A/C Evaporator Factory Defect

[GT Pony]

Hey guys I just wanted some insight on if my evap is out. My ac stopped working and blowing warm air (of course) I took it into a supposed ac specialized shop and he says it needs a new system because the compressor is shot. My question is, when the system was drained, vacuumed (showed no leaks and held vacuum) and recharged to specs the high side was marking low and the low side was at 0 what would this indicate? Blockage on the low side? And yes the compressor was kicking on but the air was not cold. I was not getting any funny smells inside the car so I do not believe I had a evaporator leak. That I could tell. I almost forgot to mention I have 56,000 miles so no dealer visits

Sounds like it was under charged if both high and low sides are too low.

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[1Slow5oh]

Sounds like it was under charged if both high and low sides are too low.

That's what I was thinking but after he charged it back up it was still showing no reading on low and maybe around 100 or so on high. This was with the compressor clutch engaged. They claimed the compressor has been running too low and was damaged internally which is causing the irregular readings. I was going to replace the entire system myself regardless but wanted to get some opinions. I'm trying to stay away from removing the evap if possible.

 

[GT Pony]

That's what I was thinking but after he charged it back up it was still showing no reading on low and maybe around 100 or so on high. This was with the compressor clutch engaged. They claimed the compressor has been running too low and was damaged internally which is causing the irregular readings. I was going to replace the entire system myself regardless but wanted to get some opinions. I'm trying to stay away from removing the evap if possible.

What's it supposed to be on the high side? A reading of zero on the low side means the compressor is essentially pulling a vacuum (0 gauge pressure) on the low (suction) side of the compressor. What's the pressure of the system when the car is off and the system as equalized?

 

[GT Pony]

Looks like the refrigerant charge is too low according to these suction and discharge pressure charts from the service manual.

On a 70 deg F ambient day, the suction pressure side should be around 35 psi and the discharge pressure side should be around 190-195 psi.

 

[1Slow5oh]

Yeah the readings were definitely off on my car. I just can't figure out what could cause this. 1.5 pounds of freon was added after the system was evacuated and the compressor clutch kicked on and stayed on as long as the ac button was on. Now I'm not sure what to think. It's like something is not allowing the low side to receive pressure. I almost was thinking it was the expansion valve but I had read somewhere it would cause the high pressure to skyrocket. Thank you for the awesome info by the way! I can't check the pressures now since it has since been evacuated so I can start inspecting the components and replacing if necessary. This will be fun.

 

[jbhurst]

I have the evaporator/compressor problem on a 2016 GT P M PP w ~45,000 miles (long commute). Dealer quoted $3319 to fix. $2064 labor/$1044 parts. Repair involves removing dash, seats, and steering column.

I called Ford to complain since the car is less than 3 years old and they opened a case. We'll see what happens. I've been a Ford fan for a while and have two other Fords right now, but if I have to pay $3k+ for a < 3 year old car due to a design problem, I think that's the end of me as a customer.

There appears to be a TSB or two on the issue. Here's a re-post since it took me a while to find the links in this big thread:
https://ford.oemdtc.com/3936/poor-air-conditioning-a-c-performance-2015-2017-ford-mustang#more-3936
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10144920

Here's hoping they issue an extended warranty for this issue. I think they know they have a problem.

 

[GT Pony]

Here's the TSB from the link in Post 1495 that shows all the work involved with fixing a leaking AC evaporator.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10144920-9999.pdf

 

[Deleted member 35786]

I have the evaporator/compressor problem on a 2016 GT P M PP w ~45,000 miles (long commute). Dealer quoted $3319 to fix. $2064 labor/$1044 parts. Repair involves removing dash, seats, and steering column.

I called Ford to complain since the car is less than 3 years old and they opened a case. We'll see what happens. I've been a Ford fan for a while and have two other Fords right now, but if I have to pay $3k+ for a < 3 year old car due to a design problem, I think that's the end of me as a customer.

