Thanks to this forum for providing the information I needed to restore the rear AC in my 1999 E-150 Conversion Van.
I bought the van 3 months ago to replace my Aerostar that developed a warped head and was leaking coolant. It wasn't worth the trouble to repair.
When purchased the "******* Wagon II" had weak AC at best. I noticed it was short cycling on the compressor and 24 oz of R134A had the front AC blowing cold with about 35 PSI on the low side and 200 on the high. (I haven't checked for leaks yet but will if it runs low again).
After re-charging and getting the front AC to work I moved to the rear. It has an aftermarket Evap/Heater/Blower assembly, and problem one was the blower was not working. No blown fuses up front so I pulled the rear panel and found the fan frozen and a rear fuse blown. Ufortunately the fan blades had been warped from heat and un-repairable but after a couple hours of searching I found a replacement at:
www.Action-ac.com
Ordered on Saturday, had it on Thursday, $112.
Note--I also found a site that carried a number of complete rear evap/heater coil/blower assemblies for conversion vans. I bookmarked it for future reference:
Welcome to ACC Climate Control
It was a single speed fan that was an exact replacement for the fan there.
With the fan in I fired it up and enjoyed the cold air blowing out the back, at least for a couple minutes before it started blowing warm air. After gaining some valuable insights from this forum and my head scratching I knew where to start checking. First, there was no vacuum controled air damper on my rear unit I assumed the heating coil and evap were stacked together. The AC lines were cold and sweating so I figured that hot water was still running to the heater coil and knew to check the vacuum controled water valve. I traced it back and found it on top of the bell-housing under the interior engine cowl.
Pulled it out and it was corroded inside and marginally functional. (Right after I bought the vehicle I flushed the cooling system and wasn't happy with all the crude I saw coming out.) Replacement was $15 at a local parts store.
All is now fine and blowing cold, even at idle in 90 degree weather.
Some observations--The fan I replaced was single speed--identical to what I pulled out. It was interesting to note that they sell an identical size 3 speed fan and my front switch is 3 speed. I'm wondering now if it would be a plug and play.
Also noted that my rear unit has its own AC high and low side charging ports. They are barely accessible buried under the rear interior panel forward of the rear evap. There are also what appear to be a couple AC coolant balancing valves underneath rear the left wheel well. I haven't touched either.
I know that recharging the AC may mean I have a refrigerant leak somewhere, so I may need at some point to open up the system. What I can't find is any info on the volumes of refrigerant and oil I'll need to recharge the system on with its non-factory rear unit. I'll probably start with the factory specs and see how it works.
Thanks again to the forum for the insights. This is now my go-tp place for tips and tricks on these vehicles.
Kontoboy