Ok, have an ’04 FX4… living in AZ, found the AC a bit ”wanting” in city driving… she would blow 42 degrees all day long on the highway… but in the city… on MIN, she would cruise into the mid 60’s at a light etc, ugh. On MAX she would stay around 55 (keep in mind, when its 114 out) in the city...
So, I had checked all the usual culprits, AC charge etc, condenser being clogged, all appeared fine…
Now, thinking… she is nice and cold as air is being passed over the condenser… time for Efans. Went and bought everything to hook up 2 12 inch pusher fans in front the condenser…

Began the project and once the top cowl was taken off, wow!!!! The radiator was soooooo clogged… unreal! I was shocked as the condenser was so clean (had bought the truck about 2-3 months ago, used from a dealer)… but that radiator was really blocked up - sort of surprised that she never showed signs of overheating. So, the tip is, if you are having AC issues and you only look at the condenser… go the extra step and remove that top cowl so you can see the radiator from the inside perspective… what a difference.
So, my AC is still not turning my rig (black on black) into a meat locker… she now blows about 38 on the highway in MAX and about 45 or so in MIN (speed set to 3)… and in city MAX will give me about 48 (stop and go) and MIN will give me about 57.

Soooooo, as I still have the efans and the such, I can of course return all the hardware… am wrestling with the question of : Should I still install the efans… or just leave it alone? I “think” I can make her colder in town with the efans, but its actually not bad… hmmm.

Not sure it’s worth the effort?

What would you do?

 

you do a lot of city driving in that heat? I'd install the efans and run them, can't hurt, and I like a cold truck.

 

Before you install the fans, go buy a can of Ice32. It is a lubricant enhancer that cleans the metal surfaces inside your A/C system and then coats them. A/C lines can tend to "clot". By removing the build up, and preventing it from building up again, the refrigerant in your system will move properly and cool better. The stuff isn't cheap. $30 or so for a can that has 2 oz. of Ice32 and 1 oz. of R134A but it works.

I was skeptical as you probably are too. A salesman from an auto parts store kept trying to get me to buy it for our equipment business. I finally talked him into a free sample the same week I had to replace my compressor on my 1998 F150. The mechanic that replaced the compressor told me when he picked it up that he got it to 44 degrees at the vent. After the Ice 32, I saw temperatures of 36 to 38 at the vent with the fan speed on low.

Here's the link. Welcome To ICE 32

An important note, a week after I used the ice32, a line came loose and dumped my freon charge. Had the system charged again and the Ice32 had already done its thing and after charging the temps stayed the same.

 

Yeah, I like an ice cold truck as well.

The Ice 32 sounds interesting... do you just add it to your existing gas, or do you drain some first... so its not overfilled?

Sounds worth a shot.... before I install fans. Would be nice if I could just return the fans and not need to install them... hate adding anything under the hood if I don't have to... less to go wrong.

Thanks!

 

what radiator are you talking about checking? More details please and could you post a picture.

 

Yes, you just add it to the system. It only has one ounce of freon so it won't overcharge the system. You'll have to get one of the short hoses with the quick connect to put it in.

 

bump??????

 

Howdy... in regard to the radiator... just the usual one... in the fornt of the truck, you will see the condenser... looks a bit like a radiator... now, mounted behind the condenser, towards the cabin, is the normal radiator to help keep you motor cool. On my truck, looking from the front... the condenser was clean, but I had theplastic top/cowl off, I could now see the other side of the radiator... could not see this side with the top plastic cowl on... but it was pretty clogged up with dirt.. unreal.

Ok, as an experiment, I mounted, just as a test, two efans (hayden?) to the front of the AC condenser... just kind of set them in there... temporarily... and fired up the truck with both of those efans running full tilt... checked the temp at the vents... after a few minutes... not much of a difference with or without the efans. I was a bit surprised... anyways, took the efans back to the store for a refund... I expected to see the temps drop... was a bit disappointed.

I think the next thing I will try is to add a can of the Ice32.

I have no guages etc... so reckon taking the can to my local shop and asking them to add it would be the things to do.

Will let you now if it makes a diff. So far, cleaning the radiator to allow more air being sucked from the engine fan, helped a bit.

 

thanks! keep us updated