Air Conditioning

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Ater only 19,000 miles, my air conditioning quit, would not work at all today. It worked fine last night coming home from work, but this morning, all it did was blow hot air at me. I got a boss for that, don't need my truck doing it, too. I'm scheduled to take it in Monday but was hoping some of you could tell me what to look for, maybe I can fix it myself, if it's not the compressor or a leak. Are the switches vacuum operated? The blower works. I hate to have to remove the Edge just to get the AC fixed !

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Memo to the less-than-detail-oriented: My screen name is Briar with 2 "R's", not an "N" as in "Brian". Thank you!The "Fuzzy Mule" is: 2001 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad Cab,all black(Sport pkg. ) Cummins24v, 5speed, 3. 54,all options including leather , AMSOIL Dual Remote bypass oil filter,AMSOIL air filter,Westin black nerf bars, limo tint,DeeZee Platinum toolbox painted black to match, Line-X bedliner , Isspro boost and pyro gauges in dash pod from BD, PowerEdge, Grover air horns,4" custom welded dual exhaust "Muncie style" (Thanks, Stack'd & Jack'd ! )
Great Lakes TDR member (our brotherhood rocks! )
NRA Life/Endowment member(it's about freedom, not guns!)
97 Skeeter 17' bass boat, Yamaha 115, white,gold, & black

 

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My compressor went out when my truck was about 6 months old- replaced under warranty.
Does your compressor run (clutch engaged) when you turn it on? If not, could be no refrigerant, bad clutch or wiring, or bad pressure switch. Hook up gauges to determine refrigerant, check for current @ clutch, jumper pressure switch to test. If compressor runs, could be problem with blend air doors or low refrigerant. Good luck.

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Bill Lins Wharton, TX 98 2500 QC SLT,12 (the CORRECT # of)valves,NV4500,3. 54 LSD,Manik grille guard,Psychotty Air,Amsoil everywhere, Reading aluminum utility body and bumper,Optima yellow tops- silencer ring, cat,& muffler all stolen.

 

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Briar,
Find the low pressure switch on the dryer and tap on it. I had a 89 gmc that went thru 7 in two years. No explenation from dealer. They did the same thing, work great one day then nothing the next. Finally bought on from a dealer in Dallas and that one stayed on it till I sold it!!!
Good luck... ... .

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92 Ext. Cab, Auto trans. , 3. 54 Non-LS, Isspro Tach and Pyro (pre-turbo), 200,500+ miles, old and abused but still running strong!!!!

 

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Sounds like a bad low pressure switch. It is the lil doo-dad located on top of the accumulator. Has a couple of wires connected to it. I had one go bad on my '98. 5.

 

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Thanks guys ! I'll try all that and let you know what I find out.

 

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14 months and 36,427 miles the compressor on my 98 went , i had to pay 100 dedcutible of my extended to get it fixed , in 14 months it should have been replaced for free , look in the fuse box under the hood for a fuse for the a/c compressor clutch , if it's blown its probably the compressor

 

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This is my 4th straight 12 hour night in a row at work, I haven't had much time to look at the A/C system on my truck, but managed to do so today.
This is embarassing, 30 years of experience in one mechanical trade or another, including automotive, and I still made a mistake this big... I've chosen to share it in the hopes it may save other members the same headache/heartache. When I installed the Amsoil bypass filter system(BMK-15, dual filters) I ended up mounting it under the radiator crossmember. I chose to use stainless braided oil lines running from the engine-mounted adapter to the filter block. I failed to tie wrap or otherwise protect them from rubbing, and one of the lines sawed through the aluminum freon tube that runs from the compressor to the accumulator. If I'd used the original Amsoil oil lines, the oil line would have been first to go, and I might have lunched my engine. Cheaper to fix the A/C than rebuild an oil-starved engine ! Needless to say, my warranty certainly won't cover this. I'm simply going to keep my appointment at the dealership, show them what I've done, and see what the parts will cost. I may be able to repair it myself, and let them recharge the system for me, or have an independent do it.
To summarize, where and how you route your oil and fuel lines, and wires, on any aftermarket installation is very critical. Checking for damage from time to time is also a good idea.
To all those who came to my rescue on this thread, my thanks !

 

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Yup, I know from having a small fortune in braided steel under the hood of my '79 F250, that those hoses can't be allowed to rub on anything. Heat shrink tubing or better yet a length of old split heater hose ty-wrapped over the braided steel in the critical areas will eliminate this problem. I have a 9 year old catalog from Earl's, it shows a braided hose called "Ruff Stuff", I don't know if they still make it. The description says, "Ruff Stuff is simply Perform-O-Flex hose with a thin covering of extruded synthetic rubber to prevent the stainless braid from causing damage through abrasion. " Whenever I do install braided steel hoses, this is what I'm planning on using. I have a bypass filtration kit still in the box, riding around in the back of my truck. A lot of good it's doing there!
Thanks for posting your "learn from my mistake" reply, others will benefit from it.
Andy