air conditioning problem in late model explorer?

[98greyxlt]

has anyone had a/c problems in their late model explorers? mine is a 98 and my a/c started blowing not-cold air yesterday.

i did a search of previous posts and it seemed as though most people that had a/c problems had early models Xs, around 91-93.

any suggestions as to where i could start looking for malfunction or should i just take it to the shop? i know that a/c problems are notorious for being difficult and expensive. i'm hoping that all i need is a freon recharge and that i don't have a leak or busted evaporator.

 

[YamahaRick]

Some problems are caused by very simple things ... for example, have you checked your fuses? The fan can work without the compressor functional.

I recently had my Ex returned to me after a visit to a body shop, due to a front end collision. When I first picked it up, the AC was fine. Then, about a week later, nothing but hot air. Not nice when it is 95 degrees outside.

Since the repair work included some on the AC system, I took the vehicle back to the shop for them to inspect. Turns out it was only the fuse. I felt pretty stupid for not checking this myself.

 

[Robert]

On the '95-'98s there was a problem with the heater blend doors getting mixed up. Some manual systems got the automatic system's door, and some automatic systems got the manual systems door. After a while, it can crack rendering it inoperable. Depending on which mode it was in at the time it broke will determine if you get full hot air or full cold air. To replace it isn't cheap. It costs in the neighborhood of $1100 since the entire dash has to come out. It may turn out to be a freon leak. Was it sudden or did you notice it start getting warmer over several days or months? If it was sudden, then it could be the door. If it was gradual, it might just be a freon leak.

 

[98greyxlt]

it was extremely sudden. one day it worked, the next day it didn't.

if it is this door problem that you're talking about, shouldn't ford cover the work since it was due to their error?

i went out to my truck during lunch and checked the fuses under the hood in the power distribution box. everything looks good in there. as far as i can tell, the only fuses that affect the a/c are the maxi fuses in locations 1 and 2.

 

[Robert]

Unfortunately, all Ford has done was issued a Technical Service Bulletin describing the problem. Yeah, I agree if they installed the wrong part they should pay to correct it. I have never heard of them doing it out of the 12-15 people that I have read posts from that have had the problem. If you have enough money to fight it out in court, you would probably be victorious since there is an implied warranty that the vehicle was put together without defects. Installing the wrong part is definately a defect and was that way from day one. Therefore your Explorer never met the implied warranty. Ford would probably argue though that "hey it lasted this long, with the correct part in it would only last longer, therefore it wasn't a defect." Ford does allow the dealers to assist you. They have a program that can be used twice, at the original place of purchase provided you have less than 50K on it. They can kick in up to 75% of the cost. Usually your dealer won't volunteer the information and unless you meet the strict requirements, they won't bend. I tried getting my local dealer to use the plan here in Arizona. Unfortunately, I bought my Explorer in Ohio and it wasn't practical to drive it back to Ohio to get it repaired. The dealership here wouldn't budge.

 

[Xplor]

98greyxlt, my a/c wasn't blowing too much off a cold air when my '00 hit only 1,500 miles. I notice the A/C compressor was engaging all the time(clicking noise). It did it like every5-10 seconds. This usually mean it is low or no freon in the system. I took it to the dealer and they said they could not find a leak and the freon was low. So what they did is put a dye into the system and fill it back with freon. They told me if the air wasn't blowing cold air, bring it back and the dye in the system would show where it was leaking from. Well, I never went back, the A/C been working great. So I guess it was just low on freon.

 

[98greyxlt]

A/C FIXED!

Yea! My A/C is fixed, and just in time for my road trip up to the Bay Area. My dad took it to an A/C place that he's gone to and they took care of it.

I don't know the name of this particular part, but it looks like a mini scuba tank and it's shrouded in foam on the top end. It's where the freon is stored, I believe. Anyway, when the A/C is on, the guy said that a lot of condensation builds up on the top end where the exit tubing is on the tank, obviously from the refrigerant. Problem is the foam shroud. It absorbs the moisture and holds it against the tank. Over time, CORROSION.

