Lightning LA

It's finally Hot enough here to really crank up the A/C,and up until now it seemed to be fine.But it was extra Hot a couple days ago,and regular A/C wasn't cutting it so I turned it up to Max.And I noticed there wasn't any change in the Blower Speed from regular A/C & Max A/C,on my other Vehicles you can hear the speed of the Blower get faster when you go to Max.And when it wasn't that Hot the A/C seemed to be cooling pretty good,but when it was really Hot it definitely wasn't as Cool as it should be.I really noticed the difference when I was in my Lightning,and the A/C is Super Cold in it so I know it needs help.I'm not sure if it's ever been serviced,but the Truck only has 47,??? miles on it.I'm guessing since it's a 1995 it just needs a shot of new Coolant to get it back to Ice Cold,so I'm going to take it to have it recharged.I figure that will cure the Cold issue,but the Max issue I'm not sure about.Any Ideas??

Rusty but trusty

If it's not blowing cold enough... Yes, it needs a shot of freon. The "max ac" issue (if it's an issue) I cannot help on. My 92 Is R12 and will never have working ac, not worth the R134a upgrade time/money, so I can't tell ya what it should do.

Warlockk

Just to make sure we get accurate information on the " right way" to do things ill put out there again that its not correct to " add refrigerant". The proper way is to evacuate the system, create a vacuum to remove any water or air. Then refill the system replenish the oil. This is the correct way to get the best function and prevent compressor failure. Having said that if you have an old a/c and just want it doms again for a season or 2 then you can add refrigerant from a can, it will just reduce the life of the system and not be as good as possible.
As for the max setting in most vehicles and basically all fords max setting closes the fresh air intake and switches it to recycle. That means it is picking up air from under the dash in the cab. The idea is that it is easier to keep the already cooled air cold. The reason it sounds louder is because you now hear the intake sucking as well as the output bowing out the vents. The fan on this model doesn't actually go any faster. So you can imagine that if the system isn't cooling, the max setting won't be much help. Another interesting fun fact, the air will actually be colder at a power fan speed. This is because it moves more slowly over the evaporator giving it more time to get cold. So once you cool down the interior it works better to turn down the fan speed.

Lightning LA

Well since I want my A/C to stay working for as long as possible I definitely want to do it the right way,and I'm guessing taking it to a Mechanic that knows how to service A/C's they will be able to do everything just like you said.About how much will I be looking at price wise to get it back up to Ice Cold? Right know it might be O.K for some People but I'm Hot Blooded (HAHA) so I need my A/C to be as Cold as Possible.And in my looking at issues with these A/C's I've heard Guys like Rusty talking about having R12 Systems,and needing to upgrade to R134A.I read that any Ford built in 1995 or after already has the R1234A,is that true?

fltdriver

My 94 has factory r134a, 93's have r12, don't know if all 93's are r12 or if all 94's are r134a but that seems to be the switching time for the F-series.

Warlockk

I'm not sure the year they switched to 134a. You can tell by the service ports. If they have Schrader valves like a tire you have R12. The R134a uses fitting that look like air lines and have red and blue caps. A change over isn't a big deal. You don't have to change all the o rings and lines as long as they are in good shape. If everything is good a shop can do a drain and recharge for around $75. A little more for changing over. If there is something broken and your pretty handy I would replace the part myself and then take it back in. For environmental responsibility and legal sake I'll point out that its illegal to release refrigerant into the atmosphere. R12 damages the ozone layer, that's why we don't use it anymore. You can probably have a shop drain and recycle it then do the repair and come back for the charge up. I know I wouldn't charge extra for that. Shop around and find some quotes. Let us know what you come up with. Its not a hard job its just about tools. An a/c shop has a cool machine (I wish I could afford) that tests the refrigerant in the system, drains it, pressure tests it, draws a vacuum, replaces the oil then adds the correct amount of refrigerant all with just a few buttons. It is way easier than the old manual way.

Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

You don't have to change the o-rings, but it won't hurt since you will have it open.

Crownman

If there's an obvious leak then fix it. Otherwise just have it evacuated, vacuumed, and refilled. Then see how you like it and watch for any leaks. That's what I would tell you if you brought the truck to me to fix.

Lightning LA

I don't think I have any Leaks,it just seemed like the A/C should be a little colder.Heck maybe it's just me,like I said I'm a Very Hot Blooded Person so it might be perfect for some people.But I'm going to take it in to see if it needs a recharge...And the other thing I was also wondering about was the Max A/C because I couldn't tell any difference in Regular A/C & Max...

Crownman

On regular A/C the system is pulling air from the outside. On Max A/C it moves an airflow door and then pulls air from inside the vehicle (the same thing as turning on the recirc button in a newer vehicle) So usually the air will be cooler on Max A/C but it can take a few minutes to really get colder.