North American Turbocoupe Organization



service info for 87 ford thunder bird
primetimeauto Offline
Junior Member
#1
I cant seem to access and service info for this vehicle. It currently has been retro fitted to 134a and all climate control light blink. compressor runs pressures look good but go cold air.
and in sight would be appreciated.
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Kuch Offline
Senior Member
#2
Primetime, I think we need a little more info on this one. Does the compressor run normally when turned to A/C, does it run when you have the HVAC on defrost, is the air cold, just not cold enough, was the pump changed out when it was converted to 134? If you have the auto climate control and you say all the lights blink, did it do that before? You may have a bad auto climate control unit in the dash, do any of the other features on that work, such as the heat selection?
1988 Turbo Coupe, Black/Black, 5 Speed, Moonroof,  T3/T4, ported E6, 255LPH, Kirban, Stinger Exhaust, MGW shifter, K&N, Gillis valve, BP1.5, PIMPx, Koni's
1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL, 390 6V, Big Solid cam, Headers,3.89's, 4 Speed, Vast and fast
1960 Ford Starliner, 292 Y Block, 312 4bbl intake, headers, 3 Speed, slow and low
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#3
(06-14-2021, 02:46 PM);primetimeauto Wrote: I cant seem to access and service info for this vehicle. It currently has been retro fitted to 134a and all climate control light blink. compressor runs pressures look good but go cold air.
and in sight would be appreciated.

Here’s some questions for you:

What compressor are you running? Is it the HR980–does it look like this one?

[Image: 2021-06-15%2004.33.20.jpg?dl=0]

(I’m asking mostly for my own curiosity.)

And you say the high and low side pressures are acceptable, but there are blinking lights on the a/c panel? Is it an EATC unit—i.e., all electronic with digital temp display and indicator lights? And there is no blower motor activity?

There are a series of diagnostic tests that you can run to pinpoint the cause of the trouble—but it sounds like there is something wrong with that control unit. There are no user serviceable parts inside and no adjustments can be made to it, so what I would do is locate another unit. It should be fairly easy to find, if you ask here on this forum. I’d bet there are several just sitting in old parts boxes.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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Rob H Offline
Senior Member
#4
Please follow this link to a handy guide regarding the blinking climate control display.
Blinking Climate Control
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JT Offline
Posting Freak
#5
(06-16-2021, 09:08 PM)Rob H Wrote: Please follow this link to a handy guide regarding the blinking climate control display.
Blinking Climate Control


Agree with Rob. The blinking lights on the head unit don't necessarily mean there is an issue with the head unit itself. The system is electronic and uses several sensors, unlike the manual HVAC, and the blinking lights could indicate a simple sensor fault that's not the fault of the head unit itself.
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#6
(06-16-2021, 09:08 PM)Rob H Wrote: Please follow this link to a handy guide regarding the blinking climate control display.
Blinking Climate Control

Might I point out that—until we know more about this issue—the Blinking Climate Control test could mean very little.

Was the vehicle serviced properly upon the changeover to R-134a? What caused the conversion—locked-up compressor, or something else? What compressor is currently running? Were the lines properly flushed out? Were there modifications to the a/c control system wiring? We have all either seen personally or at least heard of some monstrous DIY attempts at repair. Before any serious diagnoses can be made, the system must first be physically inspected to determine if it is in sound runnng condition.

My personal experience is that the various door sensors and electronics rarely fail…and if they do, replacements are pretty much limited to salvage yard parts. My issues over 34 years have been fixed by swapping out a new control unit. I once did a Blinking Climate Control test, said the Blend Door sensor was bad. Before I took apart half the EATC box under the dash, I tried a new control unit. Flashing stopped, fault went away. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the Blend Door.

Just a warning to the wise—the philosophical premise known as Occam’s Razor: The simplest answer is often the most correct.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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JT Offline
Posting Freak
#7
(06-17-2021, 06:51 AM)anasazi4st Wrote:
(06-16-2021, 09:08 PM)Rob H Wrote: Please follow this link to a handy guide regarding the blinking climate control display.
Blinking Climate Control

Might I point out that—until we know more about this issue—the Blinking Climate Control test could mean very little.

Was the vehicle serviced properly upon the changeover to R-134a? What caused the conversion—locked-up compressor, or something else? What compressor is currently running? Were the lines properly flushed out? Were there modifications to the a/c control system wiring? We have all either seen personally or at least heard of some monstrous DIY attempts at repair. Before any serious diagnoses can be made, the system must first be physically inspected to determine if it is in sound runnng condition.

My personal experience is that the various door sensors and electronics rarely fail…and if they do, replacements are pretty much limited to salvage yard parts. My issues over 34 years have been fixed by swapping out a new control unit. I once did a Blinking Climate Control test, said the Blend Door sensor was bad. Before I took apart half the EATC box under the dash, I tried a new control unit. Flashing stopped, fault went away. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the Blend Door.

Just a warning to the wise—the philosophical premise known as Occam’s Razor: The simplest answer is often the most correct.

If the control unit is blinking, it indicates a detected fault. Similarly to the Check Engine light being on, finding out exactly what that fault is would be the first part of troubleshooting rather than swapping out parts.

While the control unit could be at fault, as it is a part of the system, replacing parts without a specific direction is not the most efficient nor cost effective way to troubleshoot. A faulty control unit flagging a valid blend door is part of the troubleshooting. Sometimes the sensor or actuator may fail, a circuit may get broken, or the control unit may fail to properly register circuits.
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