Air Conditioning: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer and 2005 Ford Explorer. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The A/C refrigerant system is a clutch cycling orifice tube type. The system components are:

A/C compressor.
A/C condenser core.
A/C evaporator core.
suction accumulator.
connecting refrigerant lines.

The refrigeration system operation is controlled by the:

evaporator core orifice tube.
A/C cycling switch.
A/C compressor pressure relief valve.
A/C high-pressure cutoff switch.

The refrigerant system incorporates an A/C compressor controlled by the powertrain control module (PCM) through an A/C clutch relay.

The A/C cycling switch senses evaporator core pressure to control A/C compressor operation.

An evaporator core orifice tube is installed in the condenser-to-evaporator line to meter the liquid refrigerant into the evaporator core.

The A/C compressor clutch will only be engaged by the PCM if all of the following conditions are met:

The climate control assembly is set to a mode which provides an A/C request to the PCM.
The A/C cycling switch is reading an acceptable evaporator core pressure.
The A/C high-pressure cutoff switch is not open due to excessive pressure in the high side of the refrigerant system.
The A/C compressor relay is switched to the closed position by the PCM.
The engine coolant temperature is not excessively high.
The PCM has not detected a wide open throttle (WOT) condition.

An A/C compressor pressure relief valve is installed in the compressor manifold and tube assembly to protect the refrigerant system against excessively high refrigerant pressures.