I have 35 or so years in the automotive trade (got out in 1993) however not limited to vehicles only. I repaired most anything with parts including motor scooters, cycles, boats, etc. Never did transmissions always had someone who was very reasonable so my expertise is nil in this area. My strengths were in electrical, carburetors, general engine repairs anyone remember the soft cams and the burning exhaust valves back in the 70's.? Wow what a favor the manufacturers especially GM did for the independents in that era. ... Now to get into why I am here........
I have a 2002 B2300 / Ford Ranger 2.3L 4 Cylinder. My A/C problem surfaced after I got a blowout in my right front tire. In no way do I feel the occurrences are related however these are the things that make technicians shake their head with disbelief on the off chance that the events may be connected. I spent several days inspecting the wiring system. I even went to the local Mazda dealer who let me peer into the tech books schematics to try and familiarize myself with this system.

Heres what I diagnosed
I had Freon in the system........
There was no electricity going to the clutch and high and low pressure control switches.
All the visible fuses checked positive in both the interior and under hood fuse panel
When I select AC on the selector the engine idle steps up to compensate for the AC compressor load.

My diagnoses determined the high pressure cycle switch was shorted internally so I replaced that.

My diagnoses also tell me that even though the high pressure cycle switch was replaced I still had a short present in the A/C circuit.

So my thinking is........ that there must either be a hidden fuse or fusible link that protects the wiring of this circuit. Which when replaced will energize it (after I fix the still present short) I would like to know where it is if anyone knows........

And my Thinking on the presence of the short in the circuit is when looking over the dealers service wiring diagram I noticed there is a diode in the circuit. Could not ascertain why its presence was necessary. However I was unable to locate it so
I am wondering where that sneaky item is located so I can check it..........

The other thought I had on this problem is. If the compressor clutch is powered first using the clutch as a resistor load then the grounding of the rest of the circuit (which I checked and found shorted is actually not a problem just the way the circuit was engineered to operate. Something else to check tomorrow !!!


To demonstrate (to Myself) I still possess some electro / mechanical ability I visited the local auto wreckers picked up the compressor, hi and low pressure cutout connectors and I have wired the circuit professionally without changing or disturbing the integrity of the original circuit. So for the time being. I have A/C and it is working fine. I'm just not utilizing the factory wiring.

I would be more then happy to share this simple circuit with anyone who wishes to view it.