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A/C problems

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  Seriously Focused 
#1 ·
2012 focus SE hatchback
automatic trans w/ that select drive thing (never use it so not sure its proper name)
bought in OCT 2011

I had my car serviced by the dealership for the two recall notices I got in the mail (one being something to do with the transmission roll back on inclines) and the other was something to do with the wiper blade system IIRC...


anyway, after the service I noticed that when my car would sit for long periods of time (such as in the parking lot all day while im at work); when I would start the car, the AC would not blow cold air until about a minute after I put the car in gear and start driving it. It never did that before the service.

Im just wondering if anybody else is having similar issues with their AC not blowing cold air until after the car has been driven for a while.

[dunno]
 
#2 ·
That doesn't sound like a problem, that sounds like thermodynamics. When the car sits in the sun all day it heats up, including the air in the vents. The a/c system has to over come the latent heat before it can keep up with the load from the sun while driving.

Unless you're trying to say that prior to the service you had cold air coming out of the vent as soon as you turned the car on even on a 100F degree day.
 
#5 ·
I guess if you're having a concern I would bring it to the dealer's attention. Perhaps they missed a reset or something. However it seems unlikely that there is anything wrong with the car if the a/c is working and still getting as cold as before.

I know it takes a little bit of time to overcome the latent heat and the a/c to start feeling cold. It depends on how hot it is though, when its below 80 it cools off very quickly, if you purge the super heated air from inside the cabin for warm air from outside it cools quicker to ambient before pulling down to the desired temperature.
 
#8 ·
My car has always blown cold only after a few minutes of overcoming the heat... I live in SFL so I get 80+ degree weather more or less year-round, every car I've owned/driven/ridden in has been this way.

The fact that your car blew cold immediately before having it serviced just sounds coincidental, Oct-May is mostly cooler temps with fall/winter being the majority... not to mention maybe lately you haven't gotten the shady spot at work (if there's one to be had, not for me there isn't)

That's all I can think of, really. Unless you add a remote start to the car and turn it on while you're still inside getting ready to leave, there's no way I can imagine that the car would be able to immediately blow cold air.
 
#10 ·
If you are sitting there with the car running the engine is cold and not very much air is coming across the a/c condenser as well. It could be that the active grille shutter system is currently working when the car is stationary to try and help warm up the power train if you're not driving it. Just a theory, but if there is no air moving past the condenser it won't cool very quickly if at all.
 
#12 ·
I can't imagine how the two service items you had done to the car would have affected your A/C operation.
 
#13 ·
The PCM controls air conditioning clutch engagement and the 12B37 update did change the PCM software a bit, but neither our SE with the manual a/c or our SEL with the DATC have exhibited this issue since the update back in May. They both start cooling within a minute or two of start.

My first question would be whether or not the clutch is engaging on start up or not engaging until the car is in gear.

As suss6052 points out, the vapor cycle air conditioning system relies on cooling air flowing across the condensor to cool the refrigerant. Even once the clutch is engaged, it takes time for the system to work up to operating pressure and for the cooling cycle to reach a point where you'd notice the difference at the vents. I know that on both of our cars, it takes considerably longer to feel the difference on a hot day.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I also had the same a/c issues and way more so after 8 months of getting nowhere I took matters into my own hands and did some research.
At issue is the a/c condenser its behind the shutters that cover the radiator and they open when the car engine needs to cool down.aka the thermostat opens the fan turns on the shutters open. There is more to the system but for the most part that’s the science behind how it works. There is some air flow when the shutters are closed but simply not enough for any a/c system to work properly.
The main issue is the fords design, when we had cool temps like 85 to 95 degrees,
the car did not need as much fan time so the a/c condenser gets little or no are flow. Even with the a/c on max the shutters are closed, Thus giving us a cabin temp of 75 to 80 degrees (way to hot).
The a/c temp at the dash (vents) averaged 45 to 60 degrees on max but the temps were up and down as the shutters opened and closed over and over.
We live in the Mohave Desert so it gets hot like 100 to 115 even 125 degrees when it was that hot the car is Needing more fan time so the fan runs more so the a/c seemed to work.
Why?
Because the a/c condenser was getting max air flow.
The flaw is Fords shutter system having the a/c condenser behind the shutters;thus no air flow.
After consulting an attorney I was told I could use the Lemon law because of the few months i owned the car, low miles and a multitude of required documented trips to the dealer for the same a/c issue.
He also told me the focus is selling like hot cakes and ford will never
Admit to a design flaw and or an a/c issue. so no full refund.
A factory Ford rep. also told me there was nothing wrong with the car.
So I traded my new 2012 ford focus in on a new 2012 import.
The a/c blows 29 degrees all the time.
I don't feel its fair to list the brand i now own but there truck line
did pull the space shuttle.

FORD
I have never been so let down in my life with a US made car.
 
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