So the check engine light started blinking...

[Prince_Polaris]

The AC setting has no effect on the amount of hp used to run the compressor. Max ac recycles the cabin air - cooling and reducing the interior humidity level. The regular ac setting sources outside air.

Well, that makes it a little better, but for the sake of keeping the car colder and cooling it faster I think I'll get the back AC working anyway...

 

[1955moose]

You might also consider the electric fan conversion that Explorer Tom just completed. As big as you are, you'd love the weather here in Daly City, its cool all the time. Never gets above 75 degrees. Summer is 52-65 degrees from May through September. The cool foggy weather is never humid. It's big boy weather!

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[BRIANGEE]

you'd love the weather here in Daly City...

Didn't realize we had 'international' forum members here.. LOL

 

[Prince_Polaris]

You might also consider the electric fan conversion that Explorer Tom just completed. As big as you are, you'd love the weather here in Daly City, its cool all the time. Never gets above 75 degrees. Summer is 52-65 degrees from May through September. The cool foggy weather is never humid. It's big boy weather!

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Oh that sounds lovely.... climate change isn't being nice to western maryland at all, as a kid it was rare to see 80 degrees but now it's the norm, and it often goes to 90 or 100! All the old streams I would play in are dried up, too... probably not right now though considering all this rain.

What's the electric fan conversion?

 

[Trainmaster]

How many miles are on them spark plugs? Sounds like bad plugs or possibly a fuel filter if it has one or a critical fuel pump.

 

[Prince_Polaris]

How many miles are on them spark plugs? Sounds like bad plugs or possibly a fuel filter if it has one or a critical fuel pump.

Don't know, looks like I'm gonna find out tomorrow, we're takin' it to the ol shop...

 

[1955moose]

Read Explorer Tom's recent post. He just put on a twin electric fan on his 2000 Expedition. You'll want to fix your AC problems first, but it is something to consider if you want cooler AC, and better AC flow. Especially when you run your AC all the time. Brian, I don't how you live in that 110 degree Arizona heat. It's made for lizard's, and cactus! Not humans.

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[Prince_Polaris]

Read Explorer Tom's recent post. He just put on a twin electric fan on his 2000 Expedition. You'll want to fix your AC problems first, but it is something to consider if you want cooler AC, and better AC flow. Especially when you run your AC all the time. Brian, I don't how you live in that 110 degree Arizona heat. It's made for lizard's, and cactus! Not humans.

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I don't watch king of the hill, but I've seen the clip where the mom says "This city is a testament to man's arrogance", heh. I don't know how people can handle arizona or texas or any of the hot states... anyway, perhaps I will sometime! It's just swapping the big fan in front with two, right? Like our vans have... airflow would certainly explain why the AC is better on the highway! I also really need to find out whether the darn thing has a cabin air filter or not...

My car goes back on wednesday, the shop said the car's problems are likely coils or plugs (like you guys said) and that the problems with the rear AC might just be a blend door or something else... and they're gonna check to see what the grinding noise in the rear is, too.

You know the "Whump" I mentioned in the front of the car? It was the emergency window breaker thing in my door panel sliding forwards and back. I mean, I'm glad to finally figure out what that was, but boy do I feel dumb! And of course I find this out after I told the guy I was worried about it...

 

[1955moose]

You got one of those emergency hammers, in case you're submerged in water, to break the window? It looks like my Snap on small ball peen hammer. Where was it rattling around in? The kick panel? Couldn't be inside the door panel. In case you haven't already read the posts here about not washing engine down to clean. That will short out your coils in a New York minute! That and one of the small coolant hoses start to leak, that run near the coils.

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[BRIANGEE]

Brian, I don't how you live in that 110 degree Arizona heat. It's made for lizard's, and cactus! Not humans.

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@1955moose It's a dry heat! But compared to where you live I'm sure you wonder how anyone can live anywhere else! And I don't blame you! LOL
Except the only blue I want to see is the ocean and not the politics

 

[stamp11127]

I have no idea of what this costs but the info is for how they set it up and the amount of airflow. I spec'd it for a 2003 Expy.

https://www.flex-a-lite.com/dual-15...ull-shroud-and-variable-speed-controller.html

 

[1955moose]

It's always funny how we take one subject, and spin it into something totally different! That's what I love about the forum. Like talking to a friend on a phone, and one starting conversation spins into something reminding you of another day. Keeps life from being boring.

