Front Evaporator Leak,Should replace everything ?

[DavidML3]

Short story , paid 5k cash for this 09 expedition limited with 158k miles in dallas texas .

car runs great and looks exceptional .only problem ac doesn't stay cool had to recharge it 3 times in the past 2 months. Mechanic did dye test and saw dye on the right side of the underbelly of the car .he said the evaporator behind the dash is leaking.

I also noticed clicking noises from the top of the dash ,bottom of the passenger dash and the rear passenger side of the car .

also when the ac is about to blow hot air I notice hissing from the rear passenger side of the car as well.

Would all of this be related to the front Evaporator? seems like its a car wide issue. Should I fork down 2k on a 5k car to get front evap core replaced or get the entire ac system replaced ?

 

[rwmorrisonjr]

You've got multiple problems split between the front and rear HVAC units.

The clicking you're hearing are the actuator servos going bad. The rear ones are easy to replace. The front ones are more difficult.

The hissing you're hearing from the rear is the AC expansion valve actuating. That's normal and louder since it's not under the dash or in the engine bay.

Now for the big issue: you need to R&R the entire dash assembly to replace the evaporator core. Ford doesn't sell the parts separately, only the whole assembly (evaporator, heater core, and actuators) to the tune of about $1500-2000 BEFORE the R&R labor (about 8-10 hours). You can buy aftermarket parts and replace them individually but then you're dealing with the hassle of swapping them over into a 15 year old housing (i.e.: blend door issues/failures).

There are some YT videos showing the R&R of the dash and HVAC front housing. You'll see what I'm talking about when you watch them.

My thoughts: if you can swing it, get the new OEM assembly and have it installed. That'll get you all new up front without piece-mealing it and it'll most likely outlast the vehicle at that point. You'll also avoid potential blend door issues that occur on these vehicles. If not, try to get as many new OEM parts as possible (if available) and swap them on to the old HVAC housing. Either way, you're R&R-ing the dash. The rear actuator servos can be replaced by you for about $100 for new OEM and an hour of your time.