I'm at my wit's end with this AC!!

[FloridaState]

For some reason, the AC in my truck just refuses to work properly. It's not an exaggeration when I say that I've gotten almost every single major component of the AC fixed or replaced, only to have something else fail.

All work has been done/diagnosed by a trusted family friend, so I'm not getting ripped off or anything. I just don't understand it...is it because of the Florida heat? Is it because of age? Are Explorer AC problems a common practice?

I classify AC in Florida has a necessity. It's currently 98 degrees outside and I have no AC yet again.

My dad seems to think it may be the blend door? It seems like the AC works when it feels like it. Like I was driving home yesterday and the AC was working fine. Then I stopped to take a leak and get something to drink, went out to start her up and the AC was barely cooler than the ambient temperature. Now I know the ambient temp probably plays a role in how well the AC works, but the temp didn't change that much during the 10 minutes it took me to go to the bathroom and buy a coke. And it seems to work fine at night as well.

So anyone got any ideas? I know it's limited since you can't look at it, but has anyone had any similar experiences with their AC, or is my X just a lemon?

 

[yavapaires]

Have you physically watched the compressor clutch to see if it is engaging? Could be overcharged or undercharged.

 

[my98nnj]

Here the the clues to your problem.

1) All work has been done/diagnosed by a trusted family friend,

2) It's currently 98 degrees outside and I have no AC yet again.

3) I was driving home yesterday and the AC was working fine. Then I stopped to take a leak and get something to drink, went out to start her up and the AC was barely cooler than the ambient temperature. .

4) And it seems to work fine at night as well.

R134 is picky, it needs very specific operating pressures to work correctly in 100 degree weather as well as a 50 degree day. What you are describing seem to point to an overcharge. The biggest clue is that it works correctly at cooler temps, but fails when it gets really hot.

Have the system evacuated, vacuumed out and recharged by weight. A proper a/c tech machine is needed for this process. Does your family friend have such a machine or is he using the can method? I suspect the later and possibly the reason for your issues.

 

[BubbaFL]

I agree with yavapaires - first thing to do is visually inspect the compressor clutch and see if it engages.

If it engages, hook up a set of A/C manifold gauges and read the low and high side pressures.

 

[FloridaState]

I gotta run to work, but I appreciate the replies. I'm pretty sure the clutch does engage, but I'll make sure when I get home tonight.

The family friend has his own shop and does all the work professionally, to my knowledge. He's not just a handy man kinda thing, he owns and operates a repair shop down south where I'm from.

I hooked up my little cheapy Wal-Mart gauge to the low end and it said it was in the yellow, meaning possibly overcharged. Perhaps that is the problem...I have a guy up here I use (I'm away for college) I'm going to try and bring it by tomorrow and let him look at it. Thanks again guys.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

A simple thing for you to check yourself is to see if the clutch is engaging and the lines are cold when the A/C is not blowing cold. If they are working properly then you can concentrate on the interior hvac controls (eatc, switches, blend door, vacuum lines, etc). If the clutch is not turning on and the lines are warm then could be either an overcharge or moisture in the system.

 

[BubbaFL]

I hooked up my little cheapy Wal-Mart gauge to the low end and it said it was in the yellow, meaning possibly overcharged.

Was the car running, with the a/c on?

If not, the reading doesn't mean much.

If so, either it's overcharged, or the compressor is not working correctly (need a high side reading to know which is the case).

 

[budwich]

I guess the dumb question would be ... have you checked the blender?

 

[FloridaState]

I noticed on my way to work the AC was working slightly better, and I figure that's probably a result of it being the evening and it not being that hot outside. But it was pretty darn cold tonight on the way home.

I checked the clutch tonight..it was engaging and the lines were cold, but this was just about 10 minutes ago, and the air was pretty cold as I said. One thing I did notice was the clutch did not stop...I stood out there for a couple minutes (AC on MAX and fullblast) and it never shut off. Also I noticed moisture on the compressor itself...not sure if that's normal or not.

When I checked with my gauge a few days ago, I had everything on MAX like you're supposed to and it was high...I just hooked it up tonight and it was in the "blue" area (about 40psi), nearly yellow but not quite.

And no, I haven't checked the blend door. Partly because I'd have no clue how to, and because I think the only reason my dad said that is because that's about the only thing that hasn't been replaced yet lol.

