Ford Repair: 1996 Ford Windstar 3.8 w/rear air, ford windstar, 1996 ford windstar

Question
Hi.
My Windstar is blowing hot air.  My son thought it needed a charge, so we bought the freon with the gauge.  The gauge read that it was full.
When running the air, the compressor keeps kicking on and off.  I just had the serpentine belt changed, so it's not that.
Is it the compressor, or, hopefully, something minor?
Thanks,
Carol

Answer
If the compressor is turning on and off, there are two things that could be happening.  It could be over-full of refrigerant, and the high pressure switch could be turning the compressor off when pressure gets too high...  Or it could be low on refrigerant, which is much more likely.  If you used a do-it-yourself recharge kit with a can of refrigerant and a gauge, it's important to remember these kits are supposed to be "universal" and air conditioners don't all use the same amount of pressure.  When I use those, I use a different method that you may want to try.  Instead of reading the gauge, simply run the engine with the A/C on high and the fan on high, plug in the refill kit, and keep filling it until the compressor stays running constantly, and maybe even go a few seconds more after that.  More often than not, that will get the cold air blowing again and it's quite safe.  Good luck,
Jason