Ac issue on focus STILL!!
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Originally Posted By: Skid
So the evaporator is freezing because it's working a little too well for the amount of air flowing across it, right?
You can run the fan at a higher speed, you can cycle the compressor on/off if there's a separate switch for this... if I were the Ford dealer, I'd bleed refrigerant until it was at the lowest end of the pressure range.
Then he would complain the AC is too warm!
So the evaporator is freezing because it's working a little too well for the amount of air flowing across it, right?
You can run the fan at a higher speed, you can cycle the compressor on/off if there's a separate switch for this... if I were the Ford dealer, I'd bleed refrigerant until it was at the lowest end of the pressure range.
Then he would complain the AC is too warm!
@ram man:
There is a Ford Dealership tech on YouTube, his
channel name is FordTechMakuloco, and you can tell this guy is truly one of the best Ford techs in the country!
Go to his channel and send him a PM through YT!
If there is anyone that could help you get to the bottom of this he can. You also might want to get Ford Corporate involved.
Call FoMoCo and open up a service ticket request that they send out a district service rep to investigate the problem.
Here is a link to his channel
[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/user/FordTechMakuloco[/video]
There is a Ford Dealership tech on YouTube, his
channel name is FordTechMakuloco, and you can tell this guy is truly one of the best Ford techs in the country!
Go to his channel and send him a PM through YT!
If there is anyone that could help you get to the bottom of this he can. You also might want to get Ford Corporate involved.
Call FoMoCo and open up a service ticket request that they send out a district service rep to investigate the problem.
Here is a link to his channel
[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/user/FordTechMakuloco[/video]
Last edited:
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Originally Posted By: ram_man
Well isn't there lemon laws about these kinds of thing's? I refuse to pay a car payment on a brand new car that doesn't work properly as designed. The dealers incompetence is annoying and I won't leave them alone until it is fixed properly.
Well you can't just refuse to pay for it you have to research the lemon law requirements yourself and decide on a course of action.
Well isn't there lemon laws about these kinds of thing's? I refuse to pay a car payment on a brand new car that doesn't work properly as designed. The dealers incompetence is annoying and I won't leave them alone until it is fixed properly.
Well you can't just refuse to pay for it you have to research the lemon law requirements yourself and decide on a course of action.
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Right I know I have to pay but I'm not going to just settle for the way it is. Since paying is a must then I won't settle for anything less than working properly all the time.
Just an FYI, as it was already mentioned, they may fix the freeze up issue, but you may end up complaining that the AC system is not cooling well. But if your issue is a one-off and other Focus owners don't have the same complaints, you have a legitimate claim. On the other hand, if the issue is somewhat more wide spread, it means the evap core size is inadequate and you have to use different fan/temp setting to avoid the issue, otherwise you can either have real cold AC and an occasional freeze-up, or a so-so AC and no freeze up issues.
My Mazda 3 had a so-so AC performance and I installed a resistor on the thermistor leads. The AC performance was noticeably improved, but I did have few freeze-ups, all on long vacation trips and since I was driving I managed the issue. Now my wife drives the car most of the time, so I took the resistor out because she will not know how to deal with the freeze-up.
Right I know I have to pay but I'm not going to just settle for the way it is. Since paying is a must then I won't settle for anything less than working properly all the time.
Just an FYI, as it was already mentioned, they may fix the freeze up issue, but you may end up complaining that the AC system is not cooling well. But if your issue is a one-off and other Focus owners don't have the same complaints, you have a legitimate claim. On the other hand, if the issue is somewhat more wide spread, it means the evap core size is inadequate and you have to use different fan/temp setting to avoid the issue, otherwise you can either have real cold AC and an occasional freeze-up, or a so-so AC and no freeze up issues.
My Mazda 3 had a so-so AC performance and I installed a resistor on the thermistor leads. The AC performance was noticeably improved, but I did have few freeze-ups, all on long vacation trips and since I was driving I managed the issue. Now my wife drives the car most of the time, so I took the resistor out because she will not know how to deal with the freeze-up.
ram man:
Have you followed any of my suggestions yet?
Also the system has a sensor that should turn off the compressor when it reaches a bit above freezing so that the evap and system does NOT freeze up.
Have you followed any of my suggestions yet?
