AC Blows Hot on Driver Side and Cold on Passenger Side

[h1evans]

The AC function on my Poppy's 2010 Ford Explorer declined significantly recently. I took the truck in for an AC service. After the AC service the AC on the passenger side was blowing cold, but the AC on the driver side was blowing about 78-80 degrees. After youtubing for a bit, I bought and replaced the AC blend actuator on the driver side. Now the AC on the driver side is blowing out at about 75-78 degree, but still not cold. HELP!

 

[94Eddie]

I had this problem a couple of months ago. It wasn't the blend door. It was a leak in the AC system and a worn compressor. I had the compressor changed first but found the leak later. I think about 60% of the problem was the leak and 40% was the compressor. Initially I had the AC system recharged and it work good but not great and then over a couple of weeks the driver's side started blowing warmer again. For some reason the shop didn't find the leak so I had the compressor changed. It then blew ice cold from both sides but the leak was still there and over a couple of weeks it blew warmer from both sides mostly evenly. Then I found the leak that the shop couldn't seem to find and they replaced a valve for connecting the monitoring gauges near the radiator on the driver's side and recharged it. It has blown ice cold ever since. IMO, the compressor was weak and contributed some to the overall problem of the AC not blowing ice cold but the leak was the biggest issue.

So have the system checked to see if some refrigerant hasn't leaked to rule out this problem. If it hasn't leaked out then it very well might be the compressor. My Mountaineer will now cool down in about five minutes in 95 degree temperatures and the vehicle is black inside and out. I am glad I changed the compressor but could probably have gotten by for a while longer without doing it if the shop had found the leak from the start.

 

[Howcopump]

I had this problem a couple of months ago. It wasn't the blend door. It was a leak in the AC system and a worn compressor. I had the compressor changed first but found the leak later. I think about 60% of the problem was the leak and 40% was the compressor. Initially I had the AC system recharged and it work good but not great and then over a couple of weeks the driver's side started blowing warmer again. For some reason the shop didn't find the leak so I had the compressor changed. It then blew ice cold from both sides but the leak was still there and over a couple of weeks it blew warmer from both sides mostly evenly. Then I found the leak that the shop couldn't seem to find and they replaced a valve for connecting the monitoring gauges near the radiator on the driver's side and recharged it. It has blown ice cold ever since. IMO, the compressor was weak and contributed some to the overall problem of the AC not blowing ice cold but the leak was the biggest issue.

So have the system checked to see if some refrigerant hasn't leaked to rule out this problem. If it hasn't leaked out then it very well might be the compressor. My Mountaineer will now cool down in about five minutes in 95 degree temperatures and the vehicle is black inside and out. I am glad I changed the compressor but could probably have gotten by for a while longer without doing it if the shop had found the leak from the start.

I am having the same issue in my 08 With Dual Auto Temp Control. Changed out the blend door actuator, ensured that the door moved freely prior installing actuator, seen no change. Took the actuator off and manually worked the door and still was getting temps 15 degrees higher on the drivers side.

i am struggling with the concept that the vehicle is low on freon or compressor is bad since i am getting extremely cold air at passenger side vent, slightly warmer at passenger center vent and extremely cold air in the rear.

Anybody have any thoughts on this. Thanks, Billy

 

[94Eddie]

You can spin the compressor with your hand when the engine is off and get a feel for whether is has good compression. It should be difficult to spin this way and the more worn the compressor is the easier it is to spin by hand. Mine was easeier to spin by hand to some degree. Also, I have read in other threads here that having the driver side temps warmer is a sign of low refrigerant or a worn compressor. This might be due to the passenger side seeing the pressure drop first and by the time it reaches the driver side it has warmed up substantially. This would allow one side to be warmer than the other and low refrigerant and/or a worn compressor could cause this to occur. All I can say for sure is that between a compressor replacement and fixing a leak in the AC system this eliminated my problem which is nearly identical to yours.

 

[loooney2ns]

When the refrigerant starts to get low, the driver's side will be warmer than the passenger side, since it's further away from the evaporator. You probably have a slow leak.