2003 Crown Victoria AC Problem (retired cruiser)

Hi, I have a 2003 Crown Vic (retired cruiser). The AC is ice cold but has a mind of it’s own with regard to when it wants to operate. Some days it will start in 5 minutes, some days 45 minutes. When it refuses to start, I see no voltage on the clutch. When I turn the AC on, the idle will go up. If I unplug the sensor on the tank, the idle will go back down, this I think is telling me there is enough freon?? I always thought a low sensor would only fault if the system was basically empty. I do get ice cold air when it wants to work. I put a cheapo gauge (DIY kit) on the suction line and it reads high with the compressor refusing to run. When it finally starts, it will pull down into the ‘green’ for needs gas sometimes but not always. Kind of confused and considering your video http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ah4OEeCu1KE but not sure about the freon charge…… Oh, and I don’t think it is the WOT relay a I did everything in the driveway today and never touched the pedal. thx”

OK, since it blows freezing cold WHEN it does work, then it’s not low on refrigerant. You have some type of electrical problem, and on a Ford, it could be LOTS of places. The pressure switch on the AC often go bad intermittantly, so bypass the switch and see if it works all the time. Replace the switch if this is the case. BUT, realize that your AC is a complex computer operated system, and anything from the control head in the dash to the wiring to the AC relay to even the thermostatic temperature switch inside the evaporator case can be the problem. That’s why my video shows how to bypass all that computer nonsense and wire power directly to the AC clutch. I just did one on Friday and it blew cold as ice ALL the time when I was done. It took less than half an hour to do. You can easily do this yourself.