2005 Expedition AC issues

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Rob Adams

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Hi All,

New to this Ford forum (member of others), and definitely not new to Fords! Been keeping a family fleet of them running for years.

Questions about a new to us 2005 Expedition EB with the rear AC. When starting up/idle the AC blows significantly warmer than when we're driving. It's very nice and cold when moving around, but at inital start up when its hot outside or if we're sitting idle for a long time in traffic, the AC suffers. I checked the charge and all is where it should be, also I have taken a hose to the AC condenser coil and made sure it was clean.

As a contrast my 1997 F150 blows cold almost instantly on start up. One thing I noticed today is that when I fire up my pickup i can feel air being drawn in through the grill and if i hold a piece of paper up to it, it stick due to the intake of air...so i know a LOT of air is being drawn through and across the condenser. The Expedition I can't feel any draw of air from the grill.

I took the shroud off the top of the motor and was surprised to see the radiator is only about an inch thick and theres enough of a gap between the condenser and the radiator i can shove my whole arm down between. (To compare my f150 has what i would expect as a radiator, couple+ inches thick) I fired up the expy and while i can feel air drawn when i put my hand between the condenser and the radiator, its not anything like my pickup and if i put my hand in front of the condenser its non-existent. If i hose down the condenser while the AC is running it blows cold nicely.

*Deep breath* so after all that backstory here's my questions:

A) is this normal on these expys? Poor AC when idle/not moving?

B) does anybody know of an improved set of fan blades to draw more air? or, alternately is there a combined condenser radiator part that would drop in and replace the 2 individual "thin" radiators and thus eliminate the gap?

c) could this be a fan clutch problem? I don't deal with high engine temps at Idle, so i think the radiator is getting enough airflow

d)any recommendations for a bolt on additional electric condenser fan? I'd rather not convert and go full electric (removing the factory fan from the front of the motor) Just looking to get some additional airflow at idle...maybe a switch I can toggle on the dash to add some extra airflow.

I appreciate any and all thoughts on this!
 

stamp11127

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You have answered your own question...."If i hose down the condenser while the AC is running it blows cold nicely." That tells you the condenser pressure/temp is too high. Probably from reduced airflow.

What pressures do you have at idle and at 1500rpm, ac on max?
 
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Rob Adams

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You have answered your own question...."f i hose down the condenser while the AC is running it blows cold nicely." That tells you the condenser pressure/temp is too high. Probably from reduced airflow.

What pressures do you have at idle and at 1500rpm, ac on max?

Actually, there were 4 questions there, and obviously the reduced airflow is a large part of the problem... don't need to be snarky.

Is this NORMAL? Is the stock cooling fan weak? Is there an improved set of blades to help with air draw? Any recommendations or suggestions on aftermarket electric supplemental cooling fans...
 

stamp11127

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Sorry you feel I'm snarky so I'll sit this one out even though it is an easy "fix" - without needing answers to your questions.
 
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Plati

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I dont know much about a/c other than I have had 3 Expy's and a/c always works fine. All the technical stuff, not knowledgeable about.

For example, my 2003 Expy .. start up the engine and a/c blows cold air PDQ and doesnt require driving to cool. Bless it's heart ... a/c works great never required maint, and is 15 years old. I shouldnt have said that.

I would be skeptical about insufficient air movement/fan. An aftermarket fan? Hmmm. I think a trained a/c person could diagnose the system ... but probably not over the internet.
 
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Rob Adams

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Sorry you feel I'm snarky so I'll sit this one out even though it is an easy "fix" - without needing answers to your questions.

Is it so wrong to want some answers to questions that have been bugging me? I took a decent amount of time to write a well thought out and detailed post on the issues/questions I have. I'm not just your average Joe going HURRR MEH AC DUN WORK HELPZ MEH...

Even if it IS an easy fix I am the type of person that needs answers to questions then I can file those away in the brain box for later.

To answer you question...I don't remember the numbers for the PSI. I took it somewhere not long after I got it and they said it was charged properly. What should the numbers be?
 

John Christopher

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Is it so wrong to want some answers to questions that have been bugging me? I took a decent amount of time to write a well thought out and detailed post on the issues/questions I have. I'm not just your average Joe going HURRR MEH AC DUN WORK HELPZ MEH...

Even if it IS an easy fix I am the type of person that needs answers to questions then I can file those away in the brain box for later.

To answer you question...I don't remember the numbers for the PSI. I took it somewhere not long after I got it and they said it was charged properly. What should the numbers be?

I didn't know the average Joe spoke like that.

With your attitude, I don't think you will do well on this forum.
 
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Rob Adams

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I didn't know the average Joe spoke like that.

With your attitude, I don't think you will do well on this forum.

I'm just trying to get some answers...and so far I've been having to defend myself instead of having technical conversations about the issues i wrote in detail about.

I joined this forum because it seemed there were a lot of smart people on here based on the posts I was reading before I signed up. So far my experience has not been great as a member looking for help.
 

stamp11127

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You can answer your questions with a little thought:

A) is this normal on these expys? Poor AC when idle/not moving?
No - wouldn't sell very many if it was. You should have cool/cold air withing a few seconds of startup.

B) does anybody know of an improved set of fan blades to draw more air? or, alternately is there a combined condenser radiator part that would drop in and replace the 2 individual "thin" radiators and thus eliminate the gap?
Fan - yes but there will be a cost in mpg - bigger blades and increased pitch - HD Fan
Combo - no


c) could this be a fan clutch problem? I don't deal with high engine temps at Idle, so i think the radiator is getting enough airflow
Engine produces more heat energy as the rpms increase so forward movement usually will aid in cooling

d)any recommendations for a bolt on additional electric condenser fan? I'd rather not convert and go full electric (removing the factory fan from the front of the motor) Just looking to get some additional airflow at idle...maybe a switch I can toggle on the dash to add some extra airflow.[/QUOTE]
Not really needed if the fan & clutch are working properly
 
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