Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Ford Expedition Air Conditioning Questions

245

Comments

  • mkabrickmkabrick Member Posts: 2
    One for the best of the best. My 97 expodition has issues.

    When I first start the car I have good control to the hvac system hot and cold. After a while, when the car has warmed up OR with excessive RPMs things begin to change.

    For example: A hot day. When I first start the car I've got good AC front and back. After driving a short distance you hear the noise, the distinct sound of an air damper closing (I call it sucking over). After it sucks over there is no going back to cold air. The rear a/c WILL still blow cold, but the front is hot as can be.

    On a cold day when I need heat, the unit will blow cold until I can get it sucked over. I do this after the engine has warmed up by reving the RPMs, while the car is in first gear. Once it has sucked over there is no controll of the temp on the thermostat. It only blows HOT.

    Oh yea one more thing, it idols rough. The thermostat knob is NOT digital.

    I thought it was my blend door but now I'm begining to wonder if I have a vac leak.

    PLEASE HELP.

    MITCH
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    The Expedition has an electronic blend door actuator. Vacuum controls where the air comes out but not the temperature. It sounds like your front blend door is going to the full hot position and staying there.
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    You may be low on charge so there is not enough charge to keep both evaporator cores cool.
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    >
    The blower kept blowing, but at gradually lower volume and higher temperature after you had been driving for a while?
    If so, your evaporator core was iced over. Turning off the A/C allowed the ice to melt and then it worked again.

    Confirm if this sound like your issue.
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    Look in the back of the engine compartment near the accumulator (the big cylindrical metal object attached to the suction line near the dash panel). It might even be on the accumulator. Let us know if you find the port and exactly where it is.
  • pinkkeithpinkkeith Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem w/ 02 Explorer, did you ever find out the cause/remedy?
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    If it is stuck in defrost you probably have a loss of vacuum to the vacuum motors due to a pinched, damaged, or disconnected vacuum line. Find the vacuum motors, check for vacuum in the different control modes, and trace the problem back.
  • airconmanairconman Member Posts: 14
    I've read many of the threads here and believe I have a problem with the temperature blend control. The front vents only blow hot air when in AC mode with full cold dialed on the temp dial. The back vents blow cold air (when in AC on cold) and hot air (when temp turned to heat) like they are supposed too. I know I need to take the dash and console off to do the full repair.

    My question is - is there a simple temporary quick fix to get the temp blend valve over to cold A/C for the time being until I can go through the dash removal hassle? Thanks for any replies!
    Great site btw -
  • airconmanairconman Member Posts: 14
    Okay, I found a quick temporary fix to share in case others are in a similar bind. Given we are in the hi 80's, low 90s most days I need the air con blowing in the front (not heat).

    I was able to get the temperature blend door to shift over to blow cold air. I turned the ignition to on, but did not start the car. I closed the front vents, except one. Then I took a shop vac and reversed the hose to the exhaust position to blow air, and I put the hose up to the one open air vent. Then I moved the temperature dial back and forth a bit and finally left it on full cold. Voila, when I started the car, crisp cold air was coming out of the front air con. So the temperature blend door was somehow shifted to the cold position. Not sure long it will stay this way. Hopefully until fall, or until I can remove the dash.
  • mrpatryanmrpatryan Member Posts: 2
    I tried the trick to no avail. Maybe I missed a detail or two, so here are the questions I have airconman.

    - When you do the trick with the shop vac do you have the selection dial to AC Max, or Vent or Defrost or what?

    - Do you have the fan dial turned on when you do this?

    Also, a couple details about my symptoms. My AC is blowing non-cold in front and back. However when I hook up a can of R-134 with the dial gauge on it, it reads to the top of the "Full" category before I add any. So I start the engine with the gauge attached and turn the AC onto max and fan on High and the compressor kicks on ever few seconds and the the gauge dials down to the bottom of the "Full" range then slides back to the top of the "Full" range and the compressor cycles again. The gauge never dips into the "Low" range.

