Just got back from the dealer. Oil change at 1600 and they looked over the AC... It's blowing 56-58 at the vents. The mech tells me everything is within spec on the gauges. Then he says it's only suppose to blow 15-20 degrees below ambient. I said you are kidding, right?? It was 73 degrees out and I got my infared heat gun out and pointed it at the vent. 58 degrees... I said thats barely within spec. He says you have to have the doors shut and have it on recirculate to get it colder. I said my 97 Grand Marqui blows at 38-39 degrees when it's 90 outside. He says they changed the compressor on the 04 trucks and this is as good as it gets..

By now the the service manager and the saleman are standing there. I said that's not AC. I said I would never have bought this truck if I'd a known the AC was that limp.. That takes real gut's for Ford to charge a 1000 bucks more and call this vehicle air conditioned..

Looks like it's time to get the Enviro-Safe out, evacuate and recharge the system. There's no way I can live with 15 degree air conditioner..according to the mech...which is crap because it blows 58 when it's 80-85 outside.. That alone proves it will do more than what he thinks or was lying to me about...

 

I couldn't agree with you more. I really love everything about my truck, but the air conditioner is a joke. As much as I like the truck, I never would have bought it had I known how poorly the air conditioner works. I brought it into service 3 days after I bought it, they gave me the same excuses you got. This may not be a problem for many people who don't have harsh summers, but here in Texas, you live and die with your air conditioner. Ford needs to fix this problem before they start losing customers.

 

Lets see what the AC boys have to say about this.. I'm not done by a long shot on this deal...


http://www.aircondition.com/wwwboard/2003Q1/10805.html

 

Dunk, you will have to let us know how your Enviro-safe project works out. My ac doesn't cut it, and here in Central Florida the humidity is horrible. I will be talking to the Ford service dept soon, but will probably get the same response you are getting. Will enviro-safe really make the ac system work better? Any consequences? Thanks!

 

I live in Phoenix, Az. Right now it's 110..and the A/C is terrible. Had the vehicle in once...they said everything checks ok. Took at back today to another dealer. Will report on how it goes.

 

Well I converted my 88 Bronco which was originally R12 to Enviro-safe when the compressor quit. I replaced the compressor, dryer/accumulator and put a Variable orfice valve(VOV) in it. Pulled a vacuum on it over night and charged it with the mix of propane and isobutane(Enviro-Safe). The trickest thing to ES is not putting too much in. You only use about 55% of what you would use with R12 or R134. Both high side and low side work best at about 2/3's the pressure of R12 and 134 so the compressor runs easier.

At the vents in the Bronco I could hang a damp rag and it woulds start to stiffen up from freezing at 50 mph on the highway. Not solid, but I was getting 31-32 degrees at the vents. I mean headache cold where you had to crack a window or mix some heat with ituj to keep it reasonable in the truck. The stuff is nasty.. It's more of a direct replacement for R134 then it is for R12. ES is perfectly compatiable with PAG oil in R134 systems or Mineral oil in R12 systems.

I'm still going to push the dealer harder on this before I swap it over.. I figure if I do change it to ES and it blows something because of Ford changing something it will dump the ES anyway and they'll never know what I had in it.. Maybe if they have to replace the AC system they'll get it right the second time around..

 

My 98 Ranger is the same way, if it's under 95 I can't have it on max with the fan up all the way for more than a few minutes becuase it gets too cold! Even when I turn the fan to low it is still too cold... It's still all original too.

 

Dunk--my local dealer said 40/50 degs at vent on MAX A/C, #2 blower speed w/recirq on. Or at idle :approx 30 degs cooler than ambient. Your dealer is not well informed and your A/C is not within spec.

 

I was getting 31-32 degrees at the vents. I mean headache cold where you had to crack a window or mix some heat with ituj to keep it reasonable in the truck.


Thats the ticket. I want to be able to hang meat in that sumbitch.

