A/C airflow, 2006 truck

[MCherry]

In addition to my 2001, I now have a 2006 quad cab. This problem involves the 2006.



I had the freon checked and it was low, so the shop added as necessary. The A/C blows fairly cold air, just not cold enough or enough volume to keep the temp comfortable, especially for back seat passengers. It is really not even comfortable in the front seat area.



I have a couple of questions --



Has anyone put a valve or bypass in the heater hoses to stop hot water from flowing through the A/C plenum in the summer? I know older cars and trucks controlled the heater with that kind of system, but don't know if there is some feature on the newer vehicles that requires a steady flow of hot water through the system.



It just seems logical that keeping the hot water outside would make the A/C system perform better.



Also, the volume coming out of the panel outlets seems weak. I'm looking into the products available at HeaterTreaterweb3 and I'm wondering if the fresh air intake door is not functioning properly.



Any help appreciated.

 

[rbattelle]

Is the air flow remaining low all the time, or does it diminish over time when the A/C is running?

You have an interesting idea about running a bypass. If you try it out, I'd be interested to see how it goes. I don't think it would hurt anything.

Ryan

 

[MCherry]

Air flow does not diminish over time. Even on the highest fan setting, it's just not as strong as it seems like it should be given the amount of noise the fan motor is making. My GMC Yukon puts out a lot more airflow.

I have read other posts about the temp being different on the driver and passenger sides, but I don't have that problem The only variation is that the airflow out of the center dash vents seems to be a little stronger than from the side vents.

 

[rbattelle]

Well, there's a chance that the blend door or defrost actuator is broken.

Slowly cycle the vent selector to each position and feel the vents to verify that air is only coming out of the selected vents.

Ryan

 

[Red Rocket]

Also, check to make sure that with the fan on full, change from outside air to recirculate, it should make a significant change in noise. Also, check that the air comes out the different outlets as they are selected.



If not pull your fan motor and look up there with a flashlight, less than 5 minutes.



Also, using the recirc mode makes a huge difference, but some people don't realize what it does.



My 06 had the door broken, replaced under warranty



93 degrees today, sitting in the sun all afternoon, less than 10 minutes to under 75 degrees. Maybe not stellar, but comfortable and I would say acceptable. I do think chevy has much more aggressive heating and cooling.



Nick

 

[wcjp]

If the AC is overfilled it also won't work. No problems with my 06' Mega. I've had my 06' Mega in constant 100+deg weather with me, wife, 4yr old daughter, black lab and beagle. No AC problems.

 

[SSell]

Sounds like my '05, total airflow is less than my '96 & very sensitive to charge (drivers side cool, passengers suffer). Make sure your blower isnt full of leaves & seeds and the doors arent broken & work properly. Lots of guys post that their 3rd gen AC's work fine but I've noticed none seem to live where it's actually hot & dry... . definitely the least impressive feature on these trucks, IMO!!

 

[MCherry]

rbatelle - when I cycle the vent selector, air flow changes to follow the selected position.



Red Rocket - I'm thinking more and more that there is a problem with the fresh air/recirculate feature. I don't notice any change in sound or in amount or temp of airflow when moving from one to the other.

(My problem with pulling the motor is that by the end of the day (after work) it's well over 100 here, and I'm just not up for that. I will have to find some weekend time to do that but my son is getting married soon and lately we have lots of wedding related activities on weekends. )



wcjp - I don't think its overfilled. I had the freon done at an automotive shop using gauges, not just dumping a can in.



SSell - I do not have the problem of different temps for passenger vs driver. My issue is mostly airflow.



Any other ideas are welcome.

 

[Red Rocket]

Your door is definitely broken, do yourself a favor and take 5 minutes to remove the fan, pull the door out and screw it back in. You will be amazed, then when you get it fixed, it will be even better yet because you will have recirc. Mine acted exactly the same, the different positions worked, but not the recirc door. Trust me, I waited way too long and regretted it after i found out how easy it was. Suffer for a couple minutes and you will thank yourself.

 

[AWise]

Ditto what Red Rocket said. My blower got really loud a few weeks ago but had hardly any air flow. I pulled the blower motor out, looked up and the recirc door was laying across the blower intake. I pulled that and the little piece of broken plastic out of the fan blades, reinstalled the blower and MAN it blows harder than ever. I was concerned about not having the recirc door when it gets hot but the heat index has been 110 deg. the last couple days and it has been working great. It seems like it has much better output with the door completely off, but you lose the ability to chose fresh or recirc air. I will buy the kit mentioned above and fix it at some point but I think it will be fine for a while.

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

I have alot of air flow in my '06 and all positions work, but it does not get real cold. Been this way since new. I had it looked at at two different delears and was told the same at both. AC is normal, no problems. My '97 is the same way, luke warm. I guess I'm just used to the great AC in my work trucks, all Fords. One thing that Ford got right-COLD AC!!

 

[MCherry]

Thanks for all the suggestions, especially Red Rocket's suggestion to pull the fan.



I just went out and pulled the fan motor and sure enough, one of the doors, I assume the recirculate door, had broken off its hinge and dropped down. It was blocking the airflow from the fan. I took the broken door out, put it back together and it now blows much stronger.



It is supposed to be 102 or more here today, so I will see how well it works. I know it will be better because I already feel much more airflow. Until now, it was barely ok in the front, and not at all good in the back seat. Should be fine now.



Thanks again - TDR membership once again saved me lots of hassle and money.

 

[rscurtis]

Just had the same problem with my '03. Sure enough, it was the recirculation door, it broke where it fits on the actuator. I'm sure I can repair the door, what is involved in re-installing it?

 

[Red Rocket]

pulling the dash, that's the bad news.....

 

[MCherry]

You can get it out by removing the blower motor and fiddling around until you get it lined up right but I don't think you could replace a door that way.



I hear that pulling the dash requires a lot of time and evacuating the freon, etc.



There is a company that claims to have figured out how to cut a hole in the plastic air chamber that gives you room to work on the doors without pulling the dash apart. When you are through, I believe you put the section you cut out back in place with A/C tape.



They sell replacement doors that are metal, not plastic, which sounds like a better product to me. They of course charge for their product, but a lot less than the cost would be at the dealer.



See HeaterTreaterweb3



I have only read their website and discussed my problem by email - don't know anything about them but they seem to know what they are talking about and were very helpful with their answers.



For now, I'm going to leave it like it is and see if another one breaks soon.

 

[Bob4x4]

You can get it out by removing the blower motor and fiddling around until you get it lined up right but I don't think you could replace a door that way.



I hear that pulling the dash requires a lot of time and evacuating the freon, etc.



There is a company that claims to have figured out how to cut a hole in the plastic air chamber that gives you room to work on the doors without pulling the dash apart. When you are through, I believe you put the section you cut out back in place with A/C tape.



They sell replacement doors that are metal, not plastic, which sounds like a better product to me. They of course charge for their product, but a lot less than the cost would be at the dealer.



See HeaterTreaterweb3



I have only read their website and discussed my problem by email - don't know anything about them but they seem to know what they are talking about and were very helpful with their answers.



For now, I'm going to leave it like it is and see if another one breaks soon.

I would not mickey mouse my 40k$ truck. The replacement recirc housing is better than the original. The housing is cheap and not that tough to install