[Buford_T_Justice]

Hey guys...

I have an 02 f350 but my mom has a 03 X. Now... Its a 6.8 v10 so pls excuse the lack of it being diesel.

Probem>>

After idling for 5 mins, the AC coming out of the vent only gets down to 60F:nono:.
We all remember being in this thing freezing and loving it... now its just mildly mediocre and is not adequate in the blacked-out beast in the Texas summer. She already has a shutoff valve on the coolant line leading to the heater core, so the MAX AC assist (or ball valve) wont help. http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=21

The ford stealership says that the r134 level is fine.
Soon I'll be wrapping the coolant line with nice insulation, but this temp should be lower with no mods.... help please

 

[saltypop]

air gap, check that and remove the front plate and inside of it should be a small washer/spacer.

take that out and should cure the problem.

as long as it is the same as my 2003 f250 diesel set up , should take you about 10 mins

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

Ok Ill check for an air gap, but which "plate" is this?

 

[lance1955]

Go to this thread here http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f24/adjustment-ac-clutch-283938/

It covers what your looking for and where to go from there.

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

Ok,

First I checked the compressor.

it is functioning correctly... The clutch engages when necessary and the compressor continues to run after an extended period of time.

The spacing is also within spec. I just cleaned/degreased the condenser with no
success in helping the A/C temp. I just got in it today and its seriously pitiful, you cant even call it "air conditioning" more like cool fan air. No wonder My mothers been so angry today :lol:. Anyway I'll continue to work away at it... please continue the helpful tips... Ill get there Im sure.

 

[lance1955]

With the AC on is the suction line cold? It should be sweating.
Also look at the condenser, if it never been cleaned that can cause poor cooling.
With out gauges on it and knowing working high and low pressure Im out of ideas.
I just re-read your original post with 60 degree air discharge you need to put gauges on this to see where your at. Just because ford said " its right" does not always means its correct.
Is the compressor clicking on and off? Or running non stop. If its clicking on and off your more than likely low on charge.

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

With the AC on is the suction line cold? It should be sweating.
Also look at the condenser, if it never been cleaned that can cause poor cooling.
With out gauges on it and knowing working high and low pressure Im out of ideas.
I just re-read your original post with 60 degree air discharge you need to put gauges on this to see where your at. Just because ford said " its right" does not always means its correct.
Is the compressor clicking on and off? Or running non stop. If its clicking on and off your more than likely low on charge.

OK... Recently I have checked pretty much all that you just said.

-Checked the low side pressure.. which was 30psi
-Suction line IS cold and getting condensation on it
-I cleaned and thoroughly degreased the condenser
-Compressor is engaging when necessary and staying engaged until turned off... Air gap is good and everything with the compressor seems fine.

I would like to check the orifice tube, but i have to evacuate the system of the r134 before I do that right?

 

[chuckster57]

-Checked the low side pressure.. which was 30psi

What did you use? If you used a manifold gauge set then you could read both the low and high side. Just having the low side reading isn't really much help without knowing what the high side is. And is that reading with the compressor engaged? If that is with the compressor running then I don't think the system is low on refrigerant.

I would like to check the orifice tube, but i have to evacuate the system of the r134 before I do that right?

Yeah the refrigerant has to be removed...then you have to evacuate the system before recharge and the proper protocol is to replace the drier/reciever also any time the system is opened up.

 

[RT]

If your suction line is cold, then your evaporator core is cold. Quit looking at the a/c under the hood and start looking inside - the evaporator could be plugged with debris, the blend door could be malfunctioning - blower motor - etc.

Don't worry about the orifice tube if your suction line is cold. If it were plugged or blown, that wouldn't be happening.

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

If your suction line is cold, then your evaporator core is cold. Quit looking at the a/c under the hood and start looking inside - the evaporator could be plugged with debris, the blend door could be malfunctioning - blower motor - etc.

Don't worry about the orifice tube if your suction line is cold. If it were plugged or blown, that wouldn't be happening.

The Front evaporator AND blower motor.... are BOTH under the hood :lol: :jester:

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

What did you use? If you used a manifold gauge set then you could read both the low and high side. Just having the low side reading isn't really much help without knowing what the high side is. And is that reading with the compressor engaged? If that is with the compressor running then I don't think the system is low on refrigerant.


Yeah the refrigerant has to be removed...then you have to evacuate the system before recharge and the proper protocol is to replace the drier/reciever also any time the system is opened up.

I used a simple pressure gage from an r134 can nozzle without the can in place.

That pressure is with the compressor engaged after maybe 10 mins when it smooths out and goes down.

 

[texaspsdx]

When mine was not cooling good, I replaced the orvice tube and the expansion valve. Recharged and it works great. The expansion valve is in the compartment in the rear where the jack is.