There appears to be a TSB or two on the issue. Here's a re-post since it took me a while to find the links in this big thread:
https://ford.oemdtc.com/3936/poor-air-conditioning-a-c-performance-2015-2017-ford-mustang#more-3936
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10144920
..

So is it evaporator or compressor, or both? If it is just evaporator then the price should be in the $1800 range

 

[GT Nate]

I have the evaporator/compressor problem on a 2016 GT P M PP w ~45,000 miles (long commute). Dealer quoted $3319 to fix. $2064 labor/$1044 parts. Repair involves removing dash, seats, and steering column.

I called Ford to complain since the car is less than 3 years old and they opened a case. We'll see what happens. I've been a Ford fan for a while and have two other Fords right now, but if I have to pay $3k+ for a < 3 year old car due to a design problem, I think that's the end of me as a customer.

There appears to be a TSB or two on the issue. Here's a re-post since it took me a while to find the links in this big thread:
https://ford.oemdtc.com/3936/poor-air-conditioning-a-c-performance-2015-2017-ford-mustang#more-3936
https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=10144920

Here's hoping they issue an extended warranty for this issue. I think they know they have a problem.

Any word back from Ford?

My dealer said it was the evap and compressor...stated Ford would cover $2500 leaving a balance of $600 for me to pay.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Any word back from Ford?

My dealer said it was the evap and compressor...stated Ford would cover $2500 leaving a balance of $600 for me to pay.

That’s actually pretty good all considering.... I mean, even if it’s out of warranty, IMO, Ford should still be covering the complete repair since it’s a very well known and documented issue per the TSB’s...

It’s a real shame that anyone has to put any money out of pocket at all...

 

[WickedRed]

Any word back from Ford?

My dealer said it was the evap and compressor...stated Ford would cover $2500 leaving a balance of $600 for me to pay.

My 2015 GT is doing the same 33k miles. Out of warranty January of this year. I will gladly Pay $600 to have it fixed.

 

[1Slow5oh]

Alright guys I just wanted to give an update after finding out my compressor was bad. I went ahead and replaced the evaporator too by myself. Thanks to other members info and help! I will be replacing the complete system. I just finished putting the dash and console back in the other night and now it's on to the compressor and condenser. Oh and cleaning the ac lines. I did have one question. My manual says the compressor capacity is 4.1 oz. Does anyone know if the entire system runs off this amount or should I add more? This is with an empty compressor and that's where I'll be adding my pag oil. All the parts were OEM Ford and I was not sure if the condenser comes pre-filled?

 

[GT Pony]

Alright guys I just wanted to give an update after finding out my compressor was bad. I went ahead and replaced the evaporator too by myself. Thanks to other members info and help! I will be replacing the complete system. I just finished putting the dash and console back in the other night and now it's on to the compressor and condenser. Oh and cleaning the ac lines. I did have one question. My manual says the compressor capacity is 4.1 oz. Does anyone know if the entire system runs off this amount or should I add more? This is with an empty compressor and that's where I'll be adding my pag oil. All the parts were OEM Ford and I was not sure if the condenser comes pre-filled?

Start with the specified amount of refrigerant and oil for the whole system since it sounds like you'll be starting with a bare system. Then I'd think you would want to shoot for a system charge that gave you the low and high side operating pressures like I posed earlier in this post:

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/a-c-evaporator-factory-defect.62682/page-75#post-2509933

 

[1Slow5oh]

Awesome. Thank you for the help once again. I'll find out how much the entire system takes. This forum is great that compressor looks like hell to remove though! Car will be going back up on Jack stands this week!

 

[Deleted member 35786]

Awesome. Thank you for the help once again. I'll find out how much the entire system takes. This forum is great that compressor looks like hell to remove though! Car will be going back up on Jack stands this week!

Good to hear. Just in time before the punishing summer desert heat kicks in.
I am still shocked that the actual compressor was bad. 9 times out of 10 its actually the compressor clutches that burn out.

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