A/C Evaporator Factory Defect

[berserker_sid]

Update on my car...

My car has been tested for everythin.. vacuum test.. dye test .. no leak found. Whet they found was that.. many cars are coming with low refrigerant from factory...
They said evap core does not seem to be an issue.

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[Texstang]

Update today - my service advisor called me this morning and let me know that it definitely is the evaporator core, but that the part is on backorder and that there are none currently available in the area. They're supposed to receive a shipment in Houston on the 25th. She mentioned that they are receiving the latest version of the part, but didn't know the exact part number yet.

The AC failed just in time for my vacation to the Guadalupe River. It blew cold off and on, but I was able to endure the trip in some degree of comfort. I just got back in town and dropped the car off at the dealer after I made an appointment a few days ago. They were nice enough to put me in a rental.

When I get the car back, I'll let you guys know the specifics of what they found and if they do diagnose the issue as a failed evaporator core, I'll share the part number of the replacement.

I just got my car back today. Reading over the service invoice, it seems like they performed a leak test and found that the evaporator core was indeed leaking.

They replaced it with part # FR3Z19850V. They then recharged the system and performed a leak test and found no leaks.

To quote the technician, "Diag and found evidence of leak around evaporator drain tube. Performed evaporator core leak test. Failed. Necessary to replace evaporator core. Evac and recharge. Retest. Passed."

I inspected the dash and interior, and other than the fact that the seats were moved around, I wouldn't have known they had the dash out of the car. I didn't see any evidence of scratching or panel removal, and I didn't notice any new rattles after driving it *fingers crossed*. I have no idea what part # was in the car from the factory, but mine was built Aug 17, 2015.

 

[89Trooper]

They replaced it with part # FR3Z19850V. They then recharged the system and performed a leak test and found no leaks.

I inspected the dash and interior, and other than the fact that the seats were moved around, I wouldn't have known they had the dash out of the car. I didn't see any evidence of scratching or panel removal, and I didn't notice any new rattles after driving it *fingers crossed*. I have no idea what part # was in the car from the factory, but mine was built Aug 17, 2015.

Ditto for me, except mine was replaced with Y. Wish we knew what the differences were.

Same with me and the dash... no scratches or any other evidence of removal. Seats were moved way back and all my presets were lost, obviously from the battery being disconnected.

*fingers crossed* for both of us!

 

[jcuk]

Looks like I'm the latest in line for this issue... except I bought my mustang a year ago 1.5 years old and 3k miles within warranty.

Now I'm out of warranty @ 42k miles and my AC has failed....

Classic case of driver side goes warm, passenger size still cool, fails over a period of 24 hours.

I had it recharged at a third party specialist with dye here in Houston and it leaked out within 24 hours of recharge, so I'm taking it back tomorrow to find the leaks

I highly suspect reading the previous it's the evaporator core and since I'm well out of warranty, I'm expecting replacement costs of 1300 (third party repair) to 2800 (Ford repair)

My plan is to confirm the evaporator core is indeed at fault and first discuss with my dealership on a what an out of warranty fix will cost in terms of time and money.

Next it's getting quotes for third party fixes.

I'll keep you updated on progress inc timing for repair, costs and process.

Car: Mustang 2015 Convertable Premium @ 42k miles.

 

[Texstang]

Ditto for me, except mine was replaced with Y. Wish we knew what the differences were.

Same with me and the dash... no scratches or any other evidence of removal. Seats were moved way back and all my presets were lost, obviously from the battery being disconnected.

*fingers crossed* for both of us!

Good luck - I was worried that I would develop the dreaded rattle from the headlight switch. The 2017 Focus they gave me as a free rental had that problem and the headlight switch is pretty similar.