    This looks to me like I have plenty of R-134 in my system and some other issue is causing my AC to not chill. Maybe I have a vent door issue too?
  • parkedparked Member Posts: 1
    It is between the battery and the engine on the condenser on the firewall. There is a computer component mounted directly above it. There are hoses and wiring covering the inlet. Hope this helps.
  • airconmanairconman Member Posts: 14
    With the shop vac trick, I had the selection dial set to AC. Make sure the ignition switch is on. The fan is set to the lowest setting. With the shop vac blowing in the vent I turned the temp setting dial back and forth from hot to cold and back a couple of times, then left it on full cold.

    I am not an expert and don't know much about the AC system. However, given that you are getting the same thing out of the front and back vents suggest it may not be the temperature blend door that is the culprit. There is temp blend door in front and another one in back that work independently. Unlikely they went out at the same time.
    Good luck
  • tom183tom183 Member Posts: 3
    I had 3 problem with my air controls in one day. My air speed control only works on low and high. The A/C only works on max A/C but not well. And last The A/C on any other setting blows hot air. A/C is charged was At 25 I upped the charge to 40 to see if that would help, But it didn't
    Thanks
  • tom183tom183 Member Posts: 3
    I just charged my 03 mine is just to the left and down about 1 foot. mine is on the pass. side and I'm leaning in on that side so left and down just follow the line towards the rear of the suv..
    Good luck
  • expedition3expedition3 Member Posts: 8
    If your compressor is cycling rapidly and both front and rear are warm, you probably have low charge.
  • tom183tom183 Member Posts: 3
    I had 3 problems with my 03 Expedition, 1st problem was. My air speed control only works on 1 and 4 now hot or cold. 2nd The A/C only works on max A/C but not well seems hot and takes 10 seconds to change from hot air to cold. Seems as if the hot air is stuck on all the time.. 3rd The A/C on any other setting blows hot air. A/C is charged was At 25 I upped the charge to 40 to see if that would help, But it didn't
    I'm willing to try anything at this point, Checked fused and they seem fine too.
    Don't know where to look at this ponit and the shop want $170.00 to start to look at it... :confuse: and :sick:
    Thanks for any help
  • mrpatryanmrpatryan Member Posts: 2
    Thanks expedition 3. Yes, the compressor was cycling rapidly, but the gauge (came with the deluxe can of R-134) was reading FULL / OVER FULL. I went ahead and added the can and the AC is now running cold. The gauge just stopped dropping with the compressor cycle and went steady to a bout 35lbs. All is good now and I can sell this bucket and it should be appealing on a hot day!
  • jdw2878jdw2878 Member Posts: 1
    my 98 expedition only blows cool air on driver side all other vents including rear air blow warm.does anyone know where the blend doors are located
  • weldmechweldmech Member Posts: 3
    Hi Can anyone tell me please where the a/c charging port is located i only can find a thick one not sure its thats it Thanx in advance :confuse: have an expedition 2002 5.4
  • mrsmojo51mrsmojo51 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Expedition that the air has totally gone out! I took it in thinking it needed a charge and they chraged it...$177.00 later day 2 after getting the truck back and NO AIR. They blew dye into it and said it is leaking from the line along the manifold. another $480 to fix it. Has anyone had this kind of problem when the vehicles is only 2 years old??

    Thanks
  • jg88jg88 Member Posts: 59
    Maybe I should have posted this one in this thread. Here's one for the books -- can't find a TSB on it either. '04 expy EB with the rear climate control system. When I set the dial in the 1st and 2nd positions for rear ventilation, it makes two different sounds behind the middle seat on the passenger side. In the 1st position, it clicks, 2nd position, it makes a "whump" sound. Position 1 is "click, click, click..."; position 2 is "whump, whump, whump...". When the rear dial is returned to the "off" position (farthest to the left), it goes away.

