weird ac issue

[powerboatr]

we were heading back from VA hospital in bonham, 95 to 97F oat on the big screen
ac set to 62F and 5 fan speed
perfect

came off highway and ran 65 to next town about 15 miles same settings, came to 1 4 way stop, stopped then rolled out and about 1/2 mile down the road the ac felt hmmm WARM as opposed to chicken freezer cold it was a few minutes prior. i say it warmed up enough i had to go full fan and was about to go MAX ac
then boom it started getting really cold again
so did it freeze up at the stop sign with less high speed airflow over the condenser , but arent shutters closed at highway speeds or are they open in HOT and running ac at real low temps?
which allowed a freeze situation to start and trucks cut back ac temps to thaw?
i have never had this happen so it grabbed my attention.

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[Davexxxx]

Sure sounds like a freeze up. The hows and whys, I don't know but the general rule of thumb, is ACs are good for a 20 degree differential and you were calling for 35.

 

[powerboatr]

i did a static test a few weeks back
87 oat so i knew it could at least pull 40F in center vents,

my thinking was it froze the evap when i slowed to a stop it had built if of cold and couldn't stay above freezing, it was just weird that it chose that moment to defrost

40 for me center vent is ok, but i can pull 37 in the edge and the bus

i would like to pull dash aprat to see how the vents are run and or wrap them.
imo ac in this truck is not ideal

 

[adder1221]

I was having similar issues and they had to replace the evap sensor on mine. Sucks cause they had to remove the entire dash and seats according to the work order.

 

[Harman]

I wonder if the evaporator is getting oil logged. With those low evaporator and return air temperatures the compressor must be running at a low rpm. Not enough refrigerant velocity to return the oil. As the temperature goes up the compressor speeds up and the evaporator clears. Could even be thermal protection on the compressor motor. Honestly, if you need 62 degrees then Texas ain't for you.

 

[mistermoon]

I just dropped my 22 PB at the dealer for what sounds like the same problem. It's acting like the evaporator is freezing up. The air coming from the vents is super cold, too although now I wish I'd stuck a thermometer in it.

The service writer says he's seen several F-150s with the same issue and it usually turns into a dash out job. I may be without my truck for a while...

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I just dropped my 22 PB at the dealer for what sounds like the same problem. It's acting like the evaporator is freezing up. The air coming from the vents is super cold, too although now I wish I'd stuck a thermometer in it.

The service writer says he's seen several F-150s with the same issue and it usually turns into a dash out job. I may be without my truck for a while...

Hi there, John. These A/C concerns doesn’t sound like something we want you to experience with your F-150 truck. Could you please send us a PM with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer? To send a private message, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation". I'd be happy to look into how I can assist you on my end.

 

[mistermoon]

I just dropped my 22 PB at the dealer for what sounds like the same problem. It's acting like the evaporator is freezing up. The air coming from the vents is super cold, too although now I wish I'd stuck a thermometer in it.

The service writer says he's seen several F-150s with the same issue and it usually turns into a dash out job. I may be without my truck for a while...

Confirmed that the evaporator must be replaced. The service writer says "repair for that will be a few weeks out...."

I've asked him a bunch more questions about this. I'm concerned the parts availability is going to be a significant issue. No way am I letting them keep it if all they are doing is waiting for parts.

 

[mistermoon]

They diagnosed my truck and as expected the recommended action was to replace the whole evaporator assembly due to a faulty sensor. However, parts were not available so I got my truck back until they could get them.


Today my service advisor called me to tell me what he learned. First is that parts are backordered, no ETA. Second is that he's heard from Ford that after replacing a bunch of these it's not solving the issue consistently. Ford is advising my dealer to hold off on doing anything while they investigate it further. The issue may be able to be resolved in software and they are currently exploring that avenue.

In the meantime they recommend not running my cabin temperature below about 70F on AC to mitigate the problem.

The reality is it only has occurred a few times and I know how to resolve it easily, so I'm ok with waiting. (The temporary fix is when your evaporator ices over is to turn off the AC until you feel air coming out of the vents and then turn it back on again. Easy peasy. )

 

[RowdyRaptor]

I'll chime in here. I already had the evaporator & sensor swap completed and the issue happened to me again yesterday (10 days after getting it back). Currently trying to figure out my next steps and also get some additional data points to try and help everyone.

I really don't want to lemon my 2023 37PP Raptor....I ordered it and just got it at the end of March.

 

[powerboatr]

not running it below 70F....omg
does ford not understand its a 105 out and we like to be chilly
i am surprised a software fix has not been done 1st
seems easy enough that when 32 is detected or ice, that it could momentarily let some warm air across and solve the problem
i think thats what my truck did , the evap froze and it thawed it. maybe a bit to long, but that could easily be adjusted in the program.
105 today and i ran 60F and highest fan...its cool but no near as cold as previous trucks
but still comfy

 

[DAM F-150]

They diagnosed my truck and as expected the recommended action was to replace the whole evaporator assembly due to a faulty sensor. However, parts were not available so I got my truck back until they could get them.


Today my service advisor called me to tell me what he learned. First is that parts are backordered, no ETA. Second is that he's heard from Ford that after replacing a bunch of these it's not solving the issue consistently. Ford is advising my dealer to hold off on doing anything while they investigate it further. The issue may be able to be resolved in software and they are currently exploring that avenue.

In the meantime they recommend not running my cabin temperature below about 70F on AC to mitigate the problem.

The reality is it only has occurred a few times and I know how to resolve it easily, so I'm ok with waiting. (The temporary fix is when your evaporator ices over is to turn off the AC until you feel air coming out of the vents and then turn it back on again. Easy peasy. )

I dropped my 2021 F-150 Lariat of at a dealer today with the same issues & waiting to here back. We did discuss a possible software update. I will let everyone know what they do.

 

[DAM F-150]

I dropped my 2021 F-150 Lariat of at a dealer today with the same issues & waiting to here back. We did discuss a possible software update. I will let everyone know what they do.

 

[mistermoon]

I dropped my 2021 F-150 Lariat of at a dealer today with the same issues & waiting to here back. We did discuss a possible software update. I will let everyone know what they do.

The software updates appear to have solved the evaporator freezing issue for me. I do notice the AC does not blow as cold as before. It's still OK, but I find I have to run the fan a bit higher than I did before the update.

 

[DAM F-150]

The software update appears to have done good. My a/c is blowing cold so far, set on 70

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