Another A/C problem.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,369
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From: Gainesville, GA
Another A/C problem.
'99 Explorer Eddie Bauer V8 302,000 miles. We were on a trip last week and the A/C wouldn't blow air in the front. The rear blower worked and the air was cold. It was really hot and we were thinking about coming home. I turned it off and we went to lunch. After lunch I tried it and it worked like it always did and I didn't touch any controls for the next couple of days and it worked until we got home. I turned it off and a couple of days later I drove the car and it didn't come on immediately, it took a couple of minutes but it came on. Every time in the past few days it's behaved normally. It's the automatic HVAC unit. Does anyone know what the problem can be? I thought it might be the fan switch but it changes speeds when the car is the temperature it's set at.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2000
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From: PNW
I'm not quite clear on the symptoms you're experiencing. Is the issue you're having just with fan speed or hot/cold control?
Recently, my Mountaineer with the auto temperature control had a problem with the fan speed. It would randomly change speeds. Sometimes it would blow, sometimes it wouldn't and other times the speed would change without me touching the control. In my case, it was the blower controller. I just more or less guessed at the problem and got one from the junkyard for a few bucks since there wasn't much risk involved. Plus, I figured out how to change it without experimenting on my Mountaineer. When I removed the old one, I found that one of the components on the circuit board had a bad solder joint. I re-flowed the solder and kept it for a spare.
Recently, my Mountaineer with the auto temperature control had a problem with the fan speed. It would randomly change speeds. Sometimes it would blow, sometimes it wouldn't and other times the speed would change without me touching the control. In my case, it was the blower controller. I just more or less guessed at the problem and got one from the junkyard for a few bucks since there wasn't much risk involved. Plus, I figured out how to change it without experimenting on my Mountaineer. When I removed the old one, I found that one of the components on the circuit board had a bad solder joint. I re-flowed the solder and kept it for a spare.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,746
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From: PNW
Jack up the right, front tire and remove. You might be able to get away with just turning the steering wheel. I didn't even try. I like all the access I can get. Remove the inner fender liner (the one with the plastic push pins). You can remove the whole thing if you want, or just enough to get access to the controller. I don't think I had to remove the plastic fender liner. I took a look at the screws just now and it doesn't look like there were any witness marks on them so I don't think I had to partially remove the plastic fender liner. The controller is mounted to the black box with the blower and evaporator in it. I"m sure there's a proper name for it, but I don't know what it is. There's one connector on it with 4 or 5 wires (two wires are fairly large gauge) and two screws holding it in place. It might be easier to remove the connector once the controller is removed since you'll have better access. I can't remember exactly how I did it. Look up that part on Rock Auto or other site to see what it looks like.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 7
From: Gainesville, GA
Thanks. There is no "a/c controller" @ Rock Auto that shows me a picture. Can you think of another name for it? Maybe this week I'll have time to delve into it if the fish aren't biting.
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duvaller
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Sep 3, 2015 02:18 PM
