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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 10:54 AM
  #1  
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Angry Air Conditoning

My 93 bronco's AC has a problem. The fan motor changes form the A/C Vent positions to the defrost position as the RPM of the Truck go up. Cannot figure this one out.

Also fan air is not cold. Any suggestions on Freon replacements.



Toneman
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 11:41 AM
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Air Conditoning

The air blowing problem is due to a vacuum leak somewhere in the little vacuum lines that control the doors. Lots of them do this. Mine does it, not too badly though. In summertime I just zip-tie the door actuator open so I can run the a/c (I don't need defrost here in the summer) without it changing to the defrost vents. Then I cut the zip tie in the winter when I need the defrost, and not the vents. It seems easier than tracing all those little vacuum lines around!

As far as the non-cold air, you'll probably have to get a leak somewhere fixed and change the system to R134a. Sounds like it's low on Freon. Unless 93's already had R134a, I don't know. My 95 F150 came with R134a.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 12:07 PM
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Air Conditoning

Where is the Air Acutator located at. Your right about the trouble shooting the vaccum hoses.

Do not know if it is r134 or not how can you tell?


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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 12:20 PM
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Air Conditoning

If you look under the dash, and turn on the a/c, you can see the the actuator moving (to open the door) when you switch the control to a/c. I know that a 93 dashboard is different than my 90, but it's probably in the same general area. I just turned on the engine, switched on the a/c, and then put a zip tie on the actuator to keep it open. I can't use the defrost with the zip tie on, but I have no need for defrost in Colorado summers (or a/c in the winter). That solution did not work in Florida though, where I used to live, and it is rainy and humid and you need the defrost a lot. But it works for me here.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 12:21 PM
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Air Conditoning

PS - I don't know how to tell if you have R134a. I'm sure that somebody here with a 93 would know though.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 10:56 PM
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Air Conditoning

The fittings are huge for the 134a......
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 10:58 PM
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Air Conditoning

93's have R-12. You will need to convert it.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2003 | 11:30 PM
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Air Conditoning

I had the same problem with my '92. The actuator on your '93 will be under the hood, just to the left of where the heater hoses enter the firewall. There is a hard yellow vacuum line that supplies this actuator. On mine, I could GENTLY pull the line out of the rubber fitting on the actuator and see a bad section, which I simply cut off. If you trace this line to the black loom where a bunch of lines come out, you may find that has also become brittle where it bends back towards the firewall, as mine had. I got a 90 degree vacuum elbow at AutoZone and put it in where the line had cracked. Solved my problem.

R134a conversions aren't that difficult. You can do it the cheap way by just putting adaptors on the fittings and putting in 134a and new oil, or you can do it the correct, long-lasting way. To me, this means changing the compressor, accumulator, and orifice tube, and of course adding the fitting adaptors. I've done both methods, and they both work, but I'm not sure how the "cheapy" vehicle I did is doing in the long run.
 

Last edited by bigric; Jun 23, 2003 at 11:33 PM.
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:13 AM
  #9  
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Air Conditoning

Bigric - the actuator under the hood is for the fresh air/recirc (max/norm) door, not the defrost/vents door. However, any vacuum leak can cause the defrost/vents door to malfunction. So when you found that leak, you fixed the problem. But if he cannot find the vacuum leak, he can tie the defrost/vent door, which is under the dash, open.

Honestly, I have never spent the time to look for my vacuum leak. If I needed to constantly switch between defrost and vent, I would spend the time though.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:16 AM
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Air Conditoning

Also, while we don't have much of a choice, I don't think that R134a cools as well as R12 in a vehicle that was designed for R12. I have heard that getting a bigger condenser can help. My R134a conversion cools fine, but if you idle in really hot weather it is not as efficient. (No problems with fan clutch). I have thought about adding an electric pusher fan in front to solve the problem, but since moving to Colorado and away from Florida, and also away from traffic, this has not really been an issue.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:17 AM
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Air Conditoning

what about replacing them? Or are there to many or to expensive.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:22 AM
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Air Conditoning

Has someone ever mentioned this to Ford. This sound like a design problem.

As far as the clutch is concerned are you telling that your airconditioner compressor truns on and off while you have the A/C on. Is that what you meant.

What would the electric pusher fan do for you. Increase the cubic feet of air circulated in the Truck?
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:27 AM
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Air Conditoning

1) Mentioned what to Ford? The vacuum problem?

2) Yes. The clutch should turn on and off while the a/c is on. Usually a couple of minutes on, then a little while off, etc. On and off the whole time. If it seems very long or very short, then something is not right. If you run the a/c and wait for the truck and a/c to reach proper operating temperature, you should be able to pop the hood and watch the ac clutch "cycle," in other words go off and on.

3) An electric pusher fan would help keep the a/c condenser cool while idling in hot weather, helping it cool the vehicle if you are stuck in traffic with the a/c on. It would have nothing to do with the a/c at highway speeds.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 09:30 AM
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Air Conditoning

TD, the a/c condensor is mounted in front of the radiator. It looks like a smaller radiator. Keeping the condensor cool is important for the a/c to work properly. Make sure yours is not clogged with bugs and stuff. If it is, remove the fan shroud, and GENTLY spray all the bugs and dirt out of the radiator and condensor from behind them (engine side). Don't use too high a pressure or you will bend all the cooling fins.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2003 | 12:08 PM
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Air Conditoning

You can also pull the grille and brush them out gently downward with a long-bristle brush.

You don't have to change the compressor to convert to R-134a, but the whole system should be flushed.
 
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