a/c question
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a/c question
My 2001 F150 recently started defaulting to blowing cool air through the defrost vents, and then will switch back to the dash vents. This appeared to occur when the truck was going up hills, or anytime the truck had shifted out of overdrive because of the road incline. It then switches back to blowing through the dash vents. I did find a thread on this relating to a different model and found they were looking at the vacum pump as the possible problem. If this is the problem, how easy is this to replace on me own? I checked the repair manual I have and it cautioned about any repairs on the A/C pressurized system, but I am not sure if this applies. In my manual I could not locate anything on the vacum pump.
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From: E.Lincoln County, NC
Typical symptoms of a vacuum leak. Your truck does not have a vacuum pump, only the diesels do. Start by visually checking the vacuum lines for breakage. Do an advanced search on here for vacuum leaks and a/c flow problems.(search "a/c + vacuum" ) Unfortunately it's not uncommon on these trucks. There's also a HVAC section here to read through. Cooling, Heating, Ventilation and A/C - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
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Thank you for the reply. Based on the limited research I have done, I have learned that this is not uncommon. Good to know that only diesels have that pump, so I don't have to look for that. I will let you know what I find.
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From: South Texas
My 02 had a broken vacuum line on the passenger side firewall, close to the battery under the hood. It was easy to find because I took it to the dealer for something else and told them to check the a/c system since all the air was coming out of the defrost vents. They gave me a $120 estimate for the a/c repair, I told them no and just paid the $30 for the a/c check. Took one look under the hood and could clearly see where they had tracked down the vacuum leak, it was the only "clean" area under the hood. I just spliced the broken line with some silicone sealant and a small piece of rubber hose, $2 fix.
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From: E.Lincoln County, NC
Yep, the area between the battery and the firewall is the most common area of failure. I tracked one down this past weekend on a friends 97 and finally found a 2" piece of vacuum hose bad on the reservoir under the right fender. PITA ! ! Now the a/c blows as it's designed .....yea!
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Vacuum Line repair
Thanks for all the information folks. I did a visual check this morning and saw some suspect looking lines near the check valve and closer to the middle of the engine compartment, so I am going to purchase the repair parts and get to work. I live near Palm Springs and it is getting hot out here, so I am excited that I will be able to fix this and get the air back on my face verses my windshield. This is the first Ford I have owned and it has been a great truck. Not too excited about the $125 it costs to fill it here in California - cost me less than $50 when I bought this vehicle, but other than the poor gas mileage, I have enjoyed owning this truck. I will let you all know how it goes on the repair.
Jason
2001 Super Crew
Jason
2001 Super Crew
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Thanks again for the great information. It appears that I have been successful in fixing this issue with your assistance. For others that are trying to fix this; I learned that the rubber tubing is not the same size on either side of the check valve, so if you go to the auto parts stor to purchase the repair items be aware of this so you get both sizes and do not have to go back. You really can't tell from looking at it, but if you take the check valve off and take that into the parts store you can get exactly what you need. The great thing is that this fix cost me under $10.
I am sure I will return to this site for more information down the road because I am willing to do the work myself if possible but I am not always able to figure out where to start even with the assistance of my Haynes manual.
Jason Harmon
2001 Super Crew
I am sure I will return to this site for more information down the road because I am willing to do the work myself if possible but I am not always able to figure out where to start even with the assistance of my Haynes manual.
Jason Harmon
2001 Super Crew
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From: South Texas
Thanks again for the great information. It appears that I have been successful in fixing this issue with your assistance. For others that are trying to fix this; I learned that the rubber tubing is not the same size on either side of the check valve, so if you go to the auto parts stor to purchase the repair items be aware of this so you get both sizes and do not have to go back. You really can't tell from looking at it, but if you take the check valve off and take that into the parts store you can get exactly what you need. The great thing is that this fix cost me under $10.
I am sure I will return to this site for more information down the road because I am willing to do the work myself if possible but I am not always able to figure out where to start even with the assistance of my Haynes manual.
Jason Harmon
2001 Super Crew
I am sure I will return to this site for more information down the road because I am willing to do the work myself if possible but I am not always able to figure out where to start even with the assistance of my Haynes manual.
Jason Harmon
2001 Super Crew
The parts store will usually have a small pack of vacuum tubing in assorted sizes, that's what I picked up
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Hello all,
Turns out I had to look a little further because the problem was still happening. Sure enough, when I removed my battery and battery tray, I found a hole in the line coming off the check valve that runs through the fire wall. I applied the same fix that Triton used and now I am back in business. Road tested it, because it never happened when I hit the accelerator in park, and everything works perfect.
My haynes manual suggested using a piece of hose put up to my ear to check for vacuum leaks. Manual says you could hear a hissing sound. I don't know how that would work, because when I tried that all I got was the engine noise amplified. Haynes tends to have some good suggestions, but this one was a waste of time. So, thank goodness for forums like this where a person can find common problems and how others fixed their issues. Haynes could learn some things if they would explore the common problems people have. There was nothing about this in their trouble shooting section, and based on what I have read, this is pretty common.
Thanks again to everyone for your assistance.
Jason
Turns out I had to look a little further because the problem was still happening. Sure enough, when I removed my battery and battery tray, I found a hole in the line coming off the check valve that runs through the fire wall. I applied the same fix that Triton used and now I am back in business. Road tested it, because it never happened when I hit the accelerator in park, and everything works perfect.
My haynes manual suggested using a piece of hose put up to my ear to check for vacuum leaks. Manual says you could hear a hissing sound. I don't know how that would work, because when I tried that all I got was the engine noise amplified. Haynes tends to have some good suggestions, but this one was a waste of time. So, thank goodness for forums like this where a person can find common problems and how others fixed their issues. Haynes could learn some things if they would explore the common problems people have. There was nothing about this in their trouble shooting section, and based on what I have read, this is pretty common.
Thanks again to everyone for your assistance.
Jason
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