Hey guys - I've got a 2002 Ranger Edge 3.0 V6.

Here's the problem - The A/C in the truck blows ice cold air. The only problem is that at almost every start up, it blows humid/warm air for about 5-10 minutes before switching over to ice cold air.

I checked under the hood and watched, and yeah it's about 5-10 minutes before the clutch engages on the compressor. Thought about checking the shims but a mechanic I work with says that the gap is fine. He did a little poking and prodding with his volt meter and tester, and even called up another mechanic buddy of his and between them told me that it's most likely the PCM that is acting up. He said that maybe a reboot on the PCM using an IBS (????) computer might do the trick, or worst getting a new PCM.

Boo.

Here's one more thing - while we were doing the tests, we left the key in the 'on' position for a measely five min., and unfortunately that was enough to kill the battery for whatever reason. The sticker on the battery says June of 2007, but it's some off brand I've never heard of (Economy, I believe). We charged it for about 30-45 min. I realized later on the ride home that the battery light was on. After a couple of shut offs and starts it disappeared. And oddly enough for a few errands I ran that day the A/C ran great, exactly how it should have - blowing ice cold air almost immediately after every start up through out the day. That was Saturday. Now Sunday night, I tried it again and alas, it's back to it's wait 5+ min before the clutch engages and blows icy cold air.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Advice? Fixes? Could it be possible the battery is just shiat and taking a dump and not providing enough powah? Time for a new one? The car has been running fine other than the A/C taking a dump lately. PCM? Should I try charging the freon for whatever reason?

Any help on the matter would greatly be appreciated.