Increase A/C performance

thanks for saving me a few bucks!

 

thanks for the heads up!

 

Any of those products that claim to make your a/c colder by adding it to the system are bullshit. The best thing for your a/c is to be properly charged and have a clean filter.

 

Just tint the windows, you can do a 90% ceramic tint on the windshield and it will help then some over the factory tint. Then add heat insulation inside the cab, it'll help with basic heat reduction. The AC should be cold, you may have to discharge vacuum and then recharge the system or something is jacked up.

 

That "AC PRO", and similar products just clog up your system. I've had to replace and flush mine 2x because the previous owner used that crap....and the system STILL only gets the cab to about 75-80 when the Temps are in the 90-100 range.

 

That sucks man, sorry to hear!....my A/C works fine so there's no need for me to do anything.....but my truck is at 33,000 miles and was wondering if I need to do any "maintenance" to the A/C system?!…..I just did the 30,000 mile service and changed EVERY fluid and went with everything synthetic because I want my truck to last forever

 

What I've heard of people doing for an auxiliary "boost" of cooling, maybe to start cooling the cab quicker after it's been parked or on particularly hot days, is getting an aftermarket universal windshield washer kit. Install it so the nozzles spray in front of and onto the condenser and then activate the spray every once in a while as needed. Haven't needed to do it myself. Both my 2nd Gen Tacomas had adequate AC and my F250 blows like an Arctic wind.

 

I had this one in here the other day. Had 34 degree air after an evap core replacement. Ambient temp was around 93 degrees

 

^How have you done this.....what is this sorcery?

 

I gots mad ac skillz!!!!

 

Don't overlook the fan clutch. Not sure how many miles you have on your truck. A good AC shop will ensure the fan clutch is engaging properly.

Ensure your fan shroud is nice and tight..., no holes etc. Also ensure the AC condenser (The radiator looking thing you see when looking through the grill) is not plugged with bugs and junk. Without too much water/air pressure, try to flush out bugs, dirt, leaves etc. You want to maximize airflow across your condenser to ensure optimal AC performance. The Condenser has the job of cooling the compressed gasses from the compressor. The more effective the condenser is at cooling the "hot" gas, the more efficient the AC performance will be. The pusher fan mentioned above forces more air across the condenser (at idle) which cool's the hot gas faster.

When I flushed my coolant 6 months ago, I pulled the radiator out and douched the condenser from the back side towards the front of the truck. A lot of junk, dust/dirt came out of mine. Likewise - if you go this far... ensure the fins on your radiator are nice clean and open to all maximum airflow.

Good luck staying cool! If you were closer I'd help. (im in hawaii). I have gauges, vacuum, recovery tank, UV die etc... and could assist to help save some cash.

 

That and Fords generally have a reputation for being rolling refrigerators. Even when it's 105 out, once the cavernous cab of my truck cools down, I run the fan on the # 2 setting or else it will freeze me out.

 

Except the fords that have those stupid scroll compressors. Those things always blow warmer at idle compared to one with a non scroll type compressor

 

Has the truck ever had any work done?

There are a few possibilities for why your AC is not as cold as it should be. Ideally you should have AC temps in the 40s.

1. If you are noticing changing between moving vs. sitting, you will want to look at your fan and/or condenser. The condenser is what is responsible for dispelling hot air from the expanding gas in your AC system. If the fan is not working properly and/or the condenser OR your radiator has debris/dirt/bugs/grass between the fins, then either replace the fan clutch or clean the condenser and radiator fins with a water hose/compressed air/AC cleaner like this (https://www.homedepot.com/p/AC-Safe...206740351?irgwc=1&cm_mmc=afl-ir-10078-456723-). Here is a video on how to check your fan clutch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzhlACxqeqQ&t=88s

2. If you are noticing consistently warmer air or air in all circumstances is not as cool as it should be (say, temps in the 50s or higher) then you have a few possible issues.
If you have had work done on the AC system at any point, then there is a possibility that an unqualified or uninformed technician put too much oil into the system. AC systems need a near-scientific level of oil in the system, with only a few CCs of room for error. If you have too much oil in the system, the gases inside will not be able to properly expand and compress (liquids don't compress!). So if you have ever had work done, this is a possibility.
If you have never had AC work done, you are looking at the possibility of a leak in the system. The only way to tell would be to take to a qualified AC shop and have them read the pressures, as well as use a "sniffer" or UV detector to indicate if/where there is a leak.

3. If you are noticing fluctuations in temperature while driving at a set speed, then you could have either a. low freon charge, or b. a faulty expansion valve. The expansion valve serves as a port where gasses are taken from compressed air to expanded air. This process is how your AC works. If it's not working properly then it may be struggling to do its job. A pressure test will indicate a faulty expansion valve. Not sure about 2nd gens, but on 1st gens they are located behind the evaporator box. This involves removing some interior components, full removal of the evap box/ evap, and replacing the expansion valve. If this is the case, then the evap should be thoroughly cleaned or possibly even replaced while it is out of the truck, as cleaning it on the truck is much more difficult, less thorough and involves use of the foam I linked above.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Ok guys, here is an update.

So the folks at LexTechs were very honest and simply told me that after testing the temps using these gauges they put on the vents. They claimed that it was reaching "factory" levels and that they didn't feel right charging me to vacuum and recharge it as they felt it would not help.

At least they wher honest.

So at this point I'm looking into adding an auxiliary fan to the condenser and also the ceramic tint.

Anyone have any suggestions for the fan? Or a wirew up of how to install one?

 

I tested the fan more today and it actually doesn’t help much. It was hotter the other day and it really was only a couple degrees difference. I wish it could have been more.

 

Good to know there are still honest people out there. Just a few ideas I don't think got mentioned, get some kind of sun shade for the winshield, if possible leave the windows cracked a bit to let the heat out when you first start up so the A/C doesn't have to work as hard to cool you off. Ceramic tint is a nice upgrade if you can afford it, not too mention you don't have to go as dark for the same benefits. Good luck to you.

 

What were the vent temps ?

 

They said it was in the 40s.

Was that moving or parked? I heard that it helps the system cool down faster and perform better when stopped but doesn't do much when you are moving as the air is already flowing.

 

40's? Low or high?

There have been many reports low refrigerent charges right from the factory.