It has been pretty hot here in michigan 85-90....and I finally needed to use my AC for the first time. It is kind of cold but not what I expected. It's a 07. Are others out there unhappy with AC output? Is it common for expys? What could I do to make it colder?next....there is an icon when running the AC that is a picture of a car with a circular arrow in the car. What does this setting do? Does it recirculate the air from inside the truck? what setting is best for best AC results? Thanks!

 

The icon you mention is the recirc icon afaik. You would want to turn that on to have the A/C recirc the air in the cabin to help cool things down faster. I have an 07 Black-on-black EL Limited and it does take the A/C awhile to begin cooling things down especially if it's been sitting in direct sunlight. It's just a large amount of space to cool down so it takes a little bit of time.

Every truck I have had or my wife and I have owned have never had great R134 systems that blow "ice cold". They have all been adequate but none of them have measured up to the older R12 systems from the olden days. I'm sure some get pretty chilly but I have yet to see one get "frost" blowing out the vents like the old R12 systems.

 

Thanks for the fast response....I figured it meant it would recirculate the air but wasn't sure. I also have a black on black el. The way I was judging the air was just putting my hand infront of the vent while driving and it just isn't that cold. Seems like a cabin that big would come with a heavy duty AC unit.

 

You may also want to get the windows tinted. I know when I had my other car a black on black. The car was not quite as hot with the tint on.

The other option you may want to get and I have it on mine is a remote engine start. I love it because it allows me to cool off the truck in the summer time or heat it up in the winter time

 

I haven't done it on mine but if you were curious you could always measure the outlet tempature at the vent with the A/C on. You'll get varying outlet temps based on conditions but you should see somewhere in the 40-45 degree range or so under most conditions.

100 degrees with high humidity will give you higher outlet temp readings and vice versa for a day at 70 degrees with low humidity. Oncw the interior cools down though under recirc, you should see low 40s for your outlet temp.

Those are just baseline average temps so ymmv. If you were to measure your outlet temp and saw things in the 50s even after the system had ran for 5-10 minutes or so though, that would be something to look into.

 

If I install a remote start, would I have to turn the air on the night before so it would be on when the truck started? my old truck had interior sensors that kicked on heat or air according to the temp in the cabin. Is there a way for this to happen in the expy?

 

I have heard many complaints about the 07 Expys and F150's. Some live with it, some have added some freon and has helped. One thing the a/c really slows down in terms of temperature when at idle on hot days. Both the 07 and 08 Expys I have owned/own has this trait. I think it's the design and something to do with lessening the idle load for fuel economy.

 

generally, How much does it cost to add freon? could it need a recharge? (not sure what a recharge actually does) P.s. This truck cost 52k off the lot (I bought it used). I would think it would have an unbelievable AC to cool such a large cabin. My wifes chevy equinox has way colder AC! Way colder! What the heck?

 

The threads I read about adding freon mentioned the freon amounts being within spec, but they added an extra .5 pounds or so? I could be wrong. I think there is a fine line between having too little and too much.

Is there a mechanic you trust that knows a/c?

 

not really...: -)Does recharging simply mean adding more freon?

 

Yes, but you have to measure how much is in there already. I don't know enough about it to tell you more than that. Overcharging can ruin the compressor I believe.

 

thanks, in between our post I read that too much can damage the unit. Just not very inpressed with this ac unit...quess I will live.

 

do you know anything about my question about auto start and the AC/heat coming on based on cabin temp?

 

If you leave the a/c to auto and whatever temp you like when you shut it off, it should be the same when it's turned on.

 

ok...makes sense. Guess I'm getting remote start this weekend...well worth it.