 

Hello, Dunk and others with a/c problems. I had the same problem and was mad as heck also. I'm the type that gets hot and uncomfortable when it's 68 degrees outside. Anyway I took my 04 screw to the dealer's collision center to have some detailed painting done on the hood. I mentioned the a/c problem and gave the asst. manager in the collision center the TSB number and asked if he had heard about the problem. He said he had not, but when the painting was done that he would take it over to the repair area and give them the info. and make sure that they took care of it. I went on vacation for a week and when I returned, AIR CONDITIONING. It works!! I don't know what they did. I never talked to the guys in repair but it works. I'm thinking they looked up the tsb and got the directions to take care of the problem. I now can run a/c at the 2nd or 3rd fan position when it's 90 degrees in Atlanta. Hope the following info. helps. (Most service techs don't know there's a problem or a tsb)

This is what's listed with the NHTSA:

MAKE: Ford
MODEL: F150
YEAR: 2004
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLENTIN NUMBER: 17261
DATE OF BULLENTIN: October 1, 2003
NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10004914
COMPONENT: Equipment: Electrical: Air Conditioner
SUMMARY: Inaccurate ambient temperature reading and/or poor air conditioning performance.

Take this with you. They can't argue with an issued tsb. They should look up the tsb and it should list the fix. Good Luck! I'm cool now.

 

Well it going back in again next Weds. They say they don't know what to do with it. I said don't worry I'll have plenty of ideas.. First, I'm going stick that TSB under their noses then I want it drained, put under a vacuum then recharged.

This guy Ignacio knows what he's talking about. I also called two other local auto repair shops and they agree it should be in the high 30's low 40's..

http://www.aircondition.com/wwwboard/2003Q1/10805.html

I was thinking about recharging it myself, but then I start thinking the reason why I spent 32K on new truck was to get myself out from under the hood of what I drive..

 

Mine stinks if you start it up and just sit there. It'll eventually cool off, but it doesn't blow super cold air from the start like the cheap Cavalier in the driveway. However, it does a great job once you start moving...and seems to continue to work fine after stopping (after having driven somewhere). It's just not too great when starting it up and letting it sit.

 

What should I know about this and other issues before I buy?

Thanks,

Dave

 

Dave, go to an auto parts store and temp gauge to stick in the vent of any truck you test drive. If it isn't blowing under 40 degrees make them fix it before you buy it..

I'm a marine surveyor and one of my tools is an infrared heat gun to check trans temps, engine temps, manifold and riser temps.

My salesman for my truck is a pretty decent guy. I'm going to stop in there tomorrow and ask him to get a few keys for new 150's on the lot.. I'm going to see what other new truck AC's are doing..

Automotive AC is not brain surgery.. I was out looking at how much bigger the condensor is on my 04 compared to my 88 Bronco. It's at least 40% bigger. The Bronco was made for R12 which is more efficient than R134, but there's noway I'm going swallow what that tech told me about only cooling 15-20 below ambient..

Another thing about testing temps... Everyone and manuals tell you to test at full fan/blower speed. Ok, that's fine, but the faster and more air you pull through the evaporator the less time it has to cool. I test mine with 3 bars showing as fan speed...about 1/2 throttle on the fan. 56-58 degrees is not AC... At full blast on the fan I'm up to 60-62 degrees.

60 degree AC might have a chance to pull the cabin down to 80 degrees in 90 degree weather if you never crack a window. As tight as these trucks seem the cabin is still a breeze way, not to mention all the glass which has about zero insulation factor. If you don't believe me shut your ice(AC) off when it's 85 out and you are rolling at 60mph and see how long it takes to start cooking you..
Dgordon, thanks for that number on the TSB. I'm like you I like it cool. 20 years ago when I was living in the Key's the heat didn't bother me at all. That has changed in the last 7-8 years. I'm confident that Ford didn't put a joke in as an air conditioner as the meathead tech at the dealer told me yesterday. I don't buy anything but Ford's or Merc's, but I'll dump this thing in a year even though it is leased for 3yrs if they can't get the AC blowing like it should..

 

Just picked up my 2004 FX4 SCAB from the shop. They evacuated, recharged, and put in a new orifice tube. It's 108 deg today in Phoenix. Duct temp is 48 deg while cruising on the freeway at 70mph in MAX AC with switch in the number 3 position. This seems barely acceptable comfort wise. The Sable loaner they gave was putting out the same temp yesterday under similar conditions...but it felt more comfortable inside.