Burrosito

Hey guys, wondering if anyone can help on my second vehicle - 2002 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6. 116,xxx miles.

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. Bought it used about 15,000 miles ago, and even then it would blow out ice cold air almost immediately after startup.

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.

petrock

When ever there is an electrical problem, I always check to make sure the battery is good first. Strange, often unexplainable things happen when they start running low on juice. I'd ask your buddy to do a voltage and load test on your battery to see if its still good. If its not, then definitely replace it. While he's in there have him check out the alternator to make sure that it is adequately recharging the battery as you drive. If its not, replace it. Once that is figured out, see if the A/C issue remains.

Note: most autoparts stores (Kragen, Autozone, Pepboys etc) will do a free battery and alternator check. Just call ahead and ask.