A/C Evaporator Factory Defect

[Asharus]

They're probably good at swapping those out by now.

Sponsored

 

[Eric R]

I would agree. It was weeks the first time and two full days this time. They joked if they do it a third time it will be faster .

 

[Dkar26]

I've been through this whole thread but haven't read if there's an actual TSB for this problem. So, is there a TSB that we can print up and show to the service managers?

 

[robrichtx]

The 6 hour figure (according to what the tech told me) is what Ford reimburses the dealer for the procedure. I wouldn't get hung up on hours - what it really comes out to is money. If the dealership is charging Ford retail labor rates, Ford will ask for a discount (probably more than 50%). Rather than create a different rate, they probably agree on a figure - say 600.00. So... 6 hours, 100.00/hr, 600.00 total. This is a guess, but it makes sense, based on what I see in my industry.

Regarding the question above on TSBs - no TSB I am aware of. The tech I spoke to said that if a TSB is issued for the evaporator core issue, the amount of money Ford gives the dealership to perform the service will go even lower.

None of the above really concerns me. All I care about is getting my car fixed. Permanently.

 

[Asharus]

Good luck on that permanent fix. This has been an issue for ford for a long time now. Not just the S550. Search for S197 evaporator. They still haven't fixed it.

 

[89Trooper]

Any Central Florida dealerships that anybody can recommend?

I just called Kisselback Ford in Saint Cloud and they are "unaware of any known issues" with evaporator cores. He mentioned that many come in for blend-door issues, but he did admit that that probably was not the issue when I mentioned that the temperature of the air blowing is dependent on the outside ambient air. They have changed some evaporator cores (he said at least a 2-day job after the part arrives), but I was hoping to hear that they were more aware of the issue, know exactly what to do, have cores in stock, blah, blah, blah.

I'll keep adding here with other dealerships that I call and what I'm told.

In the meantime... any recommendations in Kissimmee, Davenport, Orlando?

 

[rfcs550]

Like I said I'm going thru a third evaporator in my 16 GT350 with 7000 miles.

So, my goal of finding a "permanent" solution short of selling the car has been frustrating.

I'm trying to find out if my S code evaporator is the latest model or if there's a new replacement part number. I speculate that not all S550's have the same evap model because of dual a/c controls.

Some online part stores have the S model on stock as an OEM replacement for many earlier versions. Can't find any other subsequent or new evap models for the GT350.

 

[GT Pony]

Ford might get the evaporator design down good after 38 revisions. It's almost ridiculous at this point. :frusty:

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Ford might get the evaporator design down good after 38 revisions. It's almost ridiculous at this point. :frusty:

Has anyone with an engineering background looked at a bad one taken from their car to see what the root issue is?

 

[DontKnowMe]

Has anyone with an engineering background looked at a bad one taken from their car to see what the root issue is?

I haven't seen one myself, but with all of these different part revisions out there I would think the problem hasn't been traced to a single source. So I think the root cause is a poor/cheap design.

https://www.tascaparts.com/oe-ford/...MItv-xt-KE1QIVa7XtCh0vTAogEAQYASABEgIsS_D_BwE

This is the best picture of one that I found so far.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I haven't seen one myself, but with all of these different part revisions out there I would think the problem hasn't been traced to a single source. So I think the root cause is a poor/cheap design.

https://www.tascaparts.com/oe-ford/...MItv-xt-KE1QIVa7XtCh0vTAogEAQYASABEgIsS_D_BwE

This is the best picture of one that I found so far.

Thanks. Looks like it would have to be disassembled to see the actual failure point.

 

[GT Pony]

Looks like it would have to be disassembled to see the actual failure point.

Couldn't find a photo of an S550 AC evaporator, but it would look similar to this on from an older Mustang.

My bet is the welds crack and start leaking over time from all the thermal cycling. Automotive AC design shouldn't be rocket science these days since it's been around forever. And the fact that there's been multiple revised evaporators make it look like the 3 Stooges are working in the AC organization.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Couldn't find a photo of an S550 AC evaporator, but it would look similar to this on from an older Mustang.

My bet is the welds crack and start leaking over time from all the thermal cycling. Automotive AC design shouldn't be rocket science these days since it's been around forever. And the fact that there's been multiple revised evaporators make it look like the 3 Stooges are working in the AC organization.

Have to agree with that. I can understand how a flaw can get thru to production but its unbelievable how it takes multiple tries to fix it!

 

[Mark52479]

They're probably good at swapping those out by now.

When I had mine done last week the tech said he did 3 in just one week. So they are probably getting pretty good at it. Especially if you live in populated area with a big dealership and service department.

 

[chriswolf63]

Couldn't find a photo of an S550 AC evaporator, but it would look similar to this on from an older Mustang.

My bet is the welds crack and start leaking over time from all the thermal cycling. Automotive AC design shouldn't be rocket science these days since it's been around forever. And the fact that there's been multiple revised evaporators make it look like the 3 Stooges are working in the AC organization.

Here's a video of a S197 evap core removal. They disassemble the box. The S550 is basically the same.

Sponsored