2004 F-150 Heritage AC
Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
He was going to use this in his 2004 but he sold that truck so he still got the stuff. It’s all brand new.
Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
I took a little time to look at the truck today. Just for my own curiosity:
I removed the two caps from both ports and depressed one of the schrader valves and got absolutely nothing.
I pulled a vacuum for 45 minutes. It went to just below 30 in a matter of one minute. What does that tell you?
Within 3.5 hours it had gotten to 20.
I’m going to have to find out how to locate the condensate drain and see if there is anything I can see from there.
I also think there may be an issue with the blend door.
I do have a FOUR UNCLES AC Flush Kit and flush fluid that I used on an 86 Corvette conversion that I got a lot of help from this forum a couple of years ago.
Just out of curiosity, I think I am going to get that OT out to see what I might be looking at.
I removed the two caps from both ports and depressed one of the schrader valves and got absolutely nothing.
I pulled a vacuum for 45 minutes. It went to just below 30 in a matter of one minute. What does that tell you?
Within 3.5 hours it had gotten to 20.
I’m going to have to find out how to locate the condensate drain and see if there is anything I can see from there.
I also think there may be an issue with the blend door.
I do have a FOUR UNCLES AC Flush Kit and flush fluid that I used on an 86 Corvette conversion that I got a lot of help from this forum a couple of years ago.
Just out of curiosity, I think I am going to get that OT out to see what I might be looking at.
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JohnHere
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Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
The system has a leak...somewhere. It fails to hold both vacuum and pressure.kenlou wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 5:25 pm I removed the two caps from both ports and depressed one of the schrader valves and got absolutely nothing.
I pulled a vacuum for 45 minutes. It went to just below 30 in a matter of one minute. What does that tell you?
Within 3.5 hours it had gotten to 20.
If the system has fluorescent green UV dye in it, you might be able to detect traces of the dye in the condensate, indicating a leaking evaporator.kenlou wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 5:25 pm I’m going to have to find out how to locate the condensate drain and see if there is anything I can see from there.
Good idea. See an earlier post about the OT.kenlou wrote: Tue Jun 10, 2025 5:25 pm Just out of curiosity, I think I am going to get that OT out to see what I might be looking at.
Member – MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems Association)
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Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
A little update:
I’m not meaning to write a novel here but……
Between the rain and the heat, I was able to get a little more done in this quest. For quite some time, my blower motor only ran on high, so I decided to get that fixed before anything else. The resistor was toast….so rusty and crusty. The electrical plug was burnt and partially melted also. I went ahead and got a new pigtail and resistor and also replaced the blower motor,
I started on getting the compressor removed and created a problem for myself. I got one bolt loose and started on the second and decided to use an impact to break that second one loose and in the process rounded the bolt head. I decided to come back to that later and focus on getting other parts removed from this thing. Steps taken so far:
a. I removed the condenser
b. I removed the accumulator
c. I removed both lines going to the evaporator (not as bad as I have heard they can be)
When I removed the lines to the evaporator there was a little oil that leaked out and I could tell that it had dye in the system. It looked clean. I put rubber caps over those fittings for now. Every fitting I took apart showed only a trace amount of green colored oil.
The orifice tube was a bear to get out, I actually broke it (it is really clean, hardly even any oil on it)
Next day my brother-in-law came by and brought those parts I mentioned in an earlier post. Larry ran his own shop for years until retiring and like his dad he is a die-hard FORD man. NEVER owned anything but FORDs. All for $350.00.
a. Pressure cutoff switch
b. Cycling switch
c. Accumulator
d. Condenser
e. Compressor
f. All metal lines
g. Orifice tube and pag 46 oil
h. Four 12 oz cans refrigerant
i. All O-rings and springs
We got to talking about that evaporator and he tells me that he has the Rotunda A/C Fittings set that I can use to pull a vacuum on just the evaporator while it is in the truck.
I have not gotten around to locating the condensate drain and see if there is anything I can see from there but I still have that blower motor out so I will also get my inspection camera up that cavity to see what that looks like.
