i went for a drive in my FX4 scab today, had AC button pressed and dash vents selected, when i got home i grabed my thermometer and held it in front of the vent, the temp got down to 42 degrees, and would rise to 44, at which time the compressor would cut in and the temp dropped to 42, and it cycled like this fairly fast. So i guess thats it, 42 is the coldest the truck is gunna put out.... im getting sick and tired of these problems.... shudder, temp gauge, now AC..... waste of 54000CAN im thinking.

 

Has anyone tried adding refridgerant like rtremaine suggested?

 

Has anyone tried adding refridgerant like rtremaine suggested?

 

Yours is working great compared to mine ( I get only 46 out the vents on a 75 degree day) - - Yours also matches my daughters lariat. You are also correct in saying 36,37 is the norm of what it should do, so that it can regulate the temperature. Mine has been recharged twice now,,,,,,and this second time around it is warmer,,,,after the first charge it was getting 42 degrees out the vents.....still not cold enough to reg the temperature.

At this point with all the people having problems with it, it is indeed a design flaw - - - it should be no different then any other AC in any other car - - - It is most likely a mis-design of the expansion valve/orface plate or something to that effect, which prevents from getting cold,,,,,electronics could be mis-engineered as well; not reading the low pressure switch correctly etc.

Now here is an easy simple test everyone can do.

Oh a hot humid day, set it in the driveway running, full max cold etc, windows closed etc........get your other car (Honda in our case) set it next to it in the driveway, running full max cold.....Only the Honda is pumping out cold water on to the driveway......my Ford truck has never dripped cold water from the cooling fins,,,,,it don't get cold enough. BTW, the Honda is snowing inside,,,,the Ford truck is toasty warm!

 

Sounds like your ac is defective. What dealer do you use just for my future reference, since we live in the same area. Also have they told you what the normal vent temp is? Thanks.

 

I don't understand how you can call it a design flaw when only a couple of people have complained about it. You may be having problems but that doesn't make it a design flaw. You should have left it alone when it was blowing 42 degree air. That is perfectly normal. I have checked a 2004 Lincoln LS, 2003 Ford Explorer, and my 2004 Ford F150 they are all blowing between 42 - 44 degree air. I bet you money that when the temps get hotter in your area it will still blow the same degree air inside the truck. Since you have been to the dealer so many times they have probably overcharged your system trying to satisfy you. Again ask your dealer to pull alll the freon out and weigh in the proper weight of freon that the factory recommends and I bet your problem will be solved.

 

I tested the AC on my2004 SCAB FX4, 5.4V8 3V a few minutes ago. It was in the driveway and the outside temperature was 84F. The temperautre reading on the odometer was 88F. The inside temperature of the cab was 89F.(The sun was shining through the windshield)

I started the truck and set to Max AC, on fan level #4. I inserted the temperature gauge into the left center vent.
1 minute -64F air temp.
2 minutes-57F
3 minutes-54F
4 minutes-52F
I opened the door and popped the hood to check the compressor for cycles. Ran steadily, no starts and stops.
9 minutes-48F
10 minutes-47F ...switched fan from hi to #2
12 minutes-43F ...lowering the fan velocity across the evaporator
13 minutes-42F ...switched fan from #2 to Hi
17 minutes-46F ...opened door and checked compressor
18 minutes-46F ...Switched fan from hi to #2
20 minutes-43F
23 minutes-45F

The outside air after 23 minutes read 85F. The inside air measured on the rear seat measured 55F. It was a little cool for me in the truck and the truck did not travel one inch. It should be cooler on the highway.
I'm looking at a 42F differential in temperature as far as the AC is concerned. I personally think that this is very good. If AC air temps run in the 30's or 40's, this should be sufficient. The problem could be leaks inside the cab or in the AC ductwork. I'm not an expert, just my opinion.

 

Coral, excellent study. Anytime an mechanic charges your system they will check the air temp in vents at the lowest or next to lowest setting.