Also the system has a sensor that should turn off the compressor when it reaches a bit above freezing so that the evap and system does NOT freeze up.
they don't use clutch cycling compressors anymore. they are variable displacement and run all the time when you have the AC turned on in the car.
chances are you have some air (noncondensible gas) in the system and that's causing the compressor to stroke more under low heat load conditions, causing lower pressure on the suction side and freeze up. that combined with possibly a faulty thermostatic expansion (Tx) valve. air/moisture in the system results in frozen water = ice = malfunctioning tx valve and malfunctioning compressor pressure control. all is most likely the result of the ac tech not maintaining the vacuum pump being used which does not pull a deep enough vacuum, probably along with other poor service practices that let's air and other contaminants into the system.
Tell the dealer you want a new Tx valve installed, and want to see service records of their AC machine that evac's and charges the system. for all you know they can be charging the system with contaminated r134a.
http://www.autoacforum.com/
chances are you have some air (noncondensible gas) in the system and that's causing the compressor to stroke more under low heat load conditions, causing lower pressure on the suction side and freeze up. that combined with possibly a faulty thermostatic expansion (Tx) valve. air/moisture in the system results in frozen water = ice = malfunctioning tx valve and malfunctioning compressor pressure control. all is most likely the result of the ac tech not maintaining the vacuum pump being used which does not pull a deep enough vacuum, probably along with other poor service practices that let's air and other contaminants into the system.
Tell the dealer you want a new Tx valve installed, and want to see service records of their AC machine that evac's and charges the system. for all you know they can be charging the system with contaminated r134a.
http://www.autoacforum.com/
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Also the system has a sensor that should turn off the compressor when it reaches a bit above freezing so that the evap and system does NOT freeze up.
that's not correct. pressure != temperature.
the low pressure switch is on the suction side and will trip at/below 25 psi to prevent the compressor starving of refrigerant and oil. while at 25 psi of pressure r134a refrigerant boils at 32°F or lower (whatever the pressure temperature relationship chart says) but that does not mean your evap is that cold and will result in freezing air... the pressure is low but there is no volume of refrigerant because either the system is low on it your you have a blockage or stuck closed Tx valve. it is the volume of refrigerant turning from a liquid to a gas that absorbs and moves heat.
Also the system has a sensor that should turn off the compressor when it reaches a bit above freezing so that the evap and system does NOT freeze up.
that's not correct. pressure != temperature.
the low pressure switch is on the suction side and will trip at/below 25 psi to prevent the compressor starving of refrigerant and oil. while at 25 psi of pressure r134a refrigerant boils at 32°F or lower (whatever the pressure temperature relationship chart says) but that does not mean your evap is that cold and will result in freezing air... the pressure is low but there is no volume of refrigerant because either the system is low on it your you have a blockage or stuck closed Tx valve. it is the volume of refrigerant turning from a liquid to a gas that absorbs and moves heat.
and i didn't mention previously, but the main reason any evap coil freezes up because there's too much refrigerant moving through and boiling in the evap coil and not enough heat load on it... not enough hot air passing through it.
on some systems the cause is clogged filters or a clogged evap coil where hot air can't pass through it so it freezes. but don't take that out of context and think that's what happens in a car.
the compressor is variable displacement and with a TEV the amount of refrigerant let through the evap is controlled, and the TEV knows the heat load on the evap coil so it should never freeze regardless of how cool outside it is and however low the fan speed is. the compressor should stroke at minimum pumping least amount of refrigerant and the TEV is calibrated to maintain/restrict a flow of refrigerant through the evap to keep it above freezing.
on some systems the cause is clogged filters or a clogged evap coil where hot air can't pass through it so it freezes. but don't take that out of context and think that's what happens in a car.
the compressor is variable displacement and with a TEV the amount of refrigerant let through the evap is controlled, and the TEV knows the heat load on the evap coil so it should never freeze regardless of how cool outside it is and however low the fan speed is. the compressor should stroke at minimum pumping least amount of refrigerant and the TEV is calibrated to maintain/restrict a flow of refrigerant through the evap to keep it above freezing.
Ram Man: Drive it to the closest Dodge dealership and trade it in on one of those new Ram 1500 diesel pickups. Problem solved!
@ram man:
I wonder if your model has the same issue, these models both are very similar so it wouldn't surprise me.
Check out this video!
I wonder if your model has the same issue, these models both are very similar so it wouldn't surprise me.
Check out this video!
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