The difference in cooling better on the highway and in town comes down to the airflow through the condenser. That is why Ford upped the fan speed on the later trucks, more air = better low speed cooling. The problem here is another group of people get butthurt if they hear the fans. The phrase, "Stuck between a rock and a hard place" comes to mind.

 

Right, but wouldnt the Ac start to get warmer after a while driving around town and sitting at stop lights? That's what seems strange to me how it never get's warmer after exiting off into town.

Either way, im glad i do mostly highway runs and dont have to mess with the warmer ac temps.

 

If you spent enough time in town in could warm up. It takes a lot less cold air to maintain a temp than it does to cool a cab down. My 2005 had a fan clutch on the way out, it couldn't maintain a cold temp in town but worked great on the highway.

 

Passing a lemon law here is probably the best thing that they ever did for Florida consumers! Now dealers and manufacturers at least have to make a show of helping you with problems instead of completely brushing you off. I've only heard of a few cars that were taken back by the dealers but that just shows that the law is doing what it's supposed to do, making the dealers and manufacturer's give customers the support that they promised when you bought your vehicle.

As socialist as Canada is I can't believe that they didn't pass a lemon Law a long time ago!

 

I also see much cooler temps after an extended time 5-8 min on the highway

No reason why the Efans can't crank out more CFM's to get the more heat off of the condenser

 

KingRanchCoy,

You have got it! To get to the city from my rural home, I start out at city speeds then run for about 15 minutes at about 50 kilometres per hour. Then I'm at city speeds again.

If lunky, in 30 minutes, at 75F or above, I can ALMOST get the truck's inside temperature down to 70F. Then it gets shut off and.or we do more running around the city and return home. Again, when home, the truck is just getting cooled down. My truck is a supercab. I'd hate to see how long it would take to cool yours down.

Basically, for our use, my A/C is useless. My wife's 2009 Grand Caravan is bloing cold air before we leave the driveway.

Take Care

Green Gem

 

Wookie,

But, did Ford beef up the fans, the battery and the alternator to meet this increase in fan speed?

Take Care

Green Gem

 

Wookie,

My A/C problem reared its ugly head when I got stuck in stop and go traffic in a construction zone. It was 90F plus and I switched on my A/C. With the A/C on, it was getting so hot in the cab that I was sufficating from the heat. I put the windows back down to survive. The A/C never did blow even cool air.

That is a real life situation that Ford has ignored and are continuing to ignore.

Take Care

Green Gem

 

joe51,

A lemon law sounds like a good thing, but I've never heard of one here. I'll do some more checking.

On the other Ford forum there is a Texas member with a newer truck than mine that can't get help from their lemon law because he is over a fairly low mileage limit.

Take Care

Green Gem

 

Green Gem,

Since you're in Canada I'm really surprised that you're having so much trouble with AC. I lived in Newfoundland and Quebec and rarely even needed it. Where are you at?

You keep mentioning that your AC system shuts off after running for a while. Mine NEVER shuts off. Do you have automatic temperature control? If so, is there a setting that just turns it on and bypasses the automatic controls? MAX AC or something like that. I'm in Florida now and my F-150 AC works fine. Down here we even run them for MOST of the winter.

Have you tried putting a valve in the heater hose line to ensure that the heater isn't putting out ANY heat? I found that that helped considerably in my old Dodge. The air coming out of he vent wasn't hot but AC never got really cold either until I added a manual cut off valve.

 

joe51,

My manual A/C does not shut off, it just does not put out cool enough air to cool the truck in hot temperatures.

When you say yours works fine, do you know what your vent temperature are at a given ambient temperature? I would appreciate hearing your numbers.

My truck was purchased with A/C. It should work in the climate it was sold into.

You lived in Canada, so you would know that, at this time of year, we have hot days and cool nights. I'd be as busy as a one armed paper hanger switching the valve on and off.

