1998 Ford Taurus SHO Air Conditioning Repair Help
My '98 Taurus Sho air conditioner has problems. The first thing is it would take a while for any cool air to come out, that happened two weeks before the next problem. I took a drive, it was working fine. I shut the car off at my destination and when I started the engine to leave, no cool air came out. I pushed all the buttons in different combinations to see if it would come back on, no luck. I shut it off completely. Appox 20 minutes later I turned it back on to see if it would work, no luck again. Then the compressor motor started making a loud squealing noise. It didn't squeal when the vent, for outside air, was turned on. I'm thinking the compressor might need to be replaced. The Chilton's manual just says to consult an air conditioning professional. I would rather fix it myself, save the expense and not get ripped off. Here are my questions: 1. Where is the Orifice Tube located? 2. Do all the covers really need to be taken off and if not, can you give me any advice on how to replace it with out having to take everything off? 3. Does anyone know where I can locate a step by step troubleshooting/replacement/schematic manual or reputable web site? 4. Would my air conditioning problem cause my car to over heat? 5. Do you think it might be something other then the compressor and if so what could it be? Thanks for the help!
Answer:
If you have no air-conditioner experience I highly recommend taking it to a professional. It not as simple as replacing a compressor and shooting the juice to it. After the system has been opened and exposed to the outside atmosphere you must pull a good strong vacuum to remove air/moisture & then must hold that vacuum for 30 minutes or so to ensure there are no leaks. You will need gauges and a vacuum pump. I agree with jwko, the knowledge is just as necessary as the proper tools on this one. You could handle the actual compressor swap and have the a/c tech. do the rest, but you would probably be better off to let them handle the whole job.