A/C Problems - 2017+ Super Duty

Keith Browning · June 15, 2020

So what are you all seeing with A/C problems with the new gen trucks? Most of the time one rolls in with the A/C blowing warm, fully charged and the pressures stuck high. Discharge and recharge to unstick the TXV and they cool. Inspecting the TXV and you find nothing - no evidence of debris from a failing compressor or desiccant bag... and I am not buying the EVAP temp sensor theory unless its giving an erratic voltage. Replacing the TXV has not proven to be 100% fix either. I understand a bulletin is forth-coming...

8WA Sman · June 18, 2020

If it was in my bay I would test with a refrigerant identifier.

cbriggs · June 28, 2020

I've sold 3 compressors on these in a week. First one had a clutch coil open circuit, but compressor was very rough to turn. Tore compressor apart once removed, and it was starting to eat itself apart. Since then i've had one completely seized and one extremely noisy. Compressors are now on national backorder, just in time for summer.

forddieseldoctor · October 8, 2020

On 6/15/2020 at 7:23 AM, Keith Browning said:

So what are you all seeing with A/C problems with the new gen trucks? Most of the time one rolls in with the A/C blowing warm, fully charged and the pressures stuck high. Discharge and recharge to unstick the TXV and they cool. Inspecting the TXV and you find nothing - no evidence of debris from a failing compressor or desiccant bag... and I am not buying the EVAP temp sensor theory unless its giving an erratic voltage. Replacing the TXV has not proven to be 100% fix either. I understand a bulletin is forth-coming...

Umm... We had one this morning. The question I have is if the TTX valve was stuck wouldn't the low side be very low? Not pegged high with the high side? I think it's more along the lines of the 2012ish escapes where it needs a receiver dryer. That's what I told the tech working on it to put in it. After he recovered the system our a/c machine kept purging air. When he tried to recharge the system the machine purged air for almost 5 minutes before it would charge the truck. Which in my mind doesn't say stuck valve. Anyone have any other thoughts?

Keith Browning · October 17, 2020

The low side absolutely CAN be very high - usually a bad compressor would be my first thought but in this scenario it was likely nothing more that the high side over pressurizing and condenser not cooling because the refrigerant was not moving AND the fact that the truck was sitting in a hot service bay idling with inadequate airflow though the cooing stack. Trust me I thought it was odd myself but that is the only explanation I could come up with. If my memory serves me right I was quite surprised at how quickly the system pressure built up. and seemed to continue after the PCM shut the compressor off. Once the THX was working the system was functioning correctly. Also, if you check the symptom charts in the WSM you will find two or three conditions where the low side will be high.

forddieseldoctor · October 25, 2020

Since the service ports are on both either side of the ttx valve. If the ttx valve was stuck shut aka not letting anything through the high side should be way high, and the low side should be way low. If the valve was stuck open aka letting everything through the high side would be lower than normal and the low side should be higher than normal BUT NOT 300 psi high.

The stuck ttx valve theory does not explain for both of the pressures to reach the 300 psi plus mark.

Keith Browning · October 28, 2020

Whatever dude. I know what I saw and I know what corrected it. The condition was strange I admit, and the reason for this post. Don't know what to tell ya. I wish it made sense.

jw33 · October 29, 2020

Last f150 i fixed needed a evaporator case to fix , compressor and expansion valve were replaced on previous visit and did not fix. Since case replacement no problems at all , I wish Ford was more forthcoming on information about the problem.

forddieseldoctor · October 29, 2020

16 hours ago, Keith Browning said:

Whatever dude. I know what I saw and I know what corrected it. The condition was strange I admit, and the reason for this post. Don't know what to tell ya. I wish it made sense.

Pumping the system out and refilling it seems to fix it for a short period of time. The one we had here the guy runs all over the country and he went down south with it after we evacuated and recharged it before we put the receiver drier in it. He said it worked perfectly for the 2 weeks he was gone.

I’m not trying to irritate anyone. I’m only trying to help figure out what the actual issue is so that we can all fix vehicles more efficiently and effectively. (I have used information from this site to help diagnose and fix more than a few vehicles over the years.) I’m sorry but the stuck ttx valve theory doesn’t make sense to me.

And it seems to be more than just the new body style superdutys that have this issue. I’ve seen very similar issues on 13ish f150’s and the 2010ish escapes. The escapes there is a tsb that says the receiver drier. We have pumped several of them down and refilled them. They will be fine for about 1 season and then come back with the same thing whereas the ones that get a receiver drier never come back.