I wish I knew the detailed version history on the parts too. My part was supposedly the latest revision, but I'm not sure if they were just telling me that without really knowing. It's possible that the letter is specific to the model, since it's the entire evaporator assembly.

http://www.oepartsstore.com/p/Ford__/Evaporator-assy/66545295/FR3Z19850P.html

If you click the down arrow to expand the description of the part on this page, it seems to suggest there are specific parts for the 3.7/5.0 and the 2.3 and also that there are specific parts for models with or without the dual zone automatic climate control.

Looks like I'm the latest in line for this issue... except I bought my mustang a year ago 1.5 years old and 3k miles within warranty.

Now I'm out of warranty @ 42k miles and my AC has failed....

Classic case of driver side goes warm, passenger size still cool, fails over a period of 24 hours.

I had it recharged at a third party specialist with dye here in Houston and it leaked out within 24 hours of recharge, so I'm taking it back tomorrow to find the leaks

I highly suspect reading the previous it's the evaporator core and since I'm well out of warranty, I'm expecting replacement costs of 1300 (third party repair) to 2800 (Ford repair)

My plan is to confirm the evaporator core is indeed at fault and first discuss with my dealership on a what an out of warranty fix will cost in terms of time and money.

Next it's getting quotes for third party fixes.

I'll keep you updated on progress inc timing for repair, costs and process.

Car: Mustang 2015 Convertable Premium @ 42k miles.

Man that sucks, yours must be leaking pretty badly if it can't hold the charge overnight. I've seen some people post about recharging the system as a temporary fix and having it last ~2 weeks or so. At that price point, I would seriously consider taking the dash out and giving it a shot myself over a weekend, but it looks like a nightmare and I'd probably mess something up. Good luck, it's supposed to be hot here until Sunday.

 

[cechk01]

Update on my car...

My car has been tested for everythin.. vacuum test.. dye test .. no leak found. Whet they found was that.. many cars are coming with low refrigerant from factory...
They said evap core does not seem to be an issue.

did they give you a spoon full of sugar to help that bullshit go down?

 

[usgiorgi]

Update on my car...

My car has been tested for everythin.. vacuum test.. dye test .. no leak found. Whet they found was that.. many cars are coming with low refrigerant from factory...
They said evap core does not seem to be an issue.

The point is that the AC worked at some point. This is a closed loop system. No gas should go in or come out. This means that there's a leak. They're feeding you lies. Find a new dealership because soon, you'll be out of warranty and they'll charge you well over a grand to fix it.

 

[MakStang]

Update on my car...

My car has been tested for everythin.. vacuum test.. dye test .. no leak found. Whet they found was that.. many cars are coming with low refrigerant from factory...
They said evap core does not seem to be an issue.

This is EXACTLY what they told me as well when I first had the problem of the A/C blowing hot air from the driver's side. So they filled it up with refrigerant and three weeks later my A/C stopped blowing cold air completely. When I took the car in again, they told me that my fears were justified and that it was the evaporator that leaked the refrigerant. :tsk:

did they give you a spoon full of sugar to help that bullshit go down?

:lol:

 

[berserker_sid]

This is EXACTLY what they told me as well when I first have the problem of the A/C blowing hot air from the driver's side. So they filled it up with refrigerant. And three weeks later my A/C stopped blowing cold air completely. When I took the car in again, they told me that my fears were justified and that it was the evaporator that leaked the refrigerant. :tsk:



:lol:

the thing is their tech is also not convinced, thats why he is still testing. Just now got call again telling me, that tech says it should not happen and there is some leak for sure... he is doing another test.

 

[QRK]

Mine has been replaced (@24k miles) and 2k miles later I can tell it's starting to fail again.

Occasionally the system will pump out a musty smell on startup for a few minutes, and sometimes my interior just won't cool down all the on my way home from the office (30 minute drive) despite running it at LO and full fan the whole time.

Not very fun when you live in FL.

 

[MakStang]

the thing is their tech is also not convinced, thats why he is still testing. Just now got call again telling me, that tech says it should not happen and there is some leak for sure... he is doing another test.