Take Care

Green Gem

 

I have watched this thread and read it several times as it grew in length .... and I just gotta say AC is OK in my '07 Scab. I did take it to a yearly cruise in a couple years ago and cruised the whole length of Williamson Road a couple times on a hot night in that stop n go cruise ..... only time the AC didn't get cold. Mine still has OEM fan and I have considered Troyer's fan kit ...... or maybe I just get a couple smaller fans and mount in front of condenser to blow through condenser and radiator for better low speed cooling .... but I wonder if I really need them as the nearest city of size where I might spend time in traffic is an hour away and I no longer ride the length ..... better to just park and watch and eat.

I also have the ball valve to do the heater hose valve mod, just haven't yet. Been a mild cool summer.

 

The struggle is that AC cooling is a very subjective topic. Every time my gf hops in the truck, she is cranking her passenger temp to ice cube or hot lava. My side stays at 74° pretty much all summer.

As an engineer, I see both sides of the situation. On one hand, a customer isn't satisfied with performance. On the other hand, the dealership is given specifications to test the performance of a system. If it meets the test parameters specified by Ford, there aren't a lot of options. Replacing parts will most likely yield the same results. There is a theoretical limit on the performance of a system once designed and installed.

At this point, the options are limited:

1. Continue to pursue a resolution with Ford. Considering it is very possible the design of the truck won't allow performance to ever meet the customer's expectations, I would stop pestering Ford once they've verified multiple times that the system is working as designed.

2. Redesign the system yourself, outside Ford's involvement. Several members on here are very solution driven, and have developed multiple strategies (valves, increasing cooling flow over condenser, etc...) to address the issue.

3. Move to a different system. If Dodge, GM, and Toyota have systems that meet customer expectations, it is a personal choice that can be made.

Here is how I would handle the situation:

1. Ford gets 3 chances to ensure the system is optimized

2. If I'm not satisfied, I take the truck to a well respected A/C technician. I have a very hands on discussion, and evaluate all of their testing and results with the technician.

3. Once the technician has confirmed/disputed the Ford dealer results, I'd create a solution plan.

Pretty straight forward, low stress, life moves on...

 

ajsturtz,

I don't buy that the air conditioning issue is subjective. How one perceives the cold/hot can be. If one truck, using the same system, can blow cold air out of the vents, they should all have that capability. Many work fine and many do not. We are not going by perception, we are going by actual temperatures coming from the vents. An engineer should understand that!

Ford is the only one to pester once their dealers drop the ball. They built the truck and have no interest in fixing it. For a year now, I've been trying to get the system evacuated and recharged. That has still not happened. I was told that it was done once by a tech I thought I could trust. I have since learned that he could not have done it in the time booked. I was there, so I know how long it was in the shop.

As to what the test parameters are, who knows. All I have seen, and others have had the same experience, is lie to the customer. They cool the truck down in the shade and say that it works fine. Our complaints are that these trucks won't blow cold air when it is hot outside, so how does that help reach a solution.

As far as how you would handle this, it sounds as though you might be an engineer for Ford. And, if you missed it, my truck's A/C worked when I purchased it. Why should I re-engineer a truck that was purchased with a warranty and that the manufacturer has no intention of honouring in relation to its A/C issue.

Without going through my paperwork, these five dealers have only spent in the area of two hours doing anything involving my trucks A/C. Thirty minutes of that was taking it for a ride. That is utter bull ****.

If everyone had your attitude, nobody would ever get warranty work done.

I will add that you are an engineer and I am 65 and live on a pension. I also have a bad back, a bad neck, two artificial hips, pieces missing from my hand a wrist and I walk with a cane. All of these trips are difficult and costly. When purchased, I saved for this truck and am still paying for part of it. I plan to still own it at least 12 years from now. I had my last truck for 14.5 years. Therefore, think before telling someone to take the truck elsewhere, replace it, etc. Everyone is not in your situation.

Green Gem

 

tbear853,

I'm not familiar with the A/C capabilities in your year of truck, so I can't really comment. I am glad to hear that it meets your needs.

Take Care

Green Gem