Has anyone experienced air conditioning system refrigerant loss due to leaks in the system on 1997 F-150s?

 

Yep. Just noticed my a/c cycling on/off every 1-2 seconds. That's a sure sign of low refrigerant. Gonna get that and the infamous "rusty bumpers" replaced also.

------------------
'97 XLT Reg. Cab, 4.2V6, 5spd, Superchipped, K&N Air Filter, Lund Deflector, Dash Mat, MagnaFlow Muffler, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Edelbrock Shocks, Duraliner, Extang Saber Tonneau, Bell-Tech 2" Rear Drop, Amer. Rac. Atlas Wheels Clad in 275/60/17 Eagle GTII. Likes straightaways, loves twisties.

 

That's also a sign of a bad compressor. Just took my truck to the shop today and they say I need a new compressor and accumulator and that they found metal shreds all through the system. Total cost estimate: $860

FYI mine is a 97 4.2L w/ 56,000 miles



------------------
1997 F-150 Reg Cab 4x2 4.2L 5 spd. 3.08
White/Silver
SnugTop Cab-hi w/ oversized windows & BedRug matching headliner
BedRug
Alpine CD / 200W RMS (50x4) Amp
JBL components up-front(50x2 W)
Rockford-Fosgate 8"sub(100 W)

 

Mine may be leaking. Sometimes I smell freon when I turn the A/C or heater on. Still works fine. Is this normal?

------------------
White 97 XLT SC 4.6, 4X4, 3.55ls, door cracks, tow pkg, long bed, Rhino liner, Owens running boards

 

$860 sounds a little steep to me. I think I would get a second opi...nion

 

Move, are you sure you're smelling freon? Freon is supposed to be odorless, unless 134 is different from the other freon.

Could you be smelling oil or antifreeze? If antifreeze, you probably got a bad heater core. If oil, then it could be a freon leak. Take the truck to an A/C repair shop and they can use their electronic leak detector and can tell you for sure if it's a refrigerant leak in a few seconds.

 

RalphF, no problem YET with my 1997, bought in June of 1996 so truck is over 43 months old at 45,000 miles. And, I use the AC about 9 months out of the year not counting for defrost.

------------------
Mine: '97F150,XLT,SC,4x4 ORP,4.6L,3.55LS,auto,6 CD,alarm,grill guard w/PICCA lights,dual exhaust.

Wife: '99Explorer Limited,pearl white/tan leather,4.0L,4:10LS,CD,sunroof,alarm

 

Dennis, thanks. We have one of those freon sniffers at work. I'll try it.

------------------
White 97 XLT SC 4.6, 4X4, 3.55ls, door cracks, tow pkg, long bed, Rhino liner, Owens running boards