Yeah, same here. And two months later I am still without a functional A/C at 95-100 degrees ambient temperature... Because the airbox (which includes the evaporator among others) is in backorder. If they had diagnosed the problem when I first took the car in, or if they had consulted other dealerships across Europe or the US, I would now be a happy man inside the cold cabin of my Mustang!

 

[MakStang]

Mine has been replaced (@24k miles) and 2k miles later I can tell it's starting to fail again.

Occasionally the system will pump out a musty smell on startup for a few minutes, and sometimes my interior just won't cool down all the on my way home from the office (30 minute drive) despite running it at LO and full fan the whole time.

Not very fun when you live in FL.

I feel you man. Not in Florida, but the temperature and the humidity where I live are the same.

 

[89Trooper]

the thing is their tech is also not convinced, thats why he is still testing. Just now got call again telling me, that tech says it should not happen and there is some leak for sure... he is doing another test.

They pulled my car in and tested it without even pulling it into a bay. They popped the hood and 20 minutes later they closed it and backed the car out and called me over. "It's the evaporator", they said.

They shouldn't have to do so many tests. I don't want to see you getting jerked around. If they don't tell you it's the evaporator, take it someplace else.

 

[89Trooper]

Good luck - I was worried that I would develop the dreaded rattle from the headlight switch.

I already had that rattle. Maybe mine will go away!

 

[brimstn]

OK, so here's my story.

- 2015 Ecoboost
- 17k mi
- Southeast

My A/C went out last October but since it was starting to cool down, I put it off until this year.

• First visit, 2017-04-04: Diagnosed with low refrigerant, tech recharges and states that they found a leaking schraeder valve. This lasts about two months, A/C goes out again.
• Second visit, 2017-06-14: Diagnosed as 'bad A/C compressor clutch relay', refrigerant charge was fine, replaced relay, system functional. I suspect the clutch wasn't engaging due to the low pressure sensor triggering due to no refrigerant and they charged the system. I can't prove it, though. This lasts about three weeks, A/C goes out again.
• Third visit, 2017-07-12: Finally diagnosed as the evaporator, which they say is on national backorder..."could be two days, could be two months" before they are able to get one. Fine...whatever. They call back on 7/17 and say they got the evaporator in and schedule me for...
• Fourth visit, 2017-07-24: Monday...drop the car off at 9am and am told it will be 'Tuesday or possibly Wednesday' before I hear back from them. Fine, it's a big job. Wednesday rolls around and they call, it'll be Thursday...today...because 'we're really busy'. They call today at 2p and say they've "ran into a snag. There are two waterproof bolts that secure the dash to the cowl that must be replaced. They're on national backorder, but they freed them up and I can overnight them and have them in tomorrow morning to get it put back together."

So that's where I stand...they will have had the car four days tomorrow morning and they're still working on it. I suspect they broke something (trim, clip, tab) or ordered the wrong part in the first place and have been waiting for replacement parts and have been sandbagging me with 'we've been busy' and now this backordered bolt business.

Has anyone else heard of these supposed waterproof bolts? He offered to use the old ones and seal them with silicone, but I told him to order what was necessary to fix it properly.

UPDATE: They called today and said it was ready. If they just got these bolts in today, that means they weren't able to get the dash in until today and they didn't have time to do a proper overnite leak test.

"We got you ready to go. We're gonna fill up your tank (it was 7/8 full when I dropped it off) and give you an oil change since it took so long."
'So since the dash just got put back in today, that means they didn't do pull a vacuum and do a proper overnite leak test on it, right?'
"No, they didn't"
'OK. I need that done. I don't want your oil change and gas, just pull it in a bay and pull a vacuum on the system overnite/weekend to make sure there aren't any leaks. It's a 1h30m round trip up there, I want it to be checked correctly. I can pick it up Monday, I'm in no hurry.'
"OK, we can do that. I'll call you Monday."

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