 

Here I was thinking I was nuts, when others have noticed it too. My 98 is in the shop for free warranty work, so I decided to treat myself and rent an 04 S-crew. It does not feel as cold as my 98, no way no how. That 98 will freeze me to death! Although when it's really hot out I have to use the max setting most of the time. That's a given here on the Gulf Coast though, when you can break a sweat just walking to your truck from the house, lol. I pick up the deep freeze tomorrow morning, hehe.,,,,98

Anyone else noticed the fan blows harder, with the windows down????? I tested it several times, and each time I roled the windows up, the fan slowed down. Weird!

 

The fan might slow down if the system is on "vent" because of the increased air pressure in the cabin with the windows up. It should be the same speed if the system is in recirc. These trucks are well sealed.

 

Um, well everyone has there own opinion and that fine with me.

The dealer is keeping the truck overnight. I know that black Focus they loaned me works very good. Think it is a two cylindar LOL Not only is is about 10 degrees cooler than the truck, it dripped water all the way up the driveway and into the garage. And to today it is cool and dry! The truck has never dripped water, cause it never got cold. Design flaw, yep could be. Those that are working seem ok, but not great for a $41,000 vehicle.....just like the Focus it's ok AC but not great. By that I mean it really is not designed to handled Texas heat. The major problem I have with mine is that it is not even OK. I still stand by one of my earilier posts; good AC systems in cars now-a-days easily produce 36-38 degree outlet temp.

I think they saw (witnessed) a couple of situations on the test today were it was not working correctly, and did some strange things. Like turn it down, but it got a little warmer....and a couple of times it just got a little warmer on its own. Unfortuanately for me it has turned cool and cloudy again. During the 10 mile drive on freeway the lowest was 45; but it would often go to 51; remember this is when it IS working; most of the time it does not work, it would have been putting out 75 degrees on a 75 degree day. But at least they were in it long enought to note that the compressor was turning off when it should have not been, at least that is what they think was happening.

My real concern is when it is not working at all. Drove the Focus all the way home 30 miles or so,,,,,it never quit! Neither should the truck.

I just hope they will get serious and actualy fix it this time.

coral, Tests seem to be very accurate, and matches the other two 2004 F150's in the family; like I say that is just barely acceptable, and on really hot day it may still not cool (where other cars can easily cool) That is still about 10 degress better then what my truck is able to do, and that is the problem!

 

I haven't done any scientific tests, but what I do know is my 2000 Mustang GT was a whole lot colder than my brand new truck, and that upsets me because I am one of those people that gets real hot in the summer so I need it to stand up to being on high and at its coldest temp. for the entire summer, despite how short it may be up here......


-antonio

 

I definitely agree that the A/C on the new 04 F-150's could be a design flaw or at the very least, sub-par compared to other similar equipped vehicles. I've had my new F-150 for about 3 months now and have been VERY disappointed at the temp. output. I haven't hooked up any guages or tested anything. I don't need to. I can feel how poor the output is by just sitting in the truck. This is definitely the poorest A/C system I've ever had in any vehicle I have owned. Even a cheapo $15K Amigo that I owned in the past could run circles around the F-150's A/C.

The saving grace for me is that I live in San Diego so the temps never get warm enough for long periods of time where I need the A/C as in other parts of the country. I feel for you F-150 owners on the East Coast and southern states where the humidity is killer. When it hits the 100's with humidity, why don't you ask your Ford Service manager to drive your truck for a couple of day and see if he complains about the A/C. LOL.

 

If the compressor is cycling "on and off", that is the problem. On MAX AC (recirculating air) the compressor should continously operate. I owned a 1997 F150, of which the compressor started cycling. The problem was the PCM. They said that they had to reset it. I think that they reprogramed it since I had already disconnected the battery for a reset. It worked fine afterwards.

I have not noticed dripping water from my truck either. It is raining today, but when I get a chance, I will check the drip tube's exit location. It could drip close to the exhaust and simply evaporate.

Houston, good luck and let us know what they find when they find the problem.

 

I had the same experience in my Screw as the others from so. cal. last monday when I got into the cab, the outdoor temp was 108. when I turned the air on it was cool, but not cold. after several minutes on the fwy in recirc mode the air was getting cooler, but never what I would call cold. it took a full 30 minutes, almost my entire drive home time, to get the cab down to a comfortable level. the blower fan moves a lot of air, but the air didn't seem as cold as when I bought it in October. of course it wasn't 108 then either!