A/C issue. I don't think its the DCCV

diskfunktional

diskfunktional

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I've been searching for awhile just reading up on everybody's problems trying to pinpoint the symptoms the LS is having.

I just recently had the car into a Lincoln dealership for a full bench test on all the coils and replacement etc... The car runs great and I'm back up to 25mpg avg. However today I went to turn on my a/c and its not cold! :shifty: Now I swear to the big guy that I had cold a/c before I took it into the dealership. I've contacted them and my service guy will be talking to the mechanic tomorrow morning and getting back to me. I'm thinking they may have left something unplugged or somehow air got into the lines.

I've somewhat ruled out the DCCV because in prior posts if 90* temp control created hotter air than any other temp the DCCV is functioning properly. Now I've done ALOT of reading so if I've mixed this up please correct me.

I've read that even with a prolonged misfire the PCM will shut off the a/c. How is it turned back on if this happens? Naturally by the PCM or maybe a reset process. (I've disconnected the battery and drained residual electricity in the system to no avail)

This is all I've found as far as a belt diagram.
77C3ABB.jpg

Now from the looks of it I'm assuming the lowest pulley on the right side is the A/C unit. Heres a picture of mine (assuming this is the A/C)
IMG_20110510_190918.jpg


Now from this angle its hard to tell but it was running when I took the picture with the A/C on. IF what I read is correct shouldn't the inner part of this pulley (little nut looking deal) be spinning when the A/C is turned on? Basically the clutch in there is not connecting to even turn the system on? Am I on the right path?

I'm going to have a HVAC specialist come and pressure test my system and add refrigerant if necessary. I'm hoping I just need refrigerant as thats the cheapest option.

Any ideas? Sorry for the long ass post I just want to be thorough.
 
I PMed Joe earlier about the situation here is his reply.
joegr said:
The place to start is to look at the AC compressor clutch. When you turn the AC on (engine running) the center part of the clutch should spin with the outer part. When you turn it off, it should stop.
If it cycle on and off a lot, then it's probably low on refrigerant. If it doesn't come on at all, maybe they disconnected something. I know that on gen II there is no reason to mess with anything AC related when changing the coils. I don't know about gen I.

Gen I:
Press FLOOR and OFF at the same time to get any stored trouble codes.
Press PANEL and OFF at the same time to do a self test and see any faults present now.

(This is what I've heard for gen I)
Click to expand...


Instead of replying to him in PM and cluttering up his box I'll reply here.

The self diagnosis has shown that I have no stored faulty codes or any present faulty codes. So at this point I'd say its safe to rule out the DCCV. Now just as I expected the clutch itself is not engaging. I'll hopefully find out more tomorrow to see if Lincoln will fix this on their own dime and time. The issue never happened until I took it in for service.


Where is the plug located for the A/C clutch? I've checked all the fuses and they seem alright. I don't know how to check the #13 relay if its working properly though and honestly don't know what that would effect anyway. IS there any reason they would mess with cooling components during a full coil replacement?
 
The plug for the clutch is right behind the clutch. However, there are at least two other connectors (high and low pressure switches) that will stop the clutch if not plugged in.

You either have a disconnected wire, very low refrigerant, or a bad clutch.

It is possible that it's unrelated to the recent work.


Look on the under side of the AC compressor. If it's oily, a common leak point is where the two halves of the compressor join. (Oily indicates that it's leaking.)
 
I couldn't see the connectors but I'll do more searching later. The car does have a full Zeibart underbody coating and iodized treatment. Just by feeling the residue on the bottom of the compressor it didn't feel like oil but it could be mixed in with what looks like overspray to me.

Heres some pictures I just took after you recommended I check out the underside of the compressor.
IMG_20110510_210619.jpg

IMG_20110510_210443.jpg

IMG_20110510_210603.jpg
 
Not to sound like an arse, but we all over look some real basic stuff some times. You did check all of the fuses first right?
 
Yeah I did check all the fuses. Thanks tho sometimes it is just the little things. I'm hoping this is an easy solution :crosses fingers!:
 
Yeah, I don't see any signs that it leaked at the compressor. That's good news.
 
Good to hear, I talked to the Lincoln techs and of course they are denying they had anything to do with the A/C system suddenly failing. They want $60 to check the pressures and $180 to check the electrical. So I'm going to do everything I can to prevent that. I took a video of what I'm assuming is the "stored" codes. However I have no idea how to read them. Maybe the codes could lead me (us) to a plug thats not plugged in or something.
 
Okay. One simple thing is to get one of those cheap refrigerant pressure check gauges. Here's an example;
http://www.harborfreight.com/r-134a-refrigerant-gauge-95808.html

Check the pressure with the engine off, and you should have over 35 PSI. If you do, then you'll know that the problem is electrical or a failed low pressure switch. If you have little to no pressure, then you'll know that the refrigerant leaked out somewhere.
 
Thank you I will pick one of those up in the next couple hours and report back. Are there common leak points for our A/C systems?
 
diskfunktional said:
Thank you I will pick one of those up in the next couple hours and report back. Are there common leak points for our A/C systems?
Click to expand...

I've seen slight leaking at the connectors to the condenser. I assume that any connection point is to be suspected. Usually you can tell because it will be a little bit oily around the connection. In general, evaporators can be a leak failure point, but I haven't really heard of this problem with the LS.
 
I haven't seen that display sequence before. I don't think there were any error codes displayed.
 
Haha weird isn't it? I don't even know what that would mean or why thats needed?

So basically everything is leaning towards a non-electrical issue? Once I test my low side pressure I'll obviously have alot more information to go off. I'll see if I can find that gauge locally
 
Can't buy that gauge locally because I live in WI. Basically anyone who uses R134a would have this gauge tho correct? A family friend a licensed R134a tech, more residential than auto but non the less.

I'm going to see if they can simply check my low-side pressure and possibly re-fill for a case of beer. AS any auto shop around here will not be to kind with the prices.
 
diskfunktional said:
Can't buy that gauge locally because I live in WI. Basically anyone who uses R134a would have this gauge tho correct? A family friend a licensed R134a tech, more residential than auto but non the less.
Click to expand...

Sure you can...any auto parts store or WalMart will have r134a and a low-side gauge.
 
Not in WI. Its banned for sale to the public. Don't know why but some places won't even ship to here
 
diskfunktional said:
Not in WI. Its banned for sale to the public. Don't know why but some places won't even ship to here
Click to expand...

That is ridiculous. It is worth it just to spend a few dollars and get EPA 609 certified, then.

Besides, you should still be able to buy the gauge without certification, which would at least allow you to troubleshoot a little bit even though you could not charge the system.
 
diskfunktional said:
Not in WI. Its banned for sale to the public. Don't know why but some places won't even ship to here
Click to expand...

I wonder if a push over type tire pressure gauge wouldn't work well enough to check for pressure. It'd probably be worth a try.
 
Thats what I was thinking when I saw the connection. I won't risk leaking R134a when I mate up the tire gauge right?

N I will let a qualified technician work on my A/C components. AFTER I troubleshoot the problem so I'm not paying $110/hr for them to figure it out.
 
diskfunktional said:
Thats what I was thinking when I saw the connection. I won't risk leaking R134a when I mate up the tire gauge right?

N I will let a qualified technician work on my A/C components. AFTER I troubleshoot the problem so I'm not paying $110/hr for them to figure it out.
Click to expand...

R134a is not so toxic as to be worried about the small amount that will escape when you put the gauge on.
 
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