I did get those fittings connected to the evaporator inlet and outlet tubes and connected my gauge set to it and pulled a vacuum on just the evaporator today.
The FSM states running the vacuum pump for a minimum of 45 minutes and that the gauge should indicate (30 in-Hg) (I ran it for two hours) It has held steady after three hours and I am going to let it sit in a vacuum overnight and will check it tomorrow.
Several questions:
1. If in the morning the vacuum is holding steady, do you recommend I still flush that evaporator and then blow it as dry as possible? If so, can I dry it with shop air? I do have a couple of driers on my compressor line.
2. If I see that the interior side of the evaporator is relatively clean and shows no indication of dye anywhere, would you think the other side of that evaporator is fairly clean?
3. What purpose does that black foam serve on the accumulator? Is it a big deal to leave it off?
4. If you were a betting man, John, seeing all that I have found so far, would you say that the evaporator is probably good?
I’m not meaning to write a novel here but……
Between the rain and the heat, I was able to get a little more done in this quest. For quite some time, my blower motor only ran on high, so I decided to get that fixed before anything else. The resistor was toast….so rusty and crusty. The electrical plug was burnt and partially melted also. I went ahead and got a new pigtail and resistor and also replaced the blower motor,
I started on getting the compressor removed and created a problem for myself. I got one bolt loose and started on the second and decided to use an impact to break that second one loose and in the process rounded the bolt head. I decided to come back to that later and focus on getting other parts removed from this thing. Steps taken so far:
a. I removed the condenser
b. I removed the accumulator
c. I removed both lines going to the evaporator (not as bad as I have heard they can be)
When I removed the lines to the evaporator there was a little oil that leaked out and I could tell that it had dye in the system. It looked clean. I put rubber caps over those fittings for now. Every fitting I took apart showed only a trace amount of green colored oil.
The orifice tube was a bear to get out, I actually broke it (it is really clean, hardly even any oil on it)
Next day my brother-in-law came by and brought those parts I mentioned in an earlier post. Larry ran his own shop for years until retiring and like his dad he is a die-hard FORD man. NEVER owned anything but FORDs. All for $350.00.
a. Pressure cutoff switch
b. Cycling switch
c. Accumulator
d. Condenser
e. Compressor
f. All metal lines
g. Orifice tube and pag 46 oil
h. Four 12 oz cans refrigerant
i. All O-rings and springs
We got to talking about that evaporator and he tells me that he has the Rotunda A/C Fittings set that I can use to pull a vacuum on just the evaporator while it is in the truck.
I have not gotten around to locating the condensate drain and see if there is anything I can see from there but I still have that blower motor out so I will also get my inspection camera up that cavity to see what that looks like.
I did get those fittings connected to the evaporator inlet and outlet tubes and connected my gauge set to it and pulled a vacuum on just the evaporator today.
The FSM states running the vacuum pump for a minimum of 45 minutes and that the gauge should indicate (30 in-Hg) (I ran it for two hours) It has held steady after three hours and I am going to let it sit in a vacuum overnight and will check it tomorrow.
Several questions:
1. If in the morning the vacuum is holding steady, do you recommend I still flush that evaporator and then blow it as dry as possible? If so, can I dry it with shop air? I do have a couple of driers on my compressor line.
2. If I see that the interior side of the evaporator is relatively clean and shows no indication of dye anywhere, would you think the other side of that evaporator is fairly clean?
3. What purpose does that black foam serve on the accumulator? Is it a big deal to leave it off?
4. If you were a betting man, John, seeing all that I have found so far, would you say that the evaporator is probably good?
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Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
I have everything taken out but the compressor. The evaporator has been holding vacuum for two days now and the gauge has not moved.
Is there a way to pressure test only the evaporator while in the truck?
Thanks
Kenny
Is there a way to pressure test only the evaporator while in the truck?
Thanks
Kenny
Re: 2004 F-150 Heritage AC
On second thought, I do not need to perform a pressure test on the evaporator considering that it is held in vacuum by itself, nothing else is connected at this time. Am I correct?