Air Conditioning......... Need More Power!
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Deer Park, TX
Air Conditioning......... Need More Power!
Is there any upgrades or tricks that I can do to make the ex cool better? Once it hits 95* it takes forever to cool down and even then it's still warm inside. It's cold blowing out and I have had the system checked. Just wonder if there is a blower swap or anything that will help.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 80,535
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From: Norlina NC
with the number of windows the ex's have i have to ask, have you gotten the windows tinted?? believe it or not it does help.. use to have the same problem with my mustang.. uncle did too with his van.. 3M tint job and cooled off a lot quicker.. the 3m tints are actually designed to reflect most the heat waves from entering the vehicles.. I use to get home and was still sweating by time i got there any time the temps hit the point you asked about.. after getting them done im now cool well before reaching home.. (which i only have a 6.5 mile drive to or from work..)
also have you had the system checked.. while low refrigerant levels can still blow cool air from the system it can be just weak enough to not actually cool the vehicles off. where instead of blowing what should be around 60ish* it could be only putting out 70-73*.. use to see that all the time when vehicles would come in and customers complaining they werent getting cool. yeah it was cooler than the 90+ temps outside. but was just not as efficient as it should have been.
also have you had the system checked.. while low refrigerant levels can still blow cool air from the system it can be just weak enough to not actually cool the vehicles off. where instead of blowing what should be around 60ish* it could be only putting out 70-73*.. use to see that all the time when vehicles would come in and customers complaining they werent getting cool. yeah it was cooler than the 90+ temps outside. but was just not as efficient as it should have been.
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From: Dustbowl, NV
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2013
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From: Reno, NV
What can be done to improve AC with the 6.8L trucks? My AC is 'ok' normally and works great when under load (towing).
Last time I checked pressures were OK but I was just using the guage on the little bottle of refrigerant.
Last time I checked pressures were OK but I was just using the guage on the little bottle of refrigerant.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 8,304
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From: Salem, VA
When I was having issues with the AC in my truck and the wifes Highlander (pre-kickass Volt) we just moved out of stupid Texas and our problems were gone in just a few hours 
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,097
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From: chicago northwest suburbs
How are you running The A/C? To get the most cooling out of it, put it in recirculate and fan speed on 2 (frt and RR, do you have rear A/C?). It will not cool well at all with the fan(s) on high and set to fresh air!
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: Salem, VA
Please explain though, are you just thinking quality over quantity?
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Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: chicago northwest suburbs
The lower fan speed will allow the evaporator to get cooler thus allowing for cooler air out of the vents. Same with setting it to recirculate. When it's set to outside air it is constantly trying to cool down hot air. When in recirc you are always cooling down the air coming back in, so it becomes more efficient the longer it runs!
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From: Deer Park, TX
I did have it checked and they said the pressure was good. I have a 2002 with the climate control and I run it at 60* and recirculat. I have the factory tint and I leave the rear ac on hi and cold. I read somewhere about an orifice tube swap. Also heard about running an electric fan for the condenser (how well does that work?) Figured there would be a more powerful fan for the rear at least by now.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,812
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From: Thousand Oaks, CA
Just curious what color your Ex is?
Do you get all 7 fan speeds? Maybe one of the resistors in the blower motor resistor pack is blown and your fan just doesn't go very fast. Ours seems to work best of fan speed 3.
Has it been humid lately? A/C doesn't work as well in humidity.
Also, when temps start getting high outside the A/C can still only cool so much. I'm not sure, but I thought most A/C systems can only bring the temps down around 30 deg. Even when recirculating the cooled inside air thru the evaporator the condenser can only remove so much heat. At 95 deg the stock system should work fine. We were in Oregon 2 weeks ago in our 2002 Limited V10 towing and it was 113 deg in Grants Pass. The A/C was working good with climate set at 66. With just the 2 of us I don't turn on the rear A/C.
I would check to see if the system needs a little more refrigerant.
Check the rear A/C to be sure it's working - ours had a clogged metering valve. I've been wondering if it would be worth insulating the long coolant lines to the rear A/C.
All cars with factory A/C come with tinted glass. Additional window tinting would help.
Check the condenser to be sure it's not full of bugs.
Do you get all 7 fan speeds? Maybe one of the resistors in the blower motor resistor pack is blown and your fan just doesn't go very fast. Ours seems to work best of fan speed 3.
Has it been humid lately? A/C doesn't work as well in humidity.
Also, when temps start getting high outside the A/C can still only cool so much. I'm not sure, but I thought most A/C systems can only bring the temps down around 30 deg. Even when recirculating the cooled inside air thru the evaporator the condenser can only remove so much heat. At 95 deg the stock system should work fine. We were in Oregon 2 weeks ago in our 2002 Limited V10 towing and it was 113 deg in Grants Pass. The A/C was working good with climate set at 66. With just the 2 of us I don't turn on the rear A/C.
I would check to see if the system needs a little more refrigerant.
Check the rear A/C to be sure it's working - ours had a clogged metering valve. I've been wondering if it would be worth insulating the long coolant lines to the rear A/C.
All cars with factory A/C come with tinted glass. Additional window tinting would help.
Check the condenser to be sure it's not full of bugs.
Junior User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 92
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From: Tucson
Back in the day, a 4-Seasons rep told me the following: Partially open some windows, set the fan speed to med and the A/C to fresh air. This will push out the hot stale air in the vehicle and lets the evaporator get cold. After a minute or so, roll up the windows and set the A/C to recirculate. Then a minute or two later turn the fan speed to High if desired. Remember in our vehicles that there is a lot of real estate (seats, door panels, headliner, etc.) that retains all of that heat that the A/C is trying to remove. This assumes that the system is tip top and the evap is not plugged with lint, hair, carpet fibers, etc.
FTE Chapter Leader
Joined: Nov 2010
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From: N. IL
Clean the evap. fins, make sure the thermostatic fan is working well. The extra air thru the cooling system makes a difference.
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