Hey all, I am new here.

I bought a manual 1993 Ford Ranger 4.0 4x4 about 6 months ago and I have been having a couple problems with it. Of course, when you buy a 27 year old truck you do not expect perfection but I figured I would come here for some advice.

Number one: My AC blows room temp air, I know there is a couple threads on here about fixing it but to be honest, I do not know here to start, I was told by the previous owner that there is a leak and that there is already dye for me to get it looked at, but I would like to recharge it with new dye and see where it is leaking, I do not know what to buy, I know R134a isn't meant for it, but I am confused what this "freon" stuff is.

Number two: Since it is a manual, I have been having some gearbox problems. Sometimes when it is parked on an incline or decline the gearbox locks up and I cannot get the shifter in any gear without grinding, For the problem to be fixed I have to shut the truck off and start 'er back up again and it goes right back in gear if I hold the clutch in. I have been told it might be a bad clutch cable but I am just coming here for another opinion.

Thanks guys.

 

Welcome to the forum

Don't run the AC, if it had a leak then its drained and you will burn out the compressor

Problem is 1993 was the last year allowed for R12 "freon", after that, 1994, all cars had to use R134a
In 2021 they all need to use R1234yf, just FYI

So the problem is you can't mix R12 and R134a, now a 27 year old AC system should have been switched over to R134a by now, so LOOK FOR A STICKER to see if its been changed
And R12 wasn't manufactured after 1996, so hard to find but it is out there, as reclaimed R12

Google: R12 to R134a what's needed

If you find it has been changed to R134a then you will need to get a can of r134a with dye, and add it to the system
Loads of videos on how to do that, its not complicated


Rangers all have hydraulic clutches, like brakes, the clutch pedal has a master cylinder and inside the bell housing is a slave cylinder
When you press down the clutch pedal the master pushes fluid down a tube into the slave, the slave expands and disengages the clutch disc

Image here: https://static.cargurus.com/images/s...-1600x1200.gif

There is a reservoir in the engine bay, take off the cap and pull out the AIR CUP, if its still in there, add Dot 3 or 4 Brake fluid if its low, if reservoir runs dry then you hve air inside the system and will have to bleed it, just like bleeding a brake system

Google: Ford Ranger clutch bleeding

Your described symptoms reads like clutch is not disengaging fully, so air in the system

 

Thank you! You have no idea how helpful this is.

 

This isn't true though. These cars have a low pressure cutout switch located by the accumulator. If you set the car to AC with no refrigerant, the compressor does nothing. My 1993 was like that for a long time. The compressor only came back after I recharged the system.

OP you need 44 ounces of R12 refrigerant. I doubt the system was changed over but you should make an effort to see if it was. You'll need a standard manifold gauge set, vacuum pump, and a scale. I saw R12 cans on ebay. if they are 12 oz cans you need 4 of them. Vacuum your system down to 30 inches mercury or 500 microns, and make sure it holds for 10-20 minutes. What I want you to do now is listen closely. Screw your can onto the yellow hose, and fill it into the low side port. The vacuum will suck it in. When that can is empty I want you to place the empty can on your scale and weigh it. Now throw the can away. Go ahead and try to add your next can. If it takes, great. If not, youll have to start the engine to do the rest. When you get to the final can you will need only 8 of the 12 ounces. Place that can on the scale and subtract the weight of the empty can from the weight on the scale to get the remaining ounces of refrigerant in your final can. You stop when you get down to 4 ounces.

If you don't know anything about hvac systems I would advise not messing with it and paying a shop to handle it. Refrigeration requires a bunch of special tools that you may not have, and some special knowledge beforehand so you don't screw things up. Not saying you cant do it, but it's one of those things better left to the pros if you have doubts. If you bring it over to me i can do it in a jiffy.