2013 Explorer XLT A/C problem

[xplo134]

Hello Guys,

Does any of you tried to have their Explorer aircon serviced? I always go to a nearby car aircon shop to have my freon refilled (atleast 2x a month) due to leaks. What A/C parts are usually damaged in cases like this? evaporator? condenser?

I just don't like the idea of aircon shops removing my dashboard to troubleshoot the issue as they might mess up the clips or my electricals.



Ford Explorer
2013
XLT
2.0 Ecoboost

 

[champco]

Hello Guys,

Does any of you tried to have their Explorer aircon serviced? I always go to a nearby car aircon shop to have my freon refilled (atleast 2x a month) due to leaks. What A/C parts are usually damaged in cases like this? evaporator? condenser?

I just don't like the idea of aircon shops removing my dashboard to troubleshoot the issue as they might mess up the clips or my electricals.



Ford Explorer
2013
XLT
2.0 Ecoboost

Look at the lines going to the condenser. Look for stains of oil or possible red leak detector fluid. Was this crashed??

A halogen leak detector will find the leak. Whoever is filling it should know all this. If they dont go somewhere else.

 

[reserved50]

umm yes find another shop if they have been adding dye, they should be adding a/c dye so it leaves a stain when it leaks out, you should have a big oily fluorescent stain from somewhere by now

 

[xplo134]

Look at the lines going to the condenser. Look for stains of oil or possible red leak detector fluid. Was this crashed??

A halogen leak detector will find the leak. Whoever is filling it should know all this. If they dont go somewhere else.

Thank you for your response champco! Actually, the aircon shop near my area insists that they need to remove my dashboard to know where the leaks are.... can't they troubleshoot it without removing the dashboard?

 

[xplo134]

I hope can do some tests at home to check where the leaks are... we'll be checking for stains around the condenser area

 

[reserved50]

find another shop. When the a/c is charged up the a/c drain under the vehicle will drip the dye after half an hour of running for sure, they can also use the leak detector thru the dash vents. Please don't let them dissasemble your vehicle if they cant figure it out by now.:shifty_ey

 

[xplo134]

find another shop. When the a/c is charged up the a/c drain under the vehicle will drip the dye after half an hour of running of running for sure, they can also use the leak detector thru the dash vents. Please don't let them dissasemble your vehicle if they cant figure it out by now.:shifty_ey

Thank you brother, yeah I won't allow them to remove my dashboard without properly diagnosing the problem. I'm just glad I can ask you guys here in the Explorer forum as I've been to different aircon shops here in the Philippines and none of them are really familiar with 5th gen Explorers... I have to look for other shops then as Ford dealerships here are not that competent either.

 

[reserved50]

for now you can follow every single a/c line looking at every square inch without the vehicle running and looking for an oily stain, that is where your leak is, the condenser (infront of radiator) might be kind of tough to see so you might have to remove some body parts to get better access to do a visual inspection if you are looking at it yourself. Theres also a/c lines at the back left of the vehicle if you have rear a/c I believe. I don't remember if the lines run behind the body panels or under the vehicle for that.

Heres a link to what the rear a/c unit looks like, have to remove the rear 1/4 panel inner trim to see it. Was your vehicle in an accident previously as asked before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-13-14-FO...ash=item35f996d5d9:g:47EAAOSw-zxWoCuu&vxp=mtr


I would check these areas in this order and make sure the vehicle is dry, don't check it after its been raining or washed because you might not be able to see the stain from the leak.

Any area in an accident
Condenser
Fittings or joints
a/c compressor behind pulley etc
rear a/c unit and lines behind panel
your guess is as good as mine

 

[xplo134]

for now you can follow every single a/c line looking at every square inch without the vehicle running and looking for an oily stain, that is where your leak is, the condenser (infront of radiator) might be kind of tough to see so you might have to remove some body parts to get better access to do a visual inspection if you are looking at it yourself. Theres also a/c lines at the back left of the vehicle if you have rear a/c I believe. I don't remember if the lines run behind the body panels or under the vehicle for that.

Heres a link to what the rear a/c unit looks like, have to remove the rear 1/4 panel inner trim to see it. Was your vehicle in an accident previously as asked before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-13-14-FO...ash=item35f996d5d9:g:47EAAOSw-zxWoCuu&vxp=mtr


I would check these areas in this order and make sure the vehicle is dry, don't check it after its been raining or washed because you might not be able to see the stain from the leak.

Any area in an accident
Condenser
Fittings or joints
a/c compressor behind pulley etc
rear a/c unit and lines behind panel
your guess is as good as mine

Well, I wasn't involved in any accident. I guess im just unlucky that I experience this kind of issue with A/C. Thanks a lot for your inputs atleast I can now visit other aircon shops and see if they run the tests you guys mentioned here.

I called Ford yesterday and was informed that they can detect the A/C issue by connecting my explorer to their diagnostic tool. I wonder if the explorers have certain features that provides error codes for aircon. I maybe wrong though, I just don't believe Ford representatives due to my bad experiences with them

 

[reserved50]

if its leaking out, the a/c machine might say its leaking, but not from where. Their diagnostic tool can only find electrical faults and check pressures thru the scan tool, usually the person on the phone isn't the one repairing the vehicle though and their version is not what really happens in the shop.

 

[xplo134]

if its leaking out, the a/c machine might say its leaking, but not from where. Their diagnostic tool can only find electrical faults and check pressures thru the scan tool, usually the person on the phone isn't the one repairing the vehicle though and their version is not what really happens in the shop.

Good point! WIll try to visit some reputable shops around Manila and have them perform some leak tests. I hope they can find the issue so I can decide if I will let them touch my dashboard. I have no issues spending $25 a month for freon charging just to prevent them from messing up my dashboard. Just worried if these leaks will do more harm in the future like more a/c parts being damaged etc. Thanks

 

[champco]

You can buy yourself a good cheap leak detector on Ebay and find the leak yourself. Fixing may be a different matter but finding it eliminates a lot of unknowns.

 

[xplo134]

You can buy yourself a good cheap leak detector on Ebay and find the leak yourself. Fixing may be a different matter but finding it eliminates a lot of unknowns.

Hey champco thanks that will be a good idea... im so frustrated went to a car aircon shop yesterday and they told me they cant detect the leak without removing dashboard. :thumbdwn:

 

[reserved50]

weird how they want to remove the dash when you have an evaporator core for the rear a/c below the rear driver side window, which is easier to access if they want to inspect for hidden leaks

 

[champco]

weird how they want to remove the dash when you have an evaporator core for the rear a/c below the rear driver side window, which is easier to access if they want to inspect for hidden leaks

I agree. It must pay a lot in the book. Most leaks occur at the line joints after the o-rings get old but that takes years. This is why I suspect a crashed bad repaired a/c system. When did the warranty expire on this Ex?

 

[xplo134]

I agree. It must pay a lot in the book. Most leaks occur at the line joints after the o-rings get old but that takes years. This is why I suspect a crashed bad repaired a/c system. When did the warranty expire on this Ex?

The warranty already expired last October 2015 so I'm also considering other shops but all of them doesn't have "hands-on" experience troubleshooting an Explorer 2013. They just informed me that the new models of Explorer such as mine is very complicated to fix as they need to remove the dashboard to check the leaks and that will take 3-4 days to diagnose.

So right now, maybe I just have to recharge my freon every month rather than leaving them my Explorer. Can't really find a good shop here that is competent enough to fix my problem.