Inspection and Verification

It is possible to detect problem causes by a careful visual inspection of the air conditioner refrigerant system. This includes broken drive belt (8620), obstructed air passages, a loose A/C clutch (2884), loose or broken mounting brackets, disconnected or broken wires and many refrigerant leaks.

A refrigerant leak will usually appear as an oily residue at the leakage point in the system. The oily residue soon picks up dust or dirt particles from the surrounding air and appears greasy. Through time, this will build up and appear to be a heavy dirt-impregnated grease.

For 1996, Ford has begun introducing a fluorescent tracer dye part number 112-R0040 into R-134a refrigerant systems to aid in locating A/C system leaks. This tracer dye is visible through the use of a Rotunda 120 Watt UV Light 164-R0721 or equivalent. The tracer dye introduced in assembly is effective for locating refrigerant system leaks for one season only. If a system requires the use of tracer dye beyond one season it must be reintroduced into the system. Refer to Leak Tracer Dye in the Service Procedures portion of this section.

Most common leaks are caused by damaged or missing O-ring seals at the various hose and component connections. When these O-rings are replaced, lubricate the new O-rings with refrigerant oil. Be careful to keep shop towel lint from contaminating the internal surfaces of the connection. Leakage may occur at a spring lock coupling if the wrong O-rings are used at the coupling. Use only the O-rings listed in the Ford Master Parts Catalog for the spring lock coupling.

If the system contains no refrigerant or is extremely low on refrigerant, the A/C clutch will not engage for compressor operation. A rapid cycling A/C clutch is usually an indication that the system is low on refrigerant. Also, cycling will normally not occur when the engine is operating at curb idle speed.