I have a 2005 Excursion and the A/C Control panel has been blank on 2 different occasions. Upon startup the A/C will not respond to any adjustments and is therefore turned off.

Typically if we turn the Excursion off for several hours, the A/C will start working again.

Should I be concerened. Anyone else had a similar issue?

 

I have a 2005 with climate control AC. Two times since new, has 48K on it now, the AC panel did not "lite-up or work after engine start. I just pulled over, shut off the engine and restarted the engine both times and it then worked. Go figure. I think it may be either ignotion switch not making good contact or something in the ECM, if it in fact, the ECM controls the AC operation.

 

My 04 has done the same thing 3 times in the last 2 years.

 

My 05 did the same thing one time. Turned off the ignition and fired it up. It lit up and worked fine. The dealer didn't know what problem was.

 

If you can simply cycle the key and solve the issue nbd, if it takes several hours or happens regularly you most likely need a control head. Not a common issue but I have seen it a few times and a new head has always fixed it.
I love manual controls, they never go out. lol

 

do a search, I remember reading somewhere that if you have the auto headlight switch and turn them off pause turn them on pause and then back to auto the ac panel will work.

Mike

 

Hellcatt, you may be correct. My '03 has done this about 3-4 times per year since new. What works for me is to:

1) Turn off truck.
2) Wait 5 minutes (time for accessories power to cycle off).
3) Re-start truck. Climate control will now work.

Next time, I will try your technique.

 

I have a 2005 with 55K miles, and I run the A/C all year whenever the truck is on. I have had this problem occur a dozen times or so. I have never "done" anything to fix it, as it starts working by itself after a few minutes.

I have also had, recently, the system decide on start-up that I wanted defrost, for no apparent reason.

This also goes away after a few minutes/miles.

FWIW
Quietman

www.roenation.com
2005 EXCURSION LIMITED-options (everything) equipped Eddie Bauer edition 4X4 PSD
4" FabTech lift/level, Bilstein $$ mono-gas shocks, Rancho Steering Stabilizer
Silverstar 9005 fog and H13ST headlights + wiring mod to run high beam and fogs together,
BFG 315/75/16 AT KO's on Factory Mags, 22" front and 18" rear rain-x wipers,
LANDYOT Generation II Radius Rods, Ford factory hood insulator, Mojave Pin-Striping

 

Quietman -

The "defrost" problem is a separate issue that I recently had with our '03. I suspect that you have a vacuum leak. This is draining the vacuum canister down while the truck sits overnight. Find the leak and you solve the problem.

On my truck, the leak was in the body of the "Valve Assembly" that switches the 4x4 auto hubs. This is on the right front inner fender. The vacuum pump is also in that location. Once the valve body cracked, the leak was too big for the pump to overcome. The main hint I had was that the 4x4 auto hubs failed to engage and then I started having the problem you describe.

You probably need to fix this leak. It will get worse until you won't have any effectiveness in the A/C. If it is not blowing on your face, it does not feel cold in the truck.

 

After reading about this issue (back when it happened), I tried the autoheadlamp trick and it worked, it came back up. I haven't had this problem in a long time (knock on wood).

 

Sooo, does anyone know if replacing the AC control head will help or not with the occasional dead display at startup?? I am rapidly approaching 36k miles and if gonna push for it to be replaced I need to do it now while under full warranty, but it's so intermittent that it won't act up while at the dealer. I know they are gonna (try to) tell me that they can't change out a part that is working OK or Ford won't pay them for it.

However when I called them, they told me that have had another Excursion in last year with same complaint, but never any 250 or 350 trucks. What is different about our AC system in the X?

 

Almost nothing is different, again if resetting the head takes several hours and the dealership is willing to replace I would recommend having it replaced. By the way they seem to act up more at extreme temperatures when they start to fail, ie cold mornings and hot afternoons.

 

Mine has failed during the hot summer months. In addition, I had the same thing occur twice on my 2005 F350 Lariat.

 

I have a 2003 X and my a/c - heater controls have went dead
several times . I don't shut off the switch and wait or anything
like that. I just switch the headlights on and off or off and on
a few times and the power comes back on to the a/c control.
Have had no luck with ford the first 4 or 5 times it went dead.

 

OK, my X is at local dealer for this since Tuesday afternoon, am being told it's not the control head that's bad but some kind of module behind it that includes a diode, and they have this magical diode part "on order" but didn't get it from Ford as supposed to today...

I need the car back to move my camper this weekend, so will need to schedule yet ANOTHER return trip I guess, but wondering if this is hogwash to start with -- anyone else heard of a diode part behine the AC display that could be causing this no-power intermittent problem?