AC Evaporator Replacement (Motorcraft vs Aftermarket)

[Ecto1]

The Evaporator in my '15 Ecoboob finally started leaking. I'll have to have it replaced. Since I'm the 3rd owner of the car I have no idea how many times it may have been replaced in the past.

It appears that Ford has either changed the design or changed the suppliers for the OEM part but it's not obvious that the "newer" Motorcraft part is any more reliable than the originals. Does anyone have any experience with the "newer" Evaporator? Any experience with aftermarket Evaporators? I've found a few with "Limited Lifetime Warranties" from a few sources. Since the Motorcraft parts only have 2 year waranties I'm leaning towards one of the Aftermarket sources.

Any advice welcome.

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[Rod Schneider]

I replaced the evaporator in my 2016 in early 2020, with about 35,000 miles on the car, about 3.5 years after I purchased it new. I installed the latest factory upgrade at that time, and it has been working perfectly for 4 years and an additional 50,000 miles. The cost at that time was around $180 for the evaporator from Ford, along with a few "one time use" bolts. I'd use original Ford parts again if I had to repeat the repair.

 

[Mike Pfeifer]

That aftermarket part might be lifetime warranty, but probably doesn’t cover the labor. Also, if it’s like some other aftermarket parts I’ve used on cars in the past, sure it’s lifetime, but you may have to use that warranty several times. How many times do you want the dash pulled?

 

[Ecto1]

That aftermarket part might be lifetime warranty, but probably doesn’t cover the labor. Also, if it’s like some other aftermarket parts I’ve used on cars in the past, sure it’s lifetime, but you may have to use that warranty several times. How many times do you want the dash pulled?

Correct, the warranties don't cover labor. The goal here is NOT to pull the Dash after replacing this Evap Core for as long as I keep the car. Probably 5ish years. It's not clear that the "new" Motorcraft Evap Core is any improvement over the one I have to replace now.

My experience with Aftermarket parts has been very good. But I don't purchase the cheapest parts I can find. I shop around for the best parts I can find. The parts costs are insignificant compared to the labor. Whether I do the work myself or if I have to have to have someone else do the work.

I'm trying to find out if the "newer" Motorcraft Evap core has solved the original design flaws that cause it to fail prematurely. The last thing I want to do is have to replace the core again while I own the car. Especially since I'll have to do it or pay to have it done. Again.

Thanks.

 

[Ecto1]

I found a comparison with an aftermarket core for the F150. See post #60 in this thread...

https://www.f150forum.com/f12/ac-cool-evaporator-leak-replacement-detailed-358802/index6/

The post makes a reference to differences between the units but I don't understand the comment. I'd appreciate advice from anyone with experience with these cores. Can you tell just from examining the images in the thread above if one would be more reliable than the other?

Thanks

 

[Cobra Jet]

If you have not seen this thread already, definitely go through it - the OP also answers questions too since they already went through the entire process of replacing the core…

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/a-c-evaporator-replaced-due-to-leak.136187/

The “Ford” part really isn’t manufactured by Ford - it too is “aftermarket”, it’s just a contracted vendor/supplier who won the contract bid to supply the cores to Ford. That vendor also could be one of the “aftermarket” cores available from XYZ parts stores or online parts suppliers. The “Ford” core has gone through several revisions since 2015 due to all of the reported and known failures.

So a “Ford” core is just as susceptible to failing as an “aftermarket”…. When they will fail, it’s anyone’s guess because quality control and longevity of parts today sucks when compared to 10, 20 or even 30 years ago.

Def read that thread though…

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