    Also, if I set the vent system to "floor", it disappears. On the higher level setting, it comes back. Sometimes it goes away, other times it does not. Is there some sort of a vent regulator behind the passenger side middle seat? If so, does anyone know what this is, if there is a TSB or is this just one of those weird items no one else has experienced?
  • misnlasvegasmisnlasvegas Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem on my 04 Expedition. When the car is under load (going up a hill or heavy acceleration) the A/C switches to defrost. When the load is lessened (top of hill or decreased acceleration) it blows normal. I have taken my car to the dealership three seperate times for this problem. Each time they replace a vaccum line or a check valve or something else related and each time it happens again. Any suggestions? I had someone suggest that it may be my catalytic convertor... Is this truly possible?
  • jg88jg88 Member Posts: 59
    Just paid $200 to have the blend door motor replaced -- the problem is gone. BTW, did not go to the dealer, they wanted $300 to $450 depending on what they found. Inquired at two local Ford dealers. The repair shop used all Ford parts so the work is warranted for 1 year on parts and labor.
  • tgrcchrtgrcchr Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Expedition, and just recently I have started to hear a "whining" noise coming from the passenger side dash area. I turned off he AC and it stopped. It reminds me of when a wheel turns and it catches on something it makes a whining noise until it breaks loose...any ideas?? The noise isn't constant..it happens about every 30 seconds, or more....Thanks so much! :)
  • jlm1960jlm1960 Member Posts: 2
    I have a similar problem with the rear AC on my 2005 - there is a "whoooooing" sound, (like an owl). Speed doesn't matter, hiway or local driving we get the same noise. It's not constant but does happen even few minutes or so. I've been to the dealer twice with no luck. Anyone else have this problem? :confuse:
  • james115james115 Member Posts: 1
    how do you cleanout the a/c drain on 2004 ford expedition?? help
  • tgrcchrtgrcchr Member Posts: 2
    You are right, it sounds more like an owl..and I have noticed that when I am using the rear air, it stops, but if I just use the front air, and turn off the rear air it starts..so weird!! At least my air still works great, since I live in AZ!! ;)
  • rglazerglaze Member Posts: 1
    My 2002 Exp.blower only works on high. Is the problem on the fan itself?
  • jht2jht2 Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem. Have you found an answer?
  • jlm1960jlm1960 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks, this proves I'm not Kooky!! No, no one has been able to solve the problem and give me an answer about what the cause of the sound is.... As soon as I learn anything I'll post it here.....
  • rgauthierrgauthier Member Posts: 2
    My Expedition has no heat from the front - blower seems ok and I have heat to the back cabin area ok
  • ALKADEEMALKADEEM Member Posts: 2
    I have the same problem with my 2003 Ford Expedition, I removed the panel to access the AC area, and found both the actuators (motors) gears are broken, one is for the climate control and the other is to direct air to the floor or overhead vents, they both are clicking, I am not sure if changing this 2 units will fix the problem or do I also need to replace the resistor? Any help will be appreciated. I thing since many people have the same problem, we should report it to ford and see if they will do a recall to fix this problem. Thanks for all your help in advance.
  • ALKADEEMALKADEEM Member Posts: 2
    Hi, I have the same problem and I saw that the blend door motor & the temp door motor gears are broken. By reading your thread, I see that you have done a very good research, so what you think? should I replace both the motors or you suggest to replace the transistor too? please let me know what you suggest, if you can email me to alkadeem@yahoo.com I would really appreciate it.

    Thanks.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    if you can email me

    Let's keep the discussion right here so as not to deprive our other members of valuable information. :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • jlopez3jlopez3 Member Posts: 3
    hello tidester, i have a 2004 Expedition Eddie Bauer with the same rear a/c noise problem. how were you able to correct the problem?
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Hi, JL.

    I was only replying to someone else who had reported the problem. You may want to scroll back for some information. Orlando seemed to have a handle on it: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1394ea/23

