getting hot only when a/c is on

[nitris]

so i have gotten my coolant system in what i thought was good shape, changed water pump, thermostat (weep hole at 12'o'clock) new radiator, flushed with t adapter a few times and burped for maybe 40mins..... my truck had been running fine for about 3 days wit max a/c then all of a sudden it starts to get hot when the a/c is engaged, if i turn it off and continue to drive or idle it goes back down, it doesn't matter if its on the highway or stop and go traffic.... now my a/c system is brand new aside from the condenser and i just replaced the serpentine belt... any idea what could be causing this? gunk on the condenser? fan clutch (if i spin the fan when the truck is off i may move from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock before stopping) transmission?

 

[Anime]

What do you mean by "starts to get hot"?

It's normal for the temp gauge to go up a little to the M or L in NORMAL with the A/C on in hot weather, since the hot air from the condenser goes through the radiator, so the engine isn't cooled as much with the A/C on.

If the temp gauge goes past the L and keeps climbing, then it's likely the A/C compressor is working too hard and putting too much of a load on the engine.


If the temp gauge needle is between the R and M in NORMAL during regular driving with the A/C off, that's generally the sign of a properly operating cooling system.

Sometimes a new fan clutch will move more air if the old one is worn out. The very bottom of the radiator and condenser sometimes get clogged with crud due to the rubber block-off piece between them at the radiator support, so removing that and cleaning them sometimes helps a little, but if you installed a new radiator you likely cleaned up everything down there in the process or noticed if there was crud in the condenser or original radiator.

If the temp gauge needle is going past the L, perhaps a new fan clutch is needed.

 

[nitris]

What do you mean by "starts to get hot"?

It's normal for the temp gauge to go up a little to the M or L in NORMAL with the A/C on in hot weather, since the hot air from the condenser goes through the radiator, so the engine isn't cooled as much with the A/C on.

If the temp gauge goes past the L and keeps climbing, then it's likely the A/C compressor is working too hard and putting too much of a load on the engine.


If the temp gauge needle is between the R and M in NORMAL during regular driving with the A/C off, that's generally the sign of a properly operating cooling system.

Sometimes a new fan clutch will move more air if the old one is worn out. The very bottom of the radiator and condenser sometimes get clogged with crud due to the rubber block-off piece between them at the radiator support, so removing that and cleaning them sometimes helps a little, but if you installed a new radiator you likely cleaned up everything down there in the process or noticed if there was crud in the condenser or original radiator.

If the temp gauge needle is going past the L, perhaps a new fan clutch is needed.

yea i cleaned up pulled old leaves and gunk.... im leaning towards the fan clutch as well.... hell i have replaced the whole system anyway might as well finish the job off right.... i wanted to go electric but since theres no good aftermarket fan that will work ( at least not from what i searched on this forum so far) ill go with a new fan and clutch set

 

[2stroke]

If you are overheating when sitting, it is certainly the fan clutch. Once moving, the fan doesn't matter at all. An electric fan from a Taurus should work fine as a replacement. Do you have just a 1 core radiator?

 

[Arne13]

Don't want to sound smart a$$, but have you checked your coolant level again? And you didn't replace the condenser. Is it clean? If it isn't you are going to get hot. I do a bunch of service calls on housed every summer and all it takes to fix the a.c. is get a hose out and wash out the condenser. Hosing out works on autos as well as houses. Arne. And you posted this on a day when it was about 40 degrees all day here, had some misty rain and then it snowed for a time. Air conditioner p;osts are wonderful this time of year. lol.

 

[nitris]

Yea I replaced the fan and fan clutch and it seems to be holding on max a/c, the coolant levels are good and I always add water wetter as well for a bit of reassurance...the condenser was cleaned very well as when I did the system over I flushed it to be sure of particles I saw in the compressor was removed.... 40 degrees! Lol it was 83 here today in atlanta.

 

[nitris]

If you are overheating when sitting, it is certainly the fan clutch. Once moving, the fan doesn't matter at all. An electric fan from a Taurus should work fine as a replacement. Do you have just a 1 core radiator?

not sure what core it is... i got a factory replacement so i will assume its one core

 

[Arne13]

Sorry, not talking about the inside of the condenser. Talking about outside, can be full of bugs, dirt, weed seeds etc. Kind of hard to get at but hose it out good, radiator also. Arne

 

[2stroke]

I've heard one core radiators can be insufficient in hotter areas like where you live. Maybe you can bring it back and get a 3 core radiator.

 

[nitris]

Sorry, not talking about the inside of the condenser. Talking about outside, can be full of bugs, dirt, weed seeds etc. Kind of hard to get at but hose it out good, radiator also. Arne

I'll take the grill off and go to the local car wash to clean it under pressure... I didn't do that when I cleaned out all the gunk... as for the radiator I'm stuck with it buy everything still seems to be fine... not to mention I got it with a 40% off coupon... if I returned it I would have to pay more... ill monitor it for a week before deciding to upgrade

 

[Arne13]

Careful with the high pressure. Don't know on the cars for sure, but on your home a.c. it can bend the fins over. Then you don't move any air thru it. Big vicious circle. I use a garden hose with sprayer. Arme/

 

[90RedFox]

I'm having same problems. I've replaced every part if my cooling system, I even pressure tested system and conducted an engine compression test. I flushed the radiator twice, and its the only factory part left that hasn't been changed. Mine is a 4door 5sp, and has a single core rad. Anywho, if setting in traffic with a/c blowing, mine will climb up to the (A), which is too hot for my liking. So I've been cutting the a/c off and it will fall within 30sec. I'm thinking a 2row or 3row rad and adding a pusher fan in the front and having it wired to a switch may help.

 

[nitris]

I'm having same problems. I've replaced every part if my cooling system, I even pressure tested system and conducted an engine compression test. I flushed the radiator twice, and its the only factory part left that hasn't been changed. Mine is a 4door 5sp, and has a single core rad. Anywho, if setting in traffic with a/c blowing, mine will climb up to the (A), which is too hot for my liking. So I've been cutting the a/c off and it will fall within 30sec. I'm thinking a 2row or 3row rad and adding a pusher fan in the front and having it wired to a switch may help.

Mine got fixed by changing the fan clutch and the fan.... I also found that the hose from the rad to the coolant resovior was leaking when hot and put a clamp on it.... make sure you really really burp the system well using the funnel method first.... (and if you don't think it's the rad... which I replaced mine because it was so gunked up... even after flushes it would still have trash show up in the drain plug after driving a few days) then change the fan clutch and fan as it really did fix my issue.