CAUTION: All tools, including the refrigerant recy-
cling equipment, the manifold gauge set, and test
hoses should be kept clean and dry. Keep the work
area clean. Contamination of the refrigerant system
through careless work habits must be avoided. The
refrigerant system will remain chemically stable as
long as pure, moisture-free R-134a refrigerant and
refrigerant oil is used. Dirt, moisture, or air can
upset this chemical stability. Operational troubles
or serious damage can occur if foreign material is
introduced to the refrigerant system.
COMPRESSOR
DESCRIPTION
The compressor used on this vehicle can be one of
two models, depending upon the air conditioning sys-
tem in the vehicle. All vehicles use the Nippondenso
10S20 compressor. This compressor use an aluminum
swash plate, teflon coated pistons and aluminum
sleeveless cylinder walls. This compressor includes
an integral high pressure relief valve. The compres-
sor is secured low in the right front corner of the
engine compartment to a mounting bracket on the
cylinder block (2.4L engine), or directly to the cylin-
der block (3.3L and 3.8L engines) is integral to the
compressor. This compressor cannot be repaired. If
faulty or damaged, the entire compressor must be
replaced. The compressor clutch, pulley, and clutch
coil are available for service replacement.
OPERATION
The compressor is driven by the engine through an
electric clutch, drive pulley and belt arrangement.
The compressor is lubricated by refrigerant oil that is
circulated throughout the refrigerant system with the
refrigerant. The compressor draws in low-pressure
refrigerant vapor from the evaporator through its
suction port. It then compresses the refrigerant into
a high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant vapor.
The compressor pumps high-pressure refrigerant
vapor to the condenser through the compressor dis-
charge port. The mechanical high pressure relief
valve is designed to vent refrigerant from the system
to protect against damage to the compressor or other
system components, caused by condenser air flow
restrictions or an overcharge of refrigerant. The valve
only vents enough refrigerant to reduce the system
pressure, then re-seats itself. The valve opens at a
discharge pressure of 3445 to 4135 kPA (500 to 600
psi) or above, and closes when a minimum discharge
pressure of 2756 kPa (400 psi) is reached.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - COMPRESSOR
NOISE DIAGNOSIS
Excessive noise while the air conditioning compres-
sor is operating can be caused by loose compressor
mounts, a loose compressor clutch, or high operating
pressures in the refrigerant system. Verify compres-
sor drive belt condition, proper compressor mounting,
correct refrigerant charge level, and compressor head
pressure before compressor repair is performed.
With the close tolerances within the compressor, it
is possible to experience a temporary lockup. The
longer the compressor is inactive, the more likely the
condition is to occur. This condition is the result of
normal refrigerant migration within the refrigerant
system caused by ambient temperature changes. The
refrigerant migration may wash the refrigerant oil
out of the compressor.
NOTE: Prior to a vehicle being removed from ser-
vice or stored for more than two weeks, the com-
pressor should be operated to ensure adequate
refrigerant oil distribution throughout the system
components. Turn on the air conditioner for a min-
imum of five minutes with outside air and the high-
est blower speed selected.
BELT NOISE
If the compressor drive belt slips at initial start-up,
it does not necessarily mean the compressor has
failed. The following procedure can be used to iden-
tify a compressor drive belt noise problem.
²Start the vehicle and run at idle.
²Turn the air conditioner On and listen for belt
squeal.
²If belt squeal is heard, turn the air conditioner
Off immediately.
If the belt squeal stops when the air conditioner is
turned Off, perform the following repair procedures.
(1) Using an appropriate sized oil filter wrench or
a strap wrench, grasp the outer diameter of the com-
pressor clutch hub. While facing the compressor,
rotate the hub clockwise, then counterclockwise. If
the hub rotates, proceed to the next step. If the hub
will not rotate, the compressor is internally damaged,
and must be replaced.
(2) Turn the hub clockwise five complete revolu-
tions and remove the tool.
(3) Start the vehicle and run at idle.
(4) Turn the air conditioner On. Observe the com-
pressor and the system for normal operation, noting
cooling performance and noise levels. Operate for five
minutes before turning the air conditioner Off. If
acceptable cooling performance is observed during
compressor operation, the compressor does not need
to be replaced.
24 - 62 PLUMBING - FRONTRS
PLUMBING - FRONT (Continued)
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chemical reaction takes place. This means the con-
centration of oxygen will be the same downstream as
upstream. The output voltage of the downstream
O2S copies the voltage of the upstream sensor. The
only difference is a time lag (seen by the PCM)
between the switching of the O2S's.