 

[RT]

The Front evaporator AND blower motor.... are BOTH under the hood :lol: :jester:

The access is under the hood in this particular vehicle. What I mean and what should have seemed obvious is that if your suction line is cold, its not an issue with the compressor, condenser, orifice tube, etc. Its not transferring that cold (yes, to all you fellow physics professors, I know we're transferring heat) to the cabin. Until you find out why - you're chasing your tail.

 

[texaspsdx]

Check to make sure you heater blend door is closing.

 

[saltypop]

hey Buford,

RT is the one who helped me get my 2003 f250 working correctly just a few weeks back.

i know you say 60 degrees but does it feel like ambient air.

if so, even though the air gap may be correct like i thought mine was,

you may want to take the front plate off and take out one of the spacers/washers and then ride around for about 20 mins and see whether there is a change in temp.

RT got me to do this and i wasnt sure what i was looking for at first but once i got the

spacer/small washer out of the front place which has just one small bolt in it , the front clutch plate is what i am talking about. unless RT suggests something different i would try this as well because i am not seeing where you have and i was about to mess my system up by adding freon , so i did as he suggested and took a spacer /washer out and within minutes i had cold air.

still have cold air and operating correctly.

again i thought i had the correct gap as well but once i took the spacer/washer out the gap closed to actual correct gap.

if you need instructions on how to do this let us know.

hope this helps,

RT, think he ought to at least give that a shot, worked for me just as you said it would.

thanks,

D

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

hey Buford,

RT is the one who helped me get my 2003 f250 working correctly just a few weeks back.

i know you say 60 degrees but does it feel like ambient air.

if so, even though the air gap may be correct like i thought mine was,

you may want to take the front plate off and take out one of the spacers/washers and then ride around for about 20 mins and see whether there is a change in temp.

RT got me to do this and i wasnt sure what i was looking for at first but once i got the

spacer/small washer out of the front place which has just one small bolt in it , the front clutch plate is what i am talking about. unless RT suggests something different i would try this as well because i am not seeing where you have and i was about to mess my system up by adding freon , so i did as he suggested and took a spacer /washer out and within minutes i had cold air.

still have cold air and operating correctly.

again i thought i had the correct gap as well but once i took the spacer/washer out the gap closed to actual correct gap.

if you need instructions on how to do this let us know.

hope this helps,

RT, think he ought to at least give that a shot, worked for me just as you said it would.

thanks,

D

Ok thanks guys, I had to mess with RT a bit:jester: but nothing personal. Ill take out the spacer, BUT if the compressor is running and engaging fine, is it worth it? The Air doesnt quite feel like ambient air, If you leave the AC on for 30-40 mins it'll feel decent inside the vehicle. On different days its ranging between 60-65F on idle. Even with all of that, RT says to concentrate on the evaporator.

 

[RT]

The spacer should only be removed if your air gap is out of specs. If the compressor is turning while you are having the problem - that's not it.

Do you have a thermocouple? Or any way to get an exact temperature of your suction line? Beer can cold worked for years but isn't considered the proper way to get the proper refrigerant load. Still, if your suction side is ice cold and sweating and your vent temperatures aren't cold - there's a problem with heat transfer.

I don't want to come across as single minded - just can't count the number of times I've seen people sink thousands into rebuilding their a/c system only to eventually dig the equivalent of a birds nest worth of crap out of a completely plugged evaporator. Or a heater valve stuck open. Or a blend door frozen open - etc..

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

The spacer should only be removed if your air gap is out of specs. If the compressor is turning while you are having the problem - that's not it.

Do you have a thermocouple? Or any way to get an exact temperature of your suction line? Beer can cold worked for years but isn't considered the proper way to get the proper refrigerant load. Still, if your suction side is ice cold and sweating and your vent temperatures aren't cold - there's a problem with heat transfer.

I don't want to come across as single minded - just can't count the number of times I've seen people sink thousands into rebuilding their a/c system only to eventually dig the equivalent of a birds nest worth of crap out of a completely plugged evaporator. Or a heater valve stuck open. Or a blend door frozen open - etc..

Totally Understand. That makes sense too. Everything other than that seems fine. No I dont have a thermocouple. Ill eventually get the system evacuated, then check the evap., then have it recharged. Am I correct in thinking that any time the system is evacuated and air gets in it, then the accumulator/drier needs to be replaced?

 

[RT]

Yes, you should replace the drier and use the opportunity to replace the orifice tube any time the system is opened. But what I'm trying to say is you don't need to have the system evacuated. When I say plugged evaporator - I'm talking about the outside where the air flows through. Like when your radiator gets plugged up with bugs - you don't have to drain the coolant to fix that. Just vacuum it out and get the air flowing again. Pull the blower motor and get a flashlight in there and look at it.

 

[Buford_T_Justice]

Yessir I understood that, I just thought that I had to remove the whole evap. (thus evac'ing, etc) just to clean it well.

Thnx Ill check it that way