All,
First post so please excuse stupid questions, etc. I have a 2012 Platinum F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost motor. For about three months now, my A/C has been intermittent. By that I mean it might work fine (ice cold) for a couple of hours and then, for no apparent reason, the compressor will stop running and the output air will not be cold. If I keep driving, it may come back on after a while, or it may not. I am fairly mechanically inclined, so I always try and fix things myself before surrendering and taking it to a shop. I first added some refrigerant (it was reading about 20-21 before and about 35 after adding), but the output air has always been satisfactory WHEN THE COMPRESSOR IS RUNNING. Then I replaced the A/C Clutch Relay and checked the fuse (forget which one). These didn't work. I inspected the air gap on the clutch and it looked okay to me, just eyeballing it. Along the way I have figured out how to jump the relay to make the clutch engage and run the compressor. This has been useful for adding the refrigerant and for troubleshooting the system. I also replaced the low side pressure cycling switch. None of these has fixed the problem. I talked to a guy on the phone from my local shop and he said that if the clutch stops working when it's been running and gets hot, that maybe the magnets are wearing out and it's a bad clutch. So today as I was driving, the A/C again stopped working after about 30 minutes. I pulled over and immediately jumpered the relay and the compressor kicked right on and ran fine. So I think the clutch is good and the compressor seems to be doing its job as well. Somehow, the clutch is getting a signal telling it to stop running. I am open to any and all ideas here from any of you that may know a lot more than I do or have had a similar experience. Is there another pressure switch (I think I read that somewhere) on the high side that could be causing it to stop running? If so, is it easily accessible? When I say that I am mechanically inclined, it really means that I know enough to be dangerous. My days of major auto repairs have passed. Please fire away with suggestions and ideas, thanks in advance and sorry if my post is rambling...

 

Thanks for you post. My 2021 is doing the same thing. Fan speed is constant and after a while warmer air is ejected and it doesn't really keep the cabin cool. I can't get into it like yourself and the Ford dealer wants the truck for 3-4 days so they can replicate the problem. I know what that means, "didn't happen for us, but we could try.... " which translate to OPEN YOUR WALLET.

DId you solve your problem and how? Hope you see this post.

 

Hi Mark, I ended up going to my local repair shop and they replaced the entire AC-Heater Evaporator box assembly (~$2300). It seemed to work fine, but eventually it started being intermittent again. No problems during the cooler seasons, but when the temp/humidity started to rise this late spring, the problem arose again. The shop says bring it by when it's acting up and they will investigate. I haven't yet been back there as it seems to correct itself and start working again fairly quickly. I'm thinking it must have something to do with a temperature or humidity sensor somewhere else that is giving that info to the PCM which in turn is telling the A/C compressor to stop running. Frustrating, to say the least. I will post again if I can get a REAL solution to this problem. Sorry I can't be of more help, good luck.

 

I have an appointment at a local repair shop on Friday and am going to show them these posts. We are in the midst of a a RV vacation and am getting into some hot areas. When the air quits the temp at the ceiling soars and I get one hot head, literally and figuratively. I guess nothing changed with your situation?

 

Hi there! I can look into your F-150’s AC concern on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your F-150’s VIN?

 

Hey Mark, I think (I hope) I've solved my problem, and the solution may or not make sense (I don't care if it does, lol). So, at the same time that I was having these problems with the compressor not turning on, I ALSO was intermittently getting a Check Engine with code P0111 and a couple other related codes. Something about turbo-inlet temp/pressure sensor (you can look it up). Anyway, I ended up changing the sensor and the connector/harness (I will enclose YouTube link). That was over a month ago and it appears to have solved both the Check Engine AND the intermittent A/C problem (I didn't want to comment until a reasonable amount of time had passed). I told this to my local shop and they said it shouldn't have any effect on A/C, but I'm telling you, IT WORKED. Temps here in Atlanta are hot and muggy, so I'm glad to have it working. The harness comes with some splices, but I used some that I got at Home Depot where you crimp, then heat the rubber shield so it wraps around the splice. Neither the sensor nor the connector/harness piece are very expensive. Good luck, I hope this may have helped you...

 

Personal message sent to Ford.
@Casanorte3135 Thanks for the udpdate. I am taking the truck in tomorrow to a local repair shop and not the dealer. Hopefully they will be open to reading this information. Losing the AC while traveling and towing is just one more of those stressors I don't need during those circumstances. Fingers crossed.

 

Today I took it in to a local repair shop in Emmett ID. I was impressed they did not want to replace anything just to see if that worked. High and low psi were fine, the AC worked fine and there were no codes from the car. He said there is a Ford TSB about this problem and the next thing to do is to see if the evaporating is freezing and that would lead to some sensor work. Bad part about this is our travels are scheduled to begin again and I will need to go to another shop with the same story since I am not in my hometown.

I trust this guy more that the Ford dealer who wanted if for three days vs. the local guy who had it for three hours and formulated a plan with me to find the issue.