To monitor the system, the number of lean-to-rich
switches of upstream and downstream O2S's is
counted. The ratio of downstream switches to
upstream switches is used to determine whether the
catalyst is operating properly. An effective catalyst
will have fewer downstream switches than it has
upstream switches i.e., a ratio closer to zero. For a
totally ineffective catalyst, this ratio will be one-to-
one, indicating that no oxidation occurs in the device.
The system must be monitored so that when cata-
lyst efficiency deteriorates and exhaust emissions
increase to over the legal limit, the MIL (Check
Engine lamp) will be illuminated.
LEAK DETECTION PUMP MONITOR (if equipped)
The leak detection assembly incorporates two pri-
mary functions: it must detect a leak in the evapora-
tive system and seal the evaporative system so the
leak detection test can be run.
The primary components within the assembly are:
A three port solenoid that activates both of the func-
tions listed above; a pump which contains a switch,
two check valves, a spring/diaphragm, and a canister
vent valve (CVV) seal which contains a spring loaded
vent seal valve.
Immediately after a cold start, between predeter-
mined temperature thresholds limits, the three port
solenoid is briefly energized. This initializes the
pump by drawing air into the pump cavity and also
closes the vent seal. During non test conditions the
vent seal is held open by the pump diaphragm
assembly which pushes it open at the full travel posi-
tion. The vent seal will remain closed while the
pump is cycling due to the reed switch triggering of
the three port solenoid that prevents the diaphragm
assembly from reaching full travel. After the brief
initialization period, the solenoid is de-energized
allowing atmospheric pressure to enter the pump
cavity, thus permitting the spring to drive the dia-
phragm which forces air out of the pump cavity and
into the vent system. When the solenoid is energized
and de energized, the cycle is repeated creating flow
in typical diaphragm pump fashion. The pump is con-
trolled in 2 modes:
Pump Mode:The pump is cycled at a fixed rate to
achieve a rapid pressure build in order to shorten the
overall test length.
Test Mode:The solenoid is energized with a fixed
duration pulse. Subsequent fixed pulses occur when
the diaphragm reaches the Switch closure point.The spring in the pump is set so that the system
will achieve an equalized pressure of about 7.5º
water. The cycle rate of pump strokes is quite rapid
as the system begins to pump up to this pressure. As
the pressure increases, the cycle rate starts to drop
off. If there is no leak in the system, the pump would
eventually stop pumping at the equalized pressure. If
there is a leak, it will continue to pump at a rate rep-
resentative of the flow characteristic of the size of the
leak. From this information we can determine if the
leak is larger than the required detection limit (cur-
rently set at .020º orifice by CARB). If a leak is
revealed during the leak test portion of the test, the
test is terminated at the end of the test mode and no
further system checks will be performed.
The canister vent valve will unseal the system
after completion of the test sequence as the pump
diaphragm assembly moves to the full travel position.
Evaporative system functionality will be verified by
using the stricter evap purge flow monitor. At an
appropriate warm idle the LDP will be energized to
seal the canister vent. The purge flow will be clocked
up from some small value in an attempt to see a
shift in the 02 control system. If fuel vapor, indicated
by a shift in the 02 control, is present the test is
passed. If not, it is assumed that the purge system is
not functioning in some respect. The LDP is again
turned off and the test is ended.
Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD) (if equipped)
The Natural Vacuum Leak Detection (NVLD) sys-
tem is the next generation evaporative leak detection
system that will first be used on vehicles equipped
with the Next Generation Controller (NGC) starting
in 2002 M.Y. This new system replaces the leak
detection pump as the method of evaporative system
leak detection. This is to detect a leak equivalent to a
0.0209(0.5 mm) hole. This system has the capability
to detect holes of this size very dependably.
The basic leak detection theory employed with
NVLD is the9Gas Law9. This is to say that the pres-
sure in a sealed vessel will change if the temperature
of the gas in the vessel changes. The vessel will only
see this effect if it is indeed sealed. Even small leaks
will allow the pressure in the vessel to come to equi-
librium with the ambient pressure. In addition to the
detection of very small leaks, this system has the
capability of detecting medium as well as large evap-
orative system leaks.
A vent valve seals the canister vent during engine
off conditions. If the vapor system has a leak of less
than the failure threshold, the evaporative system
will be pulled into a vacuum, either due to the cool
down from operating temperature or diurnal ambient
temperature cycling. The diurnal effect is considered
one of the primary contributors to the leak determi-
25 - 8 EMISSIONS CONTROLRS
EMISSIONS CONTROL (Continued)
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