Auto Airconditioner Not Blowing Cold Air
I really need your help. I have a 9 month old baby and my A/C is not blowing cold air!!!! I have a Ford Explorer sport. When I bought this truck 3 months ago the air would blow but it was all hot air. We thought it just needed charged with Freon, but its fully charged. Now, its gotten to the point where it won’t blow any air AT ALL. Where should I start? What should I do?
I am a single mom and know nothing of cars.
Thank you so much,
I hope to hear from you
lisa
Hi Lisa
If no air what so ever comes out of the vent I would start by checking the fuses and the blower motor which is under the hood on the passenger firewall. You should lightly tap on the blower motor with a hammer with the engine running and AC and blower switch on high speed. That can sometime kick start a bad blower motor. I would then check the blower switch in the dashboard but usually the blower motor is the culprit
Please share this with your friends
Austin Davis
Reader Follow Up
Hello!
First, Thank you sOO SOO Much for your help. you are a God send!
Ok got the blower motor working but now its just spitting out hot air instead of cold air. So, I got that device and its all charged and free-on is full….But still hot air…So what would you suggest now?
Thanks again!
Lisa
Hello Again Lisa
I would make sure the AC compressor is coming on and the compressor clutch is engaged and turning the compressor. Turn on engine, open hood, turn on compressor and you should hear a click and see the compressor clutch start up and turn the compressor. If it does not come on, you need to check fuses and relays, the dash switch and power to the compressor.
If the compressor is turning, then get a mechanic to hook up the gauges and see what the pressures are in the system, I would bet you have no Freon inside the system due to a leak somewhere. Adding freon and locating and repairing the leak is the next step.
Austin Davis
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Hi Austin just left the shop and they put it on the machine and said that the vacuum leak test failed and lost pressure in a minute or less which he said the freon wouldn’t hold but for a day or so. This is for a 1999 Ford Expidition. Thanks.
Ya, those vehicles are prone to Freon leak issues, bad/leaking compressors, leaking quick connect oring fittings on the A/C hoses and the evaporator core inside the dash of the vehicle are all weak spots for Freon leaks. A/C work is EXPENSIVE so make sure you are comfortable with the mechanic and his diagnosis before spending big bucks. What happens if he says the compressor is leaking, charges you $1200 and next week the Freon leaks out again…..new leak or the original leak they overlooked? Who pays?
Thank you Austin I will go and get it checked out tomorrow. I will keep you posted on the results.
Hi I have a 1999 Ford Expedition. My ac is not blowing out cold. The fan works but the compressor is not coming on. Any suggestions. Thanks.
You need to have a mechanic check the freon level and pressures with A/C gauges. In most cases this is a result of low freon in the system, but that means there is a freon leak somewhere too that needs to be repaired. So if it’s low, then the mechanic will need to use a Freon Leak Detector to locate where the source of the leak is so you can repair it or the new freon he adds will just leak out again.
I have a 2000 Malibu LS I have refilled the free on the air conditioning module is running and it still blows hot air what should I do?
You need to use A/C gauges to see what the freon pressures are, if the compressor is working or if there is a restriction in the system, and the electric A/C cooling fan is working.
I have a 2003 Ford Expedition. The a/c has been acting up for a while but today, the compressor stopped working. Prior to that, the air has been very cool. Is it possible that it could be a fuse?
Possible, but this is usually a result from low Freon pressure and you will need to have a mechanic check the Freon level and pressures with their A/C gauges and go from them. If you are out or low on Freon, you have a leak somewhere that needs to be repaired.
Ok. I actually smacked the dash and my AC started working. I guess I need to replace the blower motor.
Most likely yes, the motor is probably weak. Although you might want to wait until it stops again to replace it, might last a while longer….or not.
Scott….I jumped the gun on with my last comment to you. Just to clarify what you told me…you DID hear the blower motor working and getting louder with each fan speed, and you said the air was coming out of the defrost and floor vents. When you smacked the dashboard the air then started to come out of the a/c vents…correct?
If this is the case, the blower motor is probably not the culprit but a faulty electric blend door motor (actuator) that is supposed to direct the air to the desired air vent which you have selected with the switch. When there is a problem, the actuator will default to the defrost and floor vents. I would have a mechanic test these components before I just started replacing parts.
Thank you so much for replying so quickly. The motor blower works and gets louder as I go up the nob. Air comes out the floor and defrost vents.
Any idea if i can fix this without going to the shop?
thank you so much!