 

[yavapaires]

Not to be a smart ass, but I'm from AZ, before moving to Nebraska, and I have NEVER had a problem with R-134 in different temps. May be the humidity in NJ? Of course, we had high humidity in AZ during the monsoon season. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[kindred4x]

Have you checked the condition of your condenser coil? If the fins are all bent up and if there is restrictions in the airflow across it the superheated vapor coming out the compressor wont condense to a subcooled liquid which will greatly affect the efficiency of the system. Are you running the stock fan clutch or a electric fan?

 

[FloridaState]

Have you checked the condition of your condenser coil? If the fins are all bent up and if there is restrictions in the airflow across it the superheated vapor coming out the compressor wont condense to a subcooled liquid which will greatly affect the efficiency of the system. Are you running the stock fan clutch or a electric fan?

I have not checked it. I'm kind of a noob when it comes to mechanics and stuff...if you could explain how to check the coil, I will gladly take a look.

And everything is stock under my hood, save for some HID lights and a K&N filter.

 

[my98nnj]

I hooked up my little cheapy Wal-Mart gauge to the low end and it said it was in the yellow, meaning possibly overcharged.

Like I said in my prior post, have the system evacuated and charged from a vacuum state by weight. Make sure "who ever" is doing the work has the proper a/c tech machine to do this procedure.

You cannot recharge an R134 system correctly with just gauges after it's been opened up. You must pull a vacuum before it's charged and the charge should always be weighed it.

 

[FloridaState]

Like I said in my prior post, have the system evacuated and charged from a vacuum state by weight. Make sure "who ever" is doing the work has the proper a/c tech machine to do this procedure.

You cannot recharge an R134 system correctly with just gauges after it's been opened up. You must pull a vacuum before it's charged and the charge should always be weighed it.

Got it. I decided I'm going to bring it in tomorrow instead of today, since today is a pretty busy day for me.

Any estimate on how much a procedure like that would cost? I'm pretty much a broke college student, and my parents are going through a bit of a rough patch financially, so some astronomical bill just won't work right now. If it's too expensive I'll have to just live with it until things pickup I guess.

 

[det107]

Not to be a smart ass, but I'm from AZ, before moving to Nebraska, and I have NEVER had a problem with R-134 in different temps. May be the humidity in NJ? Of course, we had high humidity in AZ during the monsoon season. Just my 2 cents worth.

I wanted to add that in New York state & Florida, I never had a problem with a/c in hot, humid weather-

 

[SparkyJeff]

It's not an exaggeration when I say that I've gotten almost every single major component of the AC fixed or replaced, only to have something else fail.

My dad seems to think it may be the blend door?

Your dad might be on to something.

And no, I haven't checked the blend door. Partly because I'd have no clue how to, and because I think the only reason my dad said that is because that's about the only thing that hasn't been replaced yet lol.

This post is a sticky here.
95-01 ford explorer blend door quick fix(5 mins)
Do yourself a favor and check it out.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183742&highlight=blend+door

 

[FloridaState]

Well, just an update...I took it to my guy up here and turns out it was overcharged. I think he said a pound and a half overcharged, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, he evacuated and recharged...cost me $35.

We'll see how it performs on the next triple-digit temperature day, until then I'll hold off on claiming it's totally resolved. But so far so good.

Thanks again for the help, guys!

 

[FloridaState]

Squash that...still isn't working. Driving to work was still as hot as always. When I got there, I popped the hood and the clutch was engaging, but the low end pipes weren't even close to being cold, and the compressor actually felt hot to the touch. Hooked up my little cheapy gauge and it said 15 psi, which is almost as low as it can get.

Looked tonight, and lo and behold, the pipes are cold on the low end and the AC is working fine. It's like my Explorer knows when I need the AC and doesn't work out of spite.

So now that the charge is apparently not the problem, any other ideas? I'll check the blend door, but I thought when using MAX AC that the blend door didn't really matter...but I don't know.
I'm going to take it back Monday and have them look at it again; hopefully they can find out what's wrong.

 

[FloridaState]

I checked again tonight...it's working, of course. The low end is cold, but now when I hook up the gauge, the psi fluctuates. Now the clutch actually cycles instead of just staying on...when it's not on, the psi is around 30, then as soon as the clutch engages it drops down to below 15, then when it cuts off, it goes back up to 30.

I honestly have no clue if that's good/bad/normal or what.

 

[BubbaFL]

I checked again tonight...it's working, of course. The low end is cold, but now when I hook up the gauge, the psi fluctuates. Now the clutch actually cycles instead of just staying on...when it's not on, the psi is around 30, then as soon as the clutch engages it drops down to below 15, then when it cuts off, it goes back up to 30.

I honestly have no clue if that's good/bad/normal or what.

Usually that kind of cycling happens when the system is undercharged.