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1997 - 2003 Ford F150 General discussion on the Ford 1997 - 2003 F150 truck.

Help with 03 AC problem

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Old Aug 8, 2019 | 10:02 AM
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The symptoms are of a compressor clutch that's going intermittent, it's not a blend door issue. Blend door issues manifest as a "loss of control" of temperature, especially noticeable by WILD swings in outlet air temperature particularly when accelerating or decelerating. Simple "loss of refrigeration" is usually caused by the compressor clutch not engaging when it is supposed to.

Check your compressor clutch gap first. Excessive gap will cause the compressor to engage intermittently (if at all) and becomes more noticeable after the components heat up from operation.

Recommended gap is .014 -.030". Usually, an excessive gap can be resolved for a while by simply removing one of the shims behind the clutch hub aka a "shimectomy".

Next time it fails to cool, pull over, pop the hood and visually check the clutch hub to see if it's engaged or not. If not, tap the face of the hub (stick, dowel rod, screwdriver handle, whatever) and see if that causes the clutch to snap in. If it does, diagnosis of excessive clutch gap is confirmed.

I heard a knocking/putting sound from the engine bay. When I got home I noticed the sound changed when I turned the air on and off, basically engaging and disengaging the ac compressor. I then noticed the clutch/pulley assembly was wobbling a bit. I pulled the belt off and discovered the compressor pulley had a bunch of play in it and needed replacing.
This is an example of a much more severe condition due to bearing failure in the pulley. It often results from having the clutch hub disintegrate and "wobble" as it tries to continue operating. Failure to address a bad hub and pulley bearing can lead to a collapsed bearing, a locked up engine, and a ride home on the AAA flatbed (don't ask how i learned that!). Remove belt and manually check pulley to diagnose if it appears locked up.

Last edited by ProjectSHO89; Aug 8, 2019 at 10:06 AM.
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