If you can, how much would the labor cost? Just curious, this is the 6th year with no AC in my car HAHA and it sucks. I am not sure its worth getting it fix, but if the price is right I might get it done.

6/1/2011 8:13:42 AM

How do you know it's the compressor? Did you have a refrigerant leak that ended up starving the compressor for oil and lock it up?

Unfortunately, the refrigerant leak/locked up compressor issue is a big one for Fords, and the factory FS10 compressor is definitely known to lock up pretty easily if starved for oil.

If this happens, it literally fills the system with lots of fine metal and teflon particles from the pistons, piston seals, and swashplate...and that will require replacing a LOT of the components in the system (condenser, receiver/dryer, orifice tube, maybe the evaporator, in addition to the compressor).

If it's just a clutch failure, then things look a lot more favorable. Don't bank on it.

It's not going to be cheap. The labor alone will easily be over 250 for the favorable scenario, easily twice to three times that if the other stuff has to be replaced.

6/1/2011 11:18:00 AM

I don't know its the compressor, but I know a little about cars and I believe it is the compressor gone bad. I don't hear that 'click' you are suppose to hear when you power up your AC. I know my knowledge is not good as yours so what else can I listen or look for to help determine what is the problem? Is this what I could possibly need?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-A-C-AC-COMPRESSOR-AND-DRIER-KIT-101300-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQfitsZMakeQ3aFordQ7cModelQ3aEscortQ7cSubmodelQ3aQ5AX2QQhashZitem3cb81b955bQQitemZ260786853211QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

6/1/2011 8:11:35 PM

1. Can you turn the compressor driven plate (the part with the three pucks) by hand? It may require some effort, but you should be able to do it. Try with an 8mm socket on the center nut if not by hand.

2. Do you know system refrigerant levels? You need to verify that there's even enough refrigerant in the system to trigger the low pressure cutout switch (so it doesn't cut out!). A cheap ass low side pressure gauge alone will suffice in this case, as high and low side pressures will be equal when the system's not running. If pressure is below about 20-25 psi, then the system won't come on, period.

3. Have you checked the compressor clutch coil continuity? how about current at the clutch coil plug when the climate controls are turned on?

Those are 3 good things to start with. Don't start throwing money at it unless you use a good process of elimination to determine exactly what's wrong.

If you determine that the refrigerant level is low (or nonexistent), you will need to determine where it went, and this is when you start the fun task of finding the ever-elusive R134 leak. This stuff is probably about the toughest stuff to find, leakwise. It leaks easier, through smaller voids than the old R12 or even R22 (NOT found in cars) does. It doesn't set off corona discharge type halogen detectors nearly as easily as R12 or R22. Just takes a lot of patience.

You might find that a leak might be pretty easily found using ultraviolet dye. Sometimes, stubborn leaks are fairly easily found using dye and letting it run through the system for a week or two.

The hardest leaks to find are evaporator cores (the little radiator in the dash), as they are completely enclosed and hard as hell to get to.

Let me know if you need assistance with this.

6/2/2011 12:14:10 AM