Air Conditioning: Notes

The main A/C refrigerant system is a clutch cycling orifice tube type and the auxiliary A/C refrigerant system is a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) system. The system components are the following:

• A/C compressor
• A/C condenser core
• A/C evaporator core
• Suction accumulator
• Connecting refrigerant lines

The refrigeration system operation is controlled by the:

• evaporator core orifice tube.
• A/C cycling switch.
• A/C pressure transducer.
• thermostatic expansion valve.

The refrigerant system incorporates an A/C compressor controlled by the powertrain control module (PCM) through an A/C clutch relay.

The A/C cycling switch senses evaporator core pressure to control A/C compressor operation.

An evaporator core orifice tube is installed in the condenser to evaporator line to meter the liquid refrigerant into the evaporator core.

The A/C compressor clutch will only be engaged by the PCM if all of the following conditions are met:

• The climate control assembly is set to a mode which provides an A/C request to the PCM.
• The A/C cycling switch is not open due to a lower than acceptable pressure on the low pressure side of the refrigerant system.
• The A/C pressure transducer is reading an acceptable pressure in the high side of the refrigerant system.
• The A/C compressor relay is switched to the closed position by the PCM.
• The engine coolant temperature is not excessively high.
• The PCM has not detected a wide open throttle (WOT) condition.

An A/C compressor pressure relief valve is installed in the compressor manifold and tube assembly to protect the refrigerant system against excessively high refrigerant pressures.