I took a look at the tank that was pulled out of my car, and the end WITHOUT the shroud is perfect, no problems. The end WITH the shroud was all corroded, all over the end of the tank and under the foam. Eventually the corrosion broke through and adios to all the freon.

I paid $215 for parts ($90) and labor to have it installed and to have the refrigerant filled. R134 I believe is what they used. Just a heads up to all of you to check this scuba tank for corrosion. Oh, and when the guy installed the replacement tank, he did it sans the shroud.

Thanks to all of you for your input...

 

[Robert]

What you are talking about is the accumulator. There was a post about 2 weeks ago with a link from some A/C shop down in Mexico that has been seeing a rash of '95 & up Explorers come in with the accumulator corroded. They recommend removing the foam so it doesn't hold the condensation on the accumulator. My '97 is pretty rusted. In the same thread, someone went out and bought a new one for $54. Here is the link: http://208.38.138.31/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33129.

 

[98greyxlt]

hey robert...

wish that other post about the accumulator came up when i did a search on air conditioning when i first had my problem. those pics on that article is exactly what my accumulator looks like. as for fixing it, i don't feel all too bad about $215, since that was for the accumulator and a freon recharge. besides, aren't you supposed to have a license to recharge freon systems?

i do a little work on my truck here and there, but from the sounds of it, i don't think i would have tried the accumulator swap and recharge on my own.

how about you? in that thread you mentioned that your accumulator is corroded as well. did you swap it out? or just suffering through the Arizona summer?

 

[Robert]

My A/C still works fine, but my accumulator does have rust all over it. I doubt if it is leaking since my A/C still works. It just doesn't cool as well as my Wife's '93 Mercury Sable. Her car, I can get by on Norm, with the fan on 3. On my Explorer it takes Max with the fan on High to stay comfortable. About 20 minutes into my drive, I can usually back the fan down one position. It is still comfortable, I just don't remember having to use Max as much. It might just be that I didn't drive her car as much as I have this summer and we didn't have it before that. Since her car still uses the older freon, it cools better than mine with the R-134A.

No, you don't need to have a license for the R-134A, only the R-12 requires a license to purchase it. You can still legally put it in your car (if that is what it takes) if you still have some left-over cans. Unfortunately, unless you have any left-over cans, you can't buy it legally without a license and then you can only buy it in 50lb (or is it 20lb?) cans.

If mine ever gets to the point that it won't hold a charge, then I will probably replace the accumulator myself. I've already charged it using my A/C recharge kit I bought several months ago.

 

[Lemondrop]

It's R-12 , and if you vent it to air you just broke a biggie law that nobody is gonna catch you breaking unless a EPA inspector is walking by your house when you do it . R-134 is supposed to be recovered also . If you have a hole in the system and it's all gone it dosent matter anyway . To properly charge the system you are supposed to place a vacuum on the system once the leaks are fixed for atleast 15 minutes to remove any moisture from the system . It's hard to find a good vacuum pump around the house so it's best to let a shop do the charging . If you have the skills to change a hose , or whatever is busted you can . Id just take it to a shop to get the charge done . I have charged a R-134 system without a vacuum and it still works fine . Only drawback is if the system has any water in it (which it will if it was open to air) it wears the compressor and the water can freeze in the expansion valve or orifice tube and cause the A/C to "freeze up" and stop working till it's shut of for a little while and the water thaws .
The "Foam" they put around the accumulator is to keep the R-134 cold , as I guess they think it will make the ac perform better . Im pretty sure the accumulator is after the evaporator on explorers so keeping the freon cool is kinda stupid . Freon in the accumulator is supposed to stay in there until it has returned to a low pressure gas so the compressor can suck it up without hitting a whiff of liquid . If the compressor hits liquid ....bang boom . IMO the foam is useless on the accumlator , now if it's on the pipes leading from the orifice tube into the evaporator ... it will help keep the charge cooler to make you and the Mrs. cooler
Geeze that was long winded