I having do different problems with the a/c. First being if I dont use it for a few days then go to turn it on it causes the engine to go to 500 rpms then jump up the 900 until the compressor goes off. And the is a whine when it kicks on. It will only do it for about ten minutes or until i rev it a few times. I not sure if there is a bearing in there that could be going but what ever it is there is a red residue on the pulley or clutch what ever its call after it starts acting up.


The second problems is the compressor doesnt shut off at WOT. Which wouldnt be a problem if I didnt have to merge into rush hour traffic everyday. I can tell when it kicks on because there will be a loss in power unless i turn it off and there is a whine unless I turn it off almost as if there is a dry or worn out bearing. I was thinking bout picking up a can of R-134 with oil but I dont want to mess with the system and chance it not getting cold...every vehicle I have tried to put that stuff in it would get gold.

Do you guys think i should just suck it up and buy a can and put it in to help with the whine. I can live with it not turning off at wot because its ICE COLD when I lay into it its just annoying that its not working right

 

I think you should make your own decision. Be a man and make the call. I'm not trying to be rude.

 

Well i dont what to attempt to put a 5 buck can in that will cost me a 150 again like it has in other vehicles unless some one else has do it and it worked just fine

 

a bad bearing woudn't give you a whine noise, it would be a knocking noise, thats all the advice i can give ya

 

That could also be caused by a bad IAC. I had the same issue. As long as the compressor was running, it would be fine. As soon as the compressor would kick off, most of the times, RPMs would drop to 500 and the engine would stumble. I also noticed that as long as I was on fan speed 2 or higher, I didn't have those issues. If it was on fan speed 1 (the lowest setting), it would exhibit this problem 95% of the time (At idle and in gear (At a stop light), in park and just idling, etc). I have no idea about the noise you are hearing.

The throttle position sensor is responsible for telling the PCM that you are at WOT. It may not be showing the proper voltage and that’s why your ac compressor isn’t turning off. Sorry I can't be more help with that, maybe Bob, rwenzing, knows more details.

I know that on some Rangers, even with the pedal all the way to the floor, the butterfly valve isn't open all the way. There is a "mod" to fix that by taking some of the slack off the throttle cable by tying it with a zip tie (Search the forums, I’m sure you will find a lot of information on that). There is an easy check for this. Have someone depress the gas pedal, with the engine off, all the way to the floor while you have the intake off and look at the butterfly valve.

You have a 2004, isn't it under warranty? If it is, take it to the dealer and have them fix it. All of what you are describing should be covered under the 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty.

You shouldn't have to be adding freon and lube to a 2004 AC system. If it's a bad bearing, oil won’t help, only a new compressor will.

 

RangerEdge02 that was the answer i was looking for. I got 60,000 miles so warranty is a no go. I thought that it was because the throttle cable might be getting some play and cause it not to be at true wot but that was check and it all good. I will toy around more with it this weekend. Any one know how to tell if the IAC is bad or not.

 

What you could try to see if it would help is to remove your negative battery cable for 15-20 minutes. Put it back on and let the truck idle for 15 minutes w/ the ac off and not reving it. Then put your truck in drive, while depressing the brake pedal so you don't run over anyone/thing lol, and let it idle for 1 minute. Then turn on your AC on and let it idle for 1 minute. Put your truck back to park (leave the ac on) and let it idle for another minute.

See if that helps with the RPM issue. Reason I say it may be the IAC is A, I had the same RPM issues and B, seems the IAC is a common replacement with the Rangers, especially if you are running an oiled air filter.

When the IAC is bad, you get weird idle issues. It will act like it trys to stall, rpms will drop to 500 or lower or jump over 1,000 to 1,500 or 2,000 RPMs then drop to 700 where it should be at or it will drop to 500 as you are coming to a stop or idling (Example...when AC clutch kicks off) None of these issues occur when you are driving though since you are at part throttle. Only when your foot is off the gas pedal...IE: At or coming to a stop sign/red light, idling in neutral or in park.



Ford lists this as a test for the IAC in the Shop Manual:

FUNCTION

l Key on, engine running.

l Bring engine to normal operating temperature.

l Transmission in PARK or NEUTRAL.

l Disconnect IAC valve.

l Does the rpm drop or engine stall?

Yes
KEY OFF, normal.

No
KEY OFF. INSPECT throttle body for damage. REPLACE IAC valve. RESET Keep Alive Random Access Memory (RAM) (Procedure I listed above).

 

Im having this same problem with mine......idles drop when the AC compressor kicks on, and its not cold when it does it because no freon is being pumped through, i was told about the battery thing so im going to try that and see....

Rocky