Air conditioning problem fixed itself?
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2010
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Air conditioning problem fixed itself?
Back in June, while camping on a hot day I decided to recharge my AC because it was not working well enough. I recharged the system, AC worked great on the way home. The truck sat for a week and I started it and turned AC ton and it was blowing out the defrost vents. I figured when I had some time, I would start with the vacuum lines and try to work out the issue.
Fast forward to today. Still have AC system on my list of things to do and turned on the AC and it came out of the normal vents, working nice and cool. Made a couple of stops and still worked. What gives? Any suggestions on where to start looking? I'm thinking vacuum lines maybe, but I wanted to see if this happened to anyone else.
Fast forward to today. Still have AC system on my list of things to do and turned on the AC and it came out of the normal vents, working nice and cool. Made a couple of stops and still worked. What gives? Any suggestions on where to start looking? I'm thinking vacuum lines maybe, but I wanted to see if this happened to anyone else.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,193
Likes: 2
From: D.C. but heart's in TEXAS
It could simply be your AC compressor gap. Very easy to fix, and a very frequent cause of AC issues. When the gap is getting close to that "too much" point, the compressor can behave in this "works or doesn't work" state. It's 10-30 minutes of your time, little to no cost. Here's a link:
SpringerPop's Compressor Clutch Air Gap
Also, it could be your orifice tube is getting clogged up, but maybe it cleared out temporarily. I don't know. I do know that when they clog up, your A/C will be warmer.
SpringerPop's Compressor Clutch Air Gap
Also, it could be your orifice tube is getting clogged up, but maybe it cleared out temporarily. I don't know. I do know that when they clog up, your A/C will be warmer.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,609
Likes: 324
From: Arizona
This is a very common issuue with the ESOF hubs. Eventually you will be resealing the hubs or replacing the vaccuum lines between the hubs and the PVH solenoid. Also the PVH solenoid can fail or leak, and the vacuum pump can fail. All of this will mess with your HVAC controls. Start with the vacuum lines as they are cheap and easy.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 609
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It could simply be your AC compressor gap. Very easy to fix, and a very frequent cause of AC issues. When the gap is getting close to that "too much" point, the compressor can behave in this "works or doesn't work" state. It's 10-30 minutes of your time, little to no cost. Here's a link:
SpringerPop's Compressor Clutch Air Gap
Also, it could be your orifice tube is getting clogged up, but maybe it cleared out temporarily. I don't know. I do know that when they clog up, your A/C will be warmer.
SpringerPop's Compressor Clutch Air Gap
Also, it could be your orifice tube is getting clogged up, but maybe it cleared out temporarily. I don't know. I do know that when they clog up, your A/C will be warmer.
The vacuum suggestions above are where to start.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,555
Likes: 9
From: Longview, TX
Agreed, sounds like a vacuum issue. First thing to do is get a mity vac IMO. This way you can test for leaks and see pressure as its being built up, draw vacuum manually in places to see what happens, etc... They are usually in the diagnostic section at your local parts house.
Start with the pump. Is it coming on when the key comes on? Is it running then stopping when it hits the right vacuum, or does it continuously run? If it stays on, there is likely a leak that you should hunt down. A common failure for vacuum is the Pulse Vacuum Hub Solenoid which controls the auto hub locks on a four wheel drive. It's on the passenger side fender well near the vacuum pump. If you have 2wd, that rules that out. When testing the PVH solenoid, there's no need to chase it all the way to the hubs. If there is a leak at the solenoid, replace it and get the AC back. Then make sure the hubs are locking as they should.
Once that is ruled out, you should be able to just follow the vacuum lines until you find the culprit. There are obviously some in the dash that run from the AC controls to the pump. I'd make sure the pump is supplying vacuum there. If so, then look at the lines between the controls and the vacuum actuators.
Start with the pump. Is it coming on when the key comes on? Is it running then stopping when it hits the right vacuum, or does it continuously run? If it stays on, there is likely a leak that you should hunt down. A common failure for vacuum is the Pulse Vacuum Hub Solenoid which controls the auto hub locks on a four wheel drive. It's on the passenger side fender well near the vacuum pump. If you have 2wd, that rules that out. When testing the PVH solenoid, there's no need to chase it all the way to the hubs. If there is a leak at the solenoid, replace it and get the AC back. Then make sure the hubs are locking as they should.
Once that is ruled out, you should be able to just follow the vacuum lines until you find the culprit. There are obviously some in the dash that run from the AC controls to the pump. I'd make sure the pump is supplying vacuum there. If so, then look at the lines between the controls and the vacuum actuators.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 17,988
Likes: 207
From: La La Land
Most likely vacuum leak is the hose from the chassis out to the hub assemblies.
I replaced each of my wheel-well vacuum hoses with 22-1/2 inches of 3/16" (4.8mm) SAE 30R7 fuel hose each side. Secured the ends with a tie-wrap.
It should last a lot longer than OEM, and it fits perfectly.
Pop
I replaced each of my wheel-well vacuum hoses with 22-1/2 inches of 3/16" (4.8mm) SAE 30R7 fuel hose each side. Secured the ends with a tie-wrap.
It should last a lot longer than OEM, and it fits perfectly.
Pop
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2010
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Thanks for all the input! I decided to check the esof and sure enough, 4wd light comes on, I can hear the "esof" motor engage, but when I checked, no 4wd. Locked them in manually.
Labor day project coming up. Vaccumm lines, clean ebps tube, and whatever else I have time for.
Labor day project coming up. Vaccumm lines, clean ebps tube, and whatever else I have time for.
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