'94 Ford Ranger A/C

Jun 20, 2006 3 Replies
N

I have a 1994 Ford Ranger 4.0L 5 speed. Until recently, the A/C cooled just fine. Now the air does not seem as cool as it should be. In the cool of the morning, it cools OK. In the heat of the day, when you turn the AC on, there is a noise (not quite a grind - maybe more of a wobble) as the compressor engages. Nothing in the front of the compressor feels loose. I had a friend who had gauges look and the refrigerant does not appear low (low pressure side).


Is this a symptom of the A/C clutch or compressor? Is it better to replace both?


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B

Yep, symptom points to something around clutch/compressor.

UNLESS the high side reading was higher than it should be.. he should have noted that. {this might happen if the system was converted to 134a improperly}

However, given the noise, I would GUESS clutch compressor or both.

If you replace the compressor, replace the orifice and accumulator at same time and flush the system with proper flush fluid.

Unless you're not keeping the truck.. in which case pity the next owner.

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S

With the wobble, could be just the pulley bearing on the clutch wore out, but how would that impact the cooling ability? Maybe the clutch is not engaging correctly, impacting the compressor's performance?

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S

check the high and low pressure and report back. A compressor can make noise and work fine, and it can make noise an explode. Bottom line is the pressures. You can tell if the compressor is good by looking at the high AND low.

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