Weak air conditioning

[texevora]

I have a '12 Expedition Limited, and for whatever reason my AC just does not get very cold. It is cool, but not cold. Here in Texas, it's been pushing 110 degrees, and if the car has been sitting in the parking lot, it takes a good 30 minutes of driving to get the interior comfortably cool.

I've had the R-134 pressures checked on both the high and low pressure ports, and both are right down the fairway.

Anyone have any idea on what else could be wrong?

 

[stamp11127]

Exact high, low & static pressure readings are necessary in order to diagnose the problem.

 

[bobmbx]

I have a '12 Expedition Limited, and for whatever reason my AC just does not get very cold. It is cool, but not cold. Here in Texas, it's been pushing 110 degrees, and if the car has been sitting in the parking lot, it takes a good 30 minutes of driving to get the interior comfortably cool.

I've had the R-134 pressures checked on both the high and low pressure ports, and both are right down the fairway.

Anyone have any idea on what else could be wrong?

Air conditioners are designed to produce a temperature difference of about 30 degrees F across the evaporator. If you're in recirc mode, and the temp is 100F, you will only get about 70F out of the vents. If you park in the shade, it'll eventually cool the car, but it takes time...all that heat energy stored in the air, the seats, the carpet...everything inside, has to be removed. If you're in the sun, the energy from the sun continues to add heat, and depending on the outside air temp, you may never get the car cooled.

 

[Plati]

I have a '12 Expedition Limited, and for whatever reason my AC just does not get very cold. It is cool, but not cold. Here in Texas, it's been pushing 110 degrees, and if the car has been sitting in the parking lot, it takes a good 30 minutes of driving to get the interior comfortably cool.

I've had the R-134 pressures checked on both the high and low pressure ports, and both are right down the fairway.

Anyone have any idea on what else could be wrong?

I've found when it's really hot (like this summer, or driving across Nebraska in July) ... if I dont run a/c cooling in the rear , the front doesnt chill down to walk in cooler level. 2014 EL. It's white too which makes a big difference compared to my by black Rustbucket.

 

[stamp11127]

With R134a the low and high side pressures are pretty close to the temp of the components once the system is running and stabilized. I don't know of anyone that would be happy with a 50-60 degree evap temperature.

The pressure readings tell you how the system is performing - please post them if you have them read again.

 

[gixer2000]

Get some rain guards and start leaving your windows cracked. Keep in mind that at 110° ambient its significantly hotter inside a vehicle and in wouldn't be surprised if it took 30 minutes to cool off to comfortable.

 

[star-art]

I was never happy with the performance of the A/C in my 2009 XLT and it was Silver Birch -- not a dark color at all. It just could not cool the truck if the outside temp was over about 85 degrees. Our trucks have a *lot* of glass and that causes solar heat gain. It's even worse if you have a moonroof. The only defense is buying a white truck. I also keep a sunshade in the windshield at all times when it's parked and that helps. The best thing in the world though is Remote Start so it can be cooling down before I get in it.

 

[jeff kushner]

WASH THE BUGS and stuff out of your condenser coil.....I think it's mounted in front of the trans cooler or above....trans, radiator and condenser all need airflow....

run a hose over the coil and you should get dead cold air......as a system test......

jeff

 

[hurseyc]

I've found when it's really hot (like this summer, or driving across Nebraska in July) ... if I dont run a/c cooling in the rear , the front doesnt chill down to walk in cooler level. 2014 EL. It's white too which makes a big difference compared to my by black Rustbucket.

I’ve noticed the same thing with running the rear ac. Makes a huge difference but I don’t know why. 2010 limited.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Jeremy W]

I've noticed my A/C varies temp when sitting vs accelerating/driving. It's annoying, but I'm in the PNW and the heat isn't unbearable for me to chase down the issue. I'll give the rear A/C trick a try and see if that changes anything. Have a 2007 Expy...

 

[star-art]

I'm also in the PNW and, in my opinion, we need rear A/C going to keep these trucks cool even on not-so-hot days. The huge amount of glass generates tremendous solar heat gain (even with the rears tinted). If your truck is dark in color it's even worse.

Also, it seems to me at least that it's pretty normal with many late-model vehicles for the A/C not to cool quite as well at idle. It takes some RPMs to get the compressor really going. We used to have a 2016 Explorer and when you first started it on a hot day, the A/C blew hot air out the vents until you put it in gear and started moving. The days of ice-cold A/C even while idling seem to be long gone. . .

 

[stamp11127]

How well the system cools at idle is dependent on the amount of refrigerant in the system, adequate airflow through the condenser and hi & low side pressures.

We recharge to slightly less than the recommended amount then add as necessary to bring the low side pressure to @33-35 psi with ambient temp usually in the low 90's. High side is usually 210—220.

Some will argue that the system may be slightly low - some will be. But the lower pressures are easier on the compressor, you don't have to worry about flooding the accumulator and it gets cold fast.

 

[star-art]

Maybe it's just me, but the newer refrigerants just don't seem nearly as effective as the old-school R12. I used to live down South where we *really* needed ice cold air in such a hot and humid environment. I still remember switching to R134a in 1994 and the performance wasn't as good. The A/C in the 2009+ Expy's and Explorers we've owned (several of which were brand new when we bought them) seem to perform even less well than the Fords we used to drive back in the '90s.

 

[stamp11127]

It is an apples to oranges comparison unfortunately. In this area "size does matter" when removing btu's from the cabin.

https://www.autoacforum.com/messageview.cfm?catid=2&threadid=8564

 

[Lyndon Taman]

Hey guys, from central Canada here and we're always blasted with 30°C - 35°C (86°F +) consistently. I've noticed that my 08 Eddie Bauer doesn't cool nearly as much as you'd think it should. I checked the pressures and the weight and they seem fine. I did notice my rad fan doing something funny. Seems like it would show down and then pick up again but the engine wouldn't big at all.
How can I check my rad fan to see if it's pulling enough air through the rad? (I couldn't find a thread on this).
Also without pulling the shroud apart where is the condenser, in front or behind the rad?

 

[Lyndon Taman]

run a hose over the coil and you should get dead cold air......as a system test......

jeff

What coil are you referring to?

 

[gixer2000]

What coil are you referring to?

The condenser coil in near the radiator

 

[stamp11127]

Condenser is located in front of the radiator.

 

[JExpedition07]

I’ve always had the same experience as most of you here. They take time to cool down and are weaker at idle (if you have it charged to factory specs) if you take a bit out they perform somewhat better but when I replaced my components I weighed in the charge exact to the sticker.

 

[Lyndon Taman]

I have a buddy who's helping me and he's done a few a/c jobs for John Deere but we're unsure as to why the high side gets so hot it's barely touchable.
Any ideas?
We tested at idle in a shop with little to no air flow and A/C set to MAX.