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • jlopez3jlopez3 Member Posts: 3
    Tidester, thank you for the information. I just returned from the dealer and they wanted $530 to replace both actuators in the rear a/c or $285 for 1. This is ridiculous. When i told them no, they delivered the car with the heater on instead of the cold setting (like it was). They temporarily fixed the clicking noise now by unplugging the actuator and somehow resetting the door in the cold setting/chamber. God bless Ford manufacturing dates fiasco in trying to find out the right part number from the catalogue vs the physical part.
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    So I take it from your other posts that it is the difficult one that is actually broken? (temp, not floor/ceiling)
    For $25 and a little time you can do it yourself. It is three screws and a clip. Assuming their price for the difficult one is 285, they want 245 for what is basically a 5 minute job on the easy one. If they unplugged it, and set the door then they obviously have enough access without removing the trim.
  • jacksprjackspr Member Posts: 1
    front vents do not work, a/c is blowing through the defrost and floor vents
  • samsgrampasamsgrampa Member Posts: 4
    Does anyone have a picture of where the A/C low pressure port is on my 97 Expedition, 5.4 liter? Does it stick out on the side of the evaporator? Thanks a lot.
  • driver1azdriver1az Member Posts: 1
    Well it sounds as if we all have the same dilema,,,yes it is the actuator. There is actually 2 of them one a blend door and i cant remeber what the other one is but the 2 of them will run you about $100 thru Ford. The one (rear a/c blend actuator is part #YL5Z-19E616-AA) and at my dealership in Az it's $59.13, As for the other one there are two diferent styles ,one of witch is $52.31 and the other is $34.60. I'm going to pull all off to bring down for match,,,,also going to change both out at same time to keep from having to go back in later..But yes at dealer they quoted me close to $600 to change both and i about fell over(not made of money)..will be conquer this project this wee and let you know how difficult it was.
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    They are both blend doors for the most part, one for the temperature one for the floor/ceiling outlets. You can potentially save yourself a ton of money and time if it the easy one, which is right under the change tray. The change tray pops right out and the actuator is right there. Three screws and an electrical connection. It is a 5 minute fix. The way to tell if your broken one is the easy one is to take the change tray off, and unclip the electrical connection. If the noise is gone, that's your issue. The easy one is the one which controls the floor/ceiling airflow. You can also find the parts through some on line Ford dealers much cheaper than what you quoted. Mine was the easy one, and with shipping cost $25 from a dealer in NJ.
    Getting to the harder one is a much bigger job, and probably not worth all the time for something that isn't broken. The text book way to do it is to remove all the rear quarter panel trim, starting from the liftgate and going forward. I have read that some people have been able to do it by reaching through the change tray and cup holder with some contortion.
  • mkabrickmkabrick Member Posts: 2
    I finally broke down and took it to the dealer. The blend door itself was broken. It broke where the gear from the blend motor connects to the blend door.
    Cost $475
    new blend door
    Charge on both front and back systems
    Labor (full dash removal)

    It was 105F yesterday. $475 is not a bad price since this would have been summer #4 with no A/C!

    CASE CLOSED!!!
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    Not a bad price for a blend door replacement. Common issue in the front, as opposed to the acutators which are the culrpits in the back. So common that there are actually a few aftermarket companies that make kits so you can avoid doing the dash removal. They go in through the glove box space - you basically take out the glove box, and then Dremel out the panel behind the glove box and there is the blend door.
  • zvacmanzvacman Member Posts: 2
    On my 2002 it is on the pass. side 8" away from the firewall under a crap load of wires in a box like thing.
  • k5blazerdudek5blazerdude Member Posts: 1
    how do i fill the rear air with fluid
  • alwaysfords2alwaysfords2 Member Posts: 339
    If I'm not mistaken, the freon loop is common between the front and rear systems.
  • mikeh10mikeh10 Member Posts: 1
    I live where 100 degree days are common, and I expect the AC to put out<50 degree discharge air within a few minutes of operation. The 2008 EB Expedition front and rear slowly go down (10 minutes) to perhaps 60 degrees on a hot day. Ford is saying that it is operating where it is designed to operate. The Ford Technician says the new scroll compressor, low inventory of refrigerant and the evaporator design are new and this is what to expect. My dealer has changed about every major part. I find it hard to believe that other people are not complaining about the reduced capacity if it is a design issue. Help!!
  • lmk279lmk279 Member Posts: 1
    I am trying to charge the A/C. Does anyone know where the lower port is?
  • cbravo212cbravo212 Member Posts: 1
    While driving down the road last night my automatic ac started blowing at full fan speed. I tried to manually turn down the fan it did nothing. When I turned the AC off, it started blowing at full speed out of the defrost vents. The only way to turn the AC off is to turn off the engine. When you push any control for the AC it blows wide open. I can operate where the air is coming out. I just can not turn it off or control the fan.

    Thanks for any help.
    Mike
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles