2018 explorer A/C issues

[Tbhardy]

Yesterday while driving to dinner, my a/c was super cold, working great. I started to hear the belt slap then stop. When is stopped I lost the a/c. I have replaced the belt, but now I'm still not getting any cold air. Any thoughts?

 

[ProjectSHO89]

Did the belt fail fully or what?

There's a refrigerant line that is immediately forward of the serpentine belt. If the belt lets go or frays, it can take out that refrigerant line which dumps the refrigerant charge.

Learned that the hard way last year Christmas morning while on the way to Florida. Got stuck in Hamilton AL until the next morning when the auto parts stores opened so I could buy a new belt and the tools to replace it in the hotel parking lot to get us back on the road.

 

[Pete Deering]

Yesterday while driving to dinner, my a/c was super cold, working great. I started to hear the belt slap then stop. When is stopped I lost the a/c. I have replaced the belt, but now I'm still not getting any cold air. Any thoughts?

Did the compressor seized. Without the engine running. Turn the car on, turn on AC ( by a helper) and watch the AC clutch, does it lock (engage). If you compressor is seized you can't Have the ventilation system on. Needs to be off. Even on outside air the compressor will cycle.

 

[Tbhardy]

Did the belt fail fully or what?

There's a refrigerant line that is immediately forward of the serpentine belt. If the belt lets go or frays, it can take out that refrigerant line which dumps the refrigerant charge.

Learned that the hard way last year Christmas morning while on the way to Florida. Got stuck in Hamilton AL until the next morning when the auto parts stores opened so I could buy a new belt and the tools to replace it in the hotel parking lot to get us back on the road.

The belt frayed. I just put out some refrigerant in and it came out as fast as it went in. Can't tell if it's the high pressure line that's bad or the low pressure. The low pressure line looks pretty easy to replace.

 

[peterk9]

Yesterday while driving to dinner, my a/c was super cold, working great. I started to hear the belt slap then stop. When is stopped I lost the a/c. I have replaced the belt, but now I'm still not getting any cold air. Any thoughts?

Welcome to the Forum.
I would think it seems a little early to replace the serpentine belt of a 2018. I wonder if there was a failure with the compressor that caused the belt failure and not the other way around? Is the compressor pulley turning?

Peter

 

[ProjectSHO89]

Mine took out the compressor-to-condensor line. It runs vertically just forward of the serpentine belt and the failed belt severed the line in the rubber hose section

I ended up doing an "emergency" AC repair after we got to Florida. Was going to wait until we returned home but it was very warm and humid that week and the wife wasn't happy. I picked up a line at an AutoZone store ($55), and replaced it in a shopping center parking lot in Pensacola. Dumped in 3 12oz cans of R134a plus a 2oz charge with PAG oil from Walmart and it worked pretty well until the temps here hit almost 100F this month. Finally had time to pull it into the shop this Saturday and properly evacuate it and recharge by weight.