years… look at them wrong and snap

I have a roll of soft vacuum tubing I use to make splices hahaha and having about 10 crush trucks outside does not hurt. Some of
MyFord Ranger parts are making their way into the classics…that 77 bronco we just did, the orange one, needed a vacuum line for the c4 auto modulator… so it got some Ranger bits. Now the 71 Chevy c10 we are building with 94 lt1 and 4l60 is getting a 92 explorer power down box and a 99 explorer inertia switch lol
Put a little ford Ranger in your Chevy!!

Glad the ac is working and dash is switching, you need ac right now more then the rest of us!!

 

[allmyEXes]

@410Fortune The owner of the gold 1967 Mustang that is sent you the picture of the 1998 Explorer rear glass gas struts on his trunk lid, was very excited to see that upgrade. Now he wont get hit by the falling deck lid.
I would put a picture here if I could get pics from my antique flip phone to PC.