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[Prince_Polaris]

You got one of those emergency hammers, in case you're submerged in water, to break the window? It looks like my Snap on small ball peen hammer. Where was it rattling around in? The kick panel? Couldn't be inside the door panel. In case you haven't already read the posts here about not washing engine down to clean. That will short out your coils in a New York minute! That and one of the small coolant hoses start to leak, that run near the coils.

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The uh... I said door panel because I don't know the name of it, the little drawer in the bottom of the door is what I mean. Also, while I haven't washed the engine... it has been raining really hard recently, perhaps something got in there, I dunno. I would like to clean the engine bay someday, clean engines look great, but spraying a hose around in there would be... not smart.

Just for the sake of being clear, I mean it was sliding around in this thing:

 

[Prince_Polaris]

I have no idea of what this costs but the info is for how they set it up and the amount of airflow. I spec'd it for a 2003 Expy.

https://www.flex-a-lite.com/dual-15...ull-shroud-and-variable-speed-controller.html

I've bookmarked that, in the future when I start actually trying out some real mods, that'll have to be one of the first ones


If I manage to get past the fixing things stage...

 

[1955moose]

I think the bottom of the door is referred to as a door panel storage tray. In the olden days we used to call that a map storage, due to the fact we used paper gas station maps a lot. No GPS, and if you couldn't find what you wanted, you found a pay phone and called the person.

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[Plati]

....
https://www.flex-a-lite.com/dual-15...ull-shroud-and-variable-speed-controller.html

These things claim "Recover horsepower and improve fuel economy" and I'm sure many people buy into that. Makes sense, right? If the fan clutch doesnt engage and drive the fan using the serpentine belt (driven by the engine) then there must be more horsepower to the wheels and better fuel economy?

Physics has this law called "Conservation of Energy" though. The energy to drive the electric fan comes from ... the serpentine belt (driven by the engine)! So .. whats the deal here? Can anyone shed light on the real story?

 

[stamp11127]

200 amps x 12 volts = 2400 watts
746 watts = 1hp
50% efficiency
About 6.5hp to run the alternator at max

I'll see if I can find hp for the engine driven fan - couldn't find much for automotive. Big trucks can loose up to 40hp, most of what I found for auto said 7-10 hp.

Here is some extra info:

https://www.flex-a-lite.com/blog/which-is-better-an-electric-or-belt-driven-fan/

 

[1955moose]

If electric fans work so well, how come their not used across the board. From 4 cylinder all the way to 12 cylinders. Probably a cost thing. I know that all 4 and 6cylinder cars for the past 25 years or more pretty much all used electrical fans. Like on Harleys I used to work with, they used a strong drive belt due to the least loss of horsepower/torque to the rear wheel. At only 65-75 horsepower, they needed all the help they could muster pushing a 800 pound Electra glide up grades with baggage and passenger.

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[BRIANGEE]

Electricity is a strange magical thing... the realm of unicorns and leperchauns and such, no doubt. My kids and I were messing around w/ a little DC electric motor hooked up to an LED and spinning the motor which would induce current enough to light the LED. You could give the motor a good fast twist with your fingers, without a load, and it would spin an additional few rotations due to momentum. Hook up the LED and give it the same little spin and you could feel the difference and it would not free spin at all with a load - it took a whole lot more effort to get the LED to light. Being pretty ignorant in the field of electricity things started to click: you know, when a gas powered generator changes RPM's to account for additional load - it now made more sense experiencing it. Same for your vehicle's IAC valve needing to increase RPMs due to electrical loads.

 

[DontBeJeff]

How many miles are on them spark plugs? Sounds like bad plugs or possibly a fuel filter if it has one or a critical fuel pump.

I would still take it to the shop. I thought the same thing, and it ended up being a bad COP. As always, get a good diagnostic before shotgunning parts - it'll save you time and money.