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2008 E350 Passenger Van AC Issue

4K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  CatSkinner 
#1 ·
I bought a used 2008 Ford E 350 5.4L about 6 months ago and after the weather got hotter here in the southern Arizona desert I wasn't happy with how the AC was performing. I brought it in to my Ford Mechanic(now has a private biz on his own property) and he determined that it has a small leak in the condenser(which he showed me)- he evacuated the system, checked the compressor, pressure tested the system and it held the same pressure overnight indicating no further leaks and the recharged the system to poundage specs. Now that I have it back it certainly is performing better...most times I only use the front AC system-it blows cold as you are traveling but as soon as you stop for a red light the AC vent temp quickly rises from about 50 degrees to 60 or 65....now granted, the outside temp is 110....but I also have a 2005 E350 cargo van 5.4L which has a front AC system only....when you start it up and flip on the AC it starts to blow cold almost immediately and blows colder than the passenger van when it is the same temp outside....on the 2005, the AC vent discharge temp also does change and warm up as quickly(indicated by a vent thermometer) when you stop for a red light....

My mechanic told me that with front and rear AC systems there is a slight compromise in performance, but most times I don't even turn the rear system on- I am confident in my mechanics abilities and I do believe there are no system leaks but there is a noticeable performance difference between the 2 vehicles with their AC's I am not sure this newer van's AC is working optimally, even though the outside temp is 100+ degrees....and I am not sure that I am satisfied with not pursuing this further to try and get this newer 2008 AC system to perform "At Least" as well as my older 2005 E350. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could further pursue this dilemma to find out if I can improve this 2008 AC temp further. I live in such a hot climate and transport animals with this vehicle so it is pretty important that the AC functions well. Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
"My mechanic told me that with front and rear AC systems there is a slight compromise in performance, but most times I don't even turn the rear system on"

The compromise is probably made whether rear system is on or not.
Do the front vents blow less cold when rear system on ?

100+ outside with 50-60 at the vents, probably not much room for improvement.

Did mechanic repair the small leak in condenser?
If not refrigerate charge will leak out over time, however it may get you thru this summer.
Keep and eye on the vent temp if it increases then may be do to loss of refrigerant.
 
#3 ·
Thank you cj1 for the reply- I tried to edit my initial post for more clarity but I am not sure admin will approve the update-

Yes, I had a new condenser installed, then the system was pressure checked for leaks....none found...refrigerant recharge to poundage specs....as I said the AC on the 2008 E350 XL dual air passenger van(65000 miles) now works much better but it still takes longer to get cool when you first start up the van....and the temp warms quickly when stopped at a red light..when compared to my 2005 E350 XLT cargo van(105000 miles).

My main gripe is that both vehicles are virtually the same, except the passenger model has front and rear air(which I rarely use the rear)....I was just hoping that I could get the 2008 to operate as efficiently as the 2005.....now through your feedback it sounds like since the 2008 is a dual system(even though I don't often use the rear) I will be making a compromise on performance.

As I stated, the 2008 takes longer to cool down when started and will go from 50(while driving) degrees to 60 degrees vent temp when stopped for a red light and the 2005 cools off pretty quick when started and runs between 45 and 50 while driving and will only go up to about 52 degrees when stopped for a red light on days that are equally as hot.

With the new condenser and system check and recharge to refrigerant poundage specs I feel confident that part of the system is ok....I was just hoping there might be another fix that could help this 2008 dual AC system perform better....

Thank you for your input
 
#4 ·
Has anyone checked the thermal clutch on the radiator fan? My 1994 Clubwagon had a worn out clutch and stop lights were good for a moderate rise on the temp gauge. Once replaced, leaving a stop light I sounded like a 747 spooling up until adequate air flow allowed it to free wheel. :driver:
 
#5 ·
/\ I was thinking the same, but I dont know if those vans have a mechanical fan or a seperate condenser fan. There could still be debris blocking the radiator. I would clean the radiator and check the ac head pressure again?

Now when you say it was pressurized to check for leaks do you mean it was put on a vacuum? Im not an ac guru but I didnt think it was pressurized because it can introduce condensation into the ac lines. Even if it was pressurized with refrigerant when checking for leaks it still needed to be evacuated and held at a vacuum for at least half an hour before refrigerant can be added.

And like stated above your temps are not bad. 40-50 degrees below ambient temp are about as good as it gets with an ac system. And another thing that can affect temps greatly is the quantity of refrigerant in the system. Theyre quite finicky about the amount. Both under and overpressurized systems will not give you good results.
 
#7 ·
Yes- it was put on a vacuum....and it held the pressure overnight after the new condenser was installed....then it was charged with refrigerant according to the poundage specs for that vehicle- this vehicle had been meticulously maintained and garaged....so it was pretty spotless...even the engine was spotless, so the radiator looked brand new, not clogged or dirty at all....if you are saying that 40-50 degrees below ambient temp is normal....then I guess it is operating within normal ranges....this 2008 with dual air just doesn't seem to be as efficient as my 2005 with front air only....a little disappointing...on another note, I have seen on youtube where a few individuals suggest using pipe insulation and zip ties in those little exposed refrigerant lines for better AC performance....anybody have any thoughts or experience with this idea?
 
#9 ·
Also wanted to mention....the actual temp gauge for the 2008 van itself never moves....it stays well within normal operating range....it is only the temperature of AC air that is discharged from the vents....I have a thermometer in the middle vents and can see an increase in temp when stopped at a red light(from 50 to 60 or 65 on 110 degree days)....and notice that it takes a little longer to blow cool when this vehicle is first started up( as opposed to my 2005)
Just wanted to clarify...
 
#11 ·
OK....I do have a smoke grey velour dashmat on this 2008 E350.....I can use the front and rear air together and it seems the same....once I'm going on the highway it gets pretty cold....it will blow 42 degrees after a while....but as soon as you stop or slow down the temp creeps up to 60.....the actual vehicle temp gauge never changes....but the thermometer in the middle vent shows a pretty quick increase in AC vent discharge temp....and if you start this vehicle up in town nd it is hot and are in stop and go city traffic it struggles to even blow 60 degrees(usually a little higher)...it is 107 here in Tucson toady....I would normally shut up because of what has been mentioned about ambient temperature and that 40 or 50degrees cooler is normal....but I have 2 other fords...a 2005 E350....and a 2002 F350.....and although they all blow similar temps on the open highway, I just can't figure out why this 2008 E350 would have such a big temp increase at red lights and city driving....the other 2 fords will always blow no higher than 55 degrees in town, stop and go traffic ect.(I have dash mats on those vehicles also)

Thanks so much for helping me try and figure things out....any thoughts?
 
#12 ·
I have been reading on different forums about the Fan Clutch....and what happens if it is not functioning right....I did read one persons post:

"The fan does engage correctly when the engine temp reaches 210 but not below 210. So the motor never overheats but the A/C condenser is. "

I was wondering if this might apply to me.....this vehicle is such a creampuff with only 64,000 miles so I would find it hard to believe....would this above issue cause the condenser to rupture causing the refrigerant to leak out...I was just at the mechanic last week and had the original condenser changed out because of 2 small leaks....
 
#15 ·
It definitely sounds condenser related to me. Usually if the condenser is getting hotter than usual it will raise temps when stopped but your temps will lower at speed. This happened on my dads ram when his condenser fan failed.
 
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