Scott
Hi there. I have a 2006 Ford Explorer. No air will blow out the front dash vents. It runs cold for about 5 seconds when I turn on the car and then nothing. I just had the freon charged and a leaky hose replaced today. Any thoughts?
Hi, I would first make sure the blower motor is working. Turn on the key (dont start engine), turn a/c selector to max a/c setting then turn on the fan switch position 1, then move up to 4th speed. You should hear the motor working around the passenger glove box floor area.
If you DO hear the motor working (getting louder with higher fan speed) then you might have a control problem in the dash, and the air is being deverted to the floor or the defrost vents or somewhere in the dash board. There is an electric motor inside the dash that diverts the air to the desired selection and when there is a problem it usually defaults to the defrost and heater floor vents.
If you do NOT hear the blower working, then you might want to firmly bang on the top of the dash and around the glove box and under the glove box with your fist. This can sometimes jump start a weak blower motor. If that works, you need a new blower motor. If that does not work, I would check the fuses second, then check the dash control switch next.
Having no air from the duct is not related to Freon, which only makes the air coming out of the vents cold. So they are really not related, unless the mechanic unplugged something or blew the fuse for the motor or was working in the dashboard area inside the vehicle and caused a problem.
I have a 2010 Ford Explorer. When the air conditioner is working, it periodically blows hot air for a couple of seconds. Then it starts blowing cold air again.
Any idea what the problem might be.
Thanks,
Gary
Gary, sorry for my delay, I have been under the weather lately. This vehicle is pretty new so I would not really be suspect of anything major going on. This thing to check with any A/C problem is the Freon level and pressures. These vehicles can be a little bit low on Freon and cause these problems.
Now, if it is low on Freon, there is probably a small leak somewhere and the Freon will leak out again. I would have the mechanic use a Freon leak detector to find the leak and repair it.
Also you should have an electric cooling fan motor up near the A/C condenser, that fan should be running when the A/C is on, so make sure that is happening as well.
Last thing that comes to mind here is an electrical problem, the dash control, the compressor relay, the compressor clutch gap are a few that I would check if the Freon is full and has been ruled out as the problem.
Help!! Similar problem. My freon will not stay. As soon as it is filled, the next day, its not as cold and very soon, warm air only. Repeated twice. I had a new compressor, blower moter, fuse etc., installed. My loss of freon problem only came after having the items installed. What do you think could be the problem? 05 Ford Taurus. (Repairs done because the motor blower was burned out [water]fuse bad etc. so, those repairs were done)
If you did not have this problem prior to the compressor being replaced I can only assume you either have a defective compressor that is leaking Freon or faulty installation of the compressor causing the leak. Freon is a gas, which you can not see or smell. You will need to have the a/c system re-charged with Freon then a Freon leak tester has to be used to determine where the leak is coming from. I would go back to the mechanic who installed the compressor and see if you have some warranty with them.
Although, I am confused as to why you had the compressor replaced in the first place. The compressor is under the hood and is the heart of the a/c system, and is very expensive to replace. The blower motor is inside the dashboard and creates the air like a fan that blows inside the cab of the vehicle…they are totally unrelated. The blower does not require Freon or have anything to do with the Freon leak.
I have a 2003 Ford Expedition and I was having problems with the A/C recently. I just wanted to thank you Austin, your advice helped a lot. I was able to tap on the blower motor and it began to work and I have cold air once again.
Great, glad it helped….although you most likely need a new blower motor. 🙁
i have a 92 ford escort. it wants to act like it ‘s running out of fuel only when turning right. if i turn right quickly, and straighten out quickly, it just sputters and may not die. if i merge right like on a ramp to get on or off of a highway, it will die. once i’m straightened back out, i can start back up and go. someone said that it was ment for a race track—ha ha!!! the fuel pump and tank check out ok. what do you think it is?
Man I don’t know what to think about this one. I would probably want to inspect inside the fuel tank to make sure the fuel pump is installed and seated correctly in the tank. I have seen a few GM vehicle fuel pump housings at the bottom of the tank crack and allow the fuel pump to bang around inside the fuel tank. Maybe the fuel pump is sucking air somehow? Only other thing would be to look at the wires inside the steering column and the ignition switch. Since you can turn the steering wheel and get the engine to die, the ignition switch might be out of adjustment or a loose wire connection or something rubbing inside the steering column?
Keep us posted on this one, I would love to know what the problem is. Sorry I could not be more help
Austin