Ford ac condenser installation

Check for proper operation of the AC system. Our recommendation: The AC system is a sealed unit. What common symptoms indicate you may need to replace the AC Condenser? Air conditioning is not as cold as it should be. Air conditioning does not work at all. How important is this service? Number of Ford Explorer services completed. Yourmechanic was featured in. Popular Ford Jobs. Auto service in Your City.

Meet some of our expert Ford mechanics Real customer reviews from Ford owners like you. Excellent Rating. Rating Summary. Choeun 15 years of experience. Request Choeun. Ford Explorer V Great service received and very prompt. Friendly and recommended everything that would be needed in near future. All was well and vehicle is running smoothly. I highly recommend Choeun for your mechanic needs. Jimmi 27 years of experience. Request Jimmi. Does good work.

Robert 31 years of experience. Request Robert. Robert is great! He's knowledgeable and keeps on open dialogue on his findings. He did an awesome job on my Explorer! Lamont 30 years of experience. Request Lamont. They serve as Read more. How to Transfer a Car Title in Pennsylvania Like Like other states in the nation, Pennsylvania requires that most vehicles have a title and that the title be in the name of the owner. When ownership changes, the title must be transferred to the new owner.

Changes might My truck won't allow me to change gears even when pressing the clutch. No gears go in at all. Makes it impossible to drive. Hello, this concern is possibly the slave or clutch master cylinder failure. These two components use brake fluid to apply pressure for movement of the clutch system.

This fluid breaks down in time and causes the seals to fail leak Fuel gauge stopped working. This is likely a sign of a faulty fuel sending unit. This is a unit inside the fuel tank that measures the fuel level inside the tank and relays this info to the ECU which then transmits this to Pay close attention to the replaceable rubber gaskets at the hose ends.

If any leaks are present refrigerant will leak into the air and you will not be able to evacuate the system properly. The yellow hose will go to the recovery machine. From the recovery machine this will go into a recovery tank. The blue hose will go to the low side PSI in operation pressure port. The red hose will go to the high side PSI in operation pressure port. With the engine running check the pressures on the high and low side against the specifications set forth in the Factory Service Manual.

Do not use generic all car references as there are meaningful differences in specifications across the different manufacturers. Step 2: Recover the refrigerant. Many recovery machines will require the hoses to be purged of air before use. Step 3: Let the machine recover the refrigerant. Open the high and low side pressure valves on the machine and let the machine recover the refrigerant. The recovery process will be done once the gauges both drop to zero and the machine says the process is completed.

Step 1: Removing items in the way. Remove parts that are in the way of the condenser. Consult the Factory Service Manual. Do not release the condenser from its mounts yet, just remove parts that are in the way. The parts required to be removed, and how they are removed, will vary greatly from car to car. Step 2: Removing the AC lines to the condenser. Before the AC condenser is removed from the vehicle the AC lines must be removed.

Wear eye protection and preferably a face shield when removing refrigerant lines in case any residual pressure remains. Keep in mind the system contains or contained not just refrigerant but also refrigerant oil which could spatter in your face.

Oils used with Ra are damaging to the eyes and skin. The style and exact removal procedure for the AC line will be different from vehicle to vehicle. In most cases the lines either bolt to the condenser or are a hard line that must be removed with a wrench. The lines attaching to the condenser will have o-ring seals on them. Inspect the o-rings for damage which might provide clues as to past or current leakage. Be sure the replacement o-rings are the right size. Step 3: Remove the condenser.

Now the mounting bolts for the condenser will be removed. In some vehicles these mount the radiator and condenser together. Once the bolts are removed, remove the condenser slowly to be sure that no bolts remain and so that it does not snag on any wiring or hoses. Step 4: Install the new condenser. With the condenser removed compare it to the new part. Make sure the new and old condensers match up exactly and that they have the same mounting locations especially if your replacement condenser is not a factory OEM part.

If any discrepancies exist, do not install. Condensers contain some of the system oil. Consult the Factory Service Manual FSM and pour the required amount of new refrigerant oil from a new sealed container so there is no moisture into one of the refrigerant line ports of the condenser.

Typically, about an ounce of oil is required but consult your FSM. Then, install the new condenser with the mounting brackets. Step 5: Reinstall the AC lines. The next step will be to replace the o-rings on the AC lines going to the condenser.

Coat the the o-rings with the system oil to ensure a good seal. Once the o-rings are replaced the lines can be bolted back to the condenser. Once they are bolted on and torqued to specifications you can move on to the next step. Inasmuch as you have opened the system to the atmosphere to replace the condenser, air containing moisture has been introduced. The drier installation instructions will also specify that a certain amount of system oil be added to the new drier to replace that lost in the old discarded drier.

Step 6: Reinstall parts removed to gain access. Reinstall all the parts that were removed to gain access to the condenser. This may include the bumper, hood latch, grills, supports and brackets. Once these are all in place there are only a few finishing touches left to do. Step 1: Place the AC system into a vacuum. Before any new refrigerant can be added the AC system must be placed into a vacuum.

This can be done using a recovery machine or using a manifold gauge set and a vacuum pump. The high and low side lines must be hooked up to the vacuum pump. The system is placed in vacuum for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer. The FSM will give advice as to the duration of evacuation for your make and model. Evacuating properly ensures all moisture and air is removed from your system. When the AC system is in vacuum you can get an idea of whether there are large leaks note that only pressure testing, at around PSI, with nitrogen will reveal small leaks.

The vehicle will not reach vacuum if the car has a large leak. The vacuum pump will keep running but the recommended vacuum will never be reached. If you turn off the vacuum pump for 10 minutes and observe the gauge pressure, if there are no large leaks, the gauge pointer should remain steady. If not, that is an indication that there is a leak that must be fixed before refrigerant is added. However, if you really want to do a professional test for leaks, pressurize the system to PSI with inert, dry nitrogen gas and a couple ounces of refrigerant while sniffing for leaks using for example a Fieldpiece Infrared Refrigerant Leak Detector.

But, even that test is less than optimal as you are testing under static, not dynamic running conditions when leaks will be most apparent. Step 2: Recharge the AC. Once the AC system has been in vacuum for 30 minutes and no leaks are detected the car is ready to be charged. Modern AC systems have charge quantities specified in tenths of an ounce. Consequently, the AC system will not perform as efficiently as possible with either too much refrigerant or too little. Make sure you are using the same refrigerant your vehicle came with which is typically Ra for modern U.

This information can be found in the owner's manual or on an AC service tag on the underside of the hood. Once the exact amount of refrigerant to be added has been determined the AC machine can now be used to charge the system.

Charging is done with the engine running at RPM or more and only the low side port hooked up. The system is filled until the specified amount see FSM or vehicle underhood tag is added.

If an AC machine is used the charge amount can be set, if you are using a manifold and gauge set the level will have to be set based on using either a scale or low and high side pressures. Step 3: Checking the performance. With the engine running turn the AC system on and let the system stabilize for 5 minutes. The difference between ambient outdoor temperature and the temperature of the cool air at your center outlet should be at least 40 degrees. Once the vehicle cools down this proves the AC works and you can now enjoy nice cool temperatures.

Replacing major AC system components such as a condenser may seem like a daunting task but it can be completed with a bit of help. This repair pays off in the long run as not only is it much more tolerable with functioning AC, the AC system can actually keep you safe if the vehicle breaks down in a hot environment.