Help me diagnose AC issues please

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Jun 11, 2011 | 08:07 PM

pw1981

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Help me diagnose AC issues please

I have two AC issues that I would appreciate help with in my 05 Expedition XLT...

1. AC blows nice and cold when driving down the road, but when sitting at a light or in the driveway its just not as cold as it should be. I know the AC compressor was replaced less than 20k miles ago by a Ford dealer so I am reasonably certain it may be a belt or something simple but I'd love to hear y'all's opinion.

2. Air flow is restricted to vents. I turn the **** and it won't go to floor/defrost/etc. It makes the right noises, but the air flow doesn't change. I am thinking something is stuck somewhere.

Jun 11, 2011 | 09:02 PM

alloro

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From: 0,0,1

1. Insufficient R134a charge.

2. Broken vacuum line under the battery tray.

Jun 11, 2011 | 10:54 PM

projectSHO89

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From: St Louis

1. Insufficient condenser airflow is also a possibility.

2. See FAQs in the HVAC section.

Jun 12, 2011 | 10:22 AM

cbradford

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From: Lost in Pa.

System could be slightly overcharged which would account for the cold AC while driving.

Jun 12, 2011 | 11:21 AM

alloro

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cbradford

System could be slightly overcharged which would account for the cold AC while driving.

Oh God, I do really hope you're joking.

Jun 12, 2011 | 05:27 PM

Robert_Mays

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From: TN

Broken vacuum line would make air blow out of defrost/floor only, not vents

Jun 13, 2011 | 12:04 AM

ScottyDsntKnow

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That's what I was thinking as well, I just went through this myself and vac leak=air only coming from the defrost. OP does not have climate control if he is turning ***** so I don't know what is going on there. Still check all vac lines just to be sure...

As for the AC not being as cold as it used to, could be insufficient airflow over the condenser since you aren't getting the ram air effect while stopped. Or it could just be a low charge in the system. I just had to recharge mine from about 30 psi all the way up to 45 psi and that made a huge difference. I will say that this vehcile still does not get anywhere near the atomic cold that some of my other vehicles do (and 2 of those are older Fords) but it gets cold enough.

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Jun 13, 2011 | 03:05 AM

pw1981

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Thanks for the input so far. On the not cooling thing, I should clarify that this issue is only really noticeable when it's hot as ***** out... It still blows air that is cool/cold while sitting still. However, that cool air does not seem to have an affect on actually cooling the truck interior. Once you get moving and stay moving for a few miles, the truck actually cools down and stays thy way until you stop. In every other vehicle I've owned, the air was better in motion but still would cool down the vehicle if you started it up and sat for a few minutes. This truck doesn't do that when it's really hot. If I were to go out now (at 0400) and start it, it would freeze me out. Does this lend credibility to just needing a professional recharge?

On the air flow control issue... I had a similar issue in my previous vehicle (03 Explorer) and found that the bar connecting the vacuum "motor" to the lever that controlled the door that diverted air from one place to another was disconnected. Once I fixed that all was well. Where is that on this truck? I'm thinking that may be the problem because I can hear vacuum noises when I flip the switch but I don't feel any movement in the air flow - like something is stuck or disconnected.