How to Troubleshoot the A/C in a Ford Explorer
- 1). Set the air-conditioning dash controls to "Max" air conditioning and "Medium" blower speed on the Ford. Turn the engine off, and open the hood.
- 2). Remove the dust cap and attach the high pressure-side quick-disconnect fitting, on the red hose of the gauge set, to the service port. On the Taurus, the high-pressure service port is located in the front, passenger side, of the engine compartment. It will be sticking up from the high-pressure line, just behind the radiator.
- 3). Attach the blue hose, low pressure-side, quick-disconnect fitting to the low-pressure fitting located on the accumulator attached to the passenger side of the firewall. Screw the knob, on both quick-disconnect fittings, in all the way to open the service port.
- 4). Start the engine and allow the pressures in the system to stabilize when the compressor comes on. If the compressor comes on, read the gauges. A normally operating system will have a low pressure-side reading of 30 psi to 40 psi, and a high pressure-side reading of 250 psi to 350 psi.
- 5). Replace the compressor if the system pressures are nearly equal while the compressor is running. Replace the liquid line if the high-pressure reading is very high. Add refrigerant if the low pressure-side is low, and the compressor cycles off frequently. Check the fuses if the system has more than 75 psi on both sides, and the compressor doesn't come on. If the fuse is good, check the low-pressure switch on the accumulator by probing the two wires with a test light. If the light turns on when the test light touches one wire but not the other, replace the switch.
