AC not blowing as hard as it should = Clean the coil

[Gulfcoast]

I noticed my AC was not blowing as hard as it should so I took a look at the coil and it was pretty gunked up. I cleaned it and I am now back in business. I put together a play by play just in case anybody has a similar problem and does not know how to get at the evaporator. I am sure there are other issues that can cause similar symptoms, but in my case I have already changed out the resistor, blower motor and the blend door actuator so I ruled those out.



I started by disconnecting the vacuum pump (2) 10mm bolts from the fender.


Next I unbolted the vacuum reservoir: (3) nuts that you get to from the wheel well. I forgot to get a pic of this but its pretty self explanatory.

I then was able to move these (without disconnecting the electrical or vacuum lines) out of the way to make room to allow me to remove the blower motor.


I unplugged the electrical connector feeding the blower and disconnected the rubber hose at the bottom of the plastic housing. I then removed the (3) 8mm screws and removed the blower. I had to twist it a bit and maneuver around some hoses but it came out.





I then inspected the coil and found that it was pretty dirty.



I sprayed it with some Simple Green concentrate (undiluted) and let it sit for about 2 minutes. I used a canister type sprayer with a long wand that I could bend to get good coverage of the surface of the coil. I then hosed it off with a small watering wand set to shower.






This was the result.


I then hit it with some coil cleaner I picked up at Lowes.




I let it sit for a minute or two and then rinsed with water and I ended up with this.




I dried everything out as best I could and then reassembled and tried out my AC. It works much better now

 

[UPINSMOKE]

Damn good write up. Nice detail

 

[CSIPSD]

Might need to do this with the Excursion!

Good job buddy!

 

[florida 6.0]

Doing this tomorrow , what a good idea .

 

[Spatel23]

very good idea.....Ill have to give it a whirl if I get bored

 

[Crack85]

Sweet! Definitely going to try lol

 

[e.nickkk]

Good deal going to try this also

 

[ghohouston]

This works damn good guys, the trucks we work on go all over texas, and when theyre not in the shop, they are driving through mud, sand and red dirt in west texas, which ends up in these "coils" and gets wet too, and they come in saying their a/c isnt blowing hard enough anymore. We always just blow em out like you do a radiator, and scoop the dirt out once youre satisfied

 

[Arisley]

Nice job. Newbie going into the library soon.

 

[6.0 p-stroke]

I need to check mine, nice write up!

 

[Freightshaker]

Great write up. Dirty evap/blower wheel can trick people into thinking a system is low on charge. if you are a little short on AC knowledge this is a great thing to do if things seem a little off. Cabin air filters should have come out a long time ago.

 

[Gulfcoast]

Thanks everyone. I get so much help and good info from these forums I am just happy to have something to contribute.

 

[Lethalthreat7.3]

Great write up! Remember the AC also runs in the defrost mode to control humidity(keep moisture off the windows) in the winter time.
Good pics too.

 

[always-strokin]

Gonna be checking this out. Thanks man.

 

[Gulfcoast]

I picked up a Max Assist from Dieselsite and got it in as well. It was a pretty straight forward install and while I do not have any hard data (before and after temps) it feels colder to me.

Here are some pics of it installed. The installation instructions that come with it are easy to follow. Just make sure you cut the right line. I just followed the line from the water pump back but be careful because it can get confusing where they are clipped together on top of the engine.


I ran my vacuum line through this plug in the firewall (under the glove box) Note: It is notched because I forgot to run the line through the plug before I took it through the firewall.



You will need to take two screws out (where my finger is touching and on the opposite side) and drop this panel (located under the glove box) to get at the white line to make your connections in the cab.


I dropped my fishtape down here


I then routed it through here and made my connection to the valve

 

[njjeep]

Do you know what size is the heater hose? I was thinking about just putting in a ball valve.

 

[Pwrcummins]

So you can just run a hose into the filter and it'll just drain out. Won't go into the cab?

 

[campbellflage]

So you can just run a hose into the filter and it'll just drain out. Won't go into the cab?

Curious about this also... I want to give this a try. My ac is cold, but feels like it should be moving more air in the highest fan setting.

 

[Gulfcoast]

Do you know what size is the heater hose? I was thinking about just putting in a ball valve.

5/8" I believe. I have heard of people getting the same results with ball valves. You would just need to open the valve in the winter to use the heater.

So you can just run a hose into the filter and it'll just drain out. Won't go into the cab?

There is a drain in the compartment where the coil is. I sprayed the coil down for a while and the water never overcame the drain or got in the cab. Just make sure to keep it where the coil is (if facing the housing with the blower removed the coil is in the compartment on the right. If you were to shoot water directly behind where the blower sits you would probably get water in the cab. Once you have it open you will see what I'm talking about.

 

[Pwrcummins]

Is there a way to take out the filter?