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03 Explorer - Cooing noise from AC/Heater unit upon accelerating

Hi Everyone,

I am coming up on my 100,000 mile extended warrenty limit and I am starting to experience some trouble with my AC/Heating unit. I get a "cooing" noise, like a dove or pidgeon, when I accelarate. It is not all the time but can happen when accelerating from a stop or from 60 MPH to 65 MPH. It seems the hotter the weather the more pronounced and often it occurs. We actually had a cool enough day that I put on the heat and the same thing occured.

I took the truck by the Ford dealer about a month ago complaining about the temp output of the AC. The output is cool at first but 2:00 minutes into a ride it is actaully hot to the point that in 85 degree weather it is better to open the window. The service rep and a technician used a thermometer and said as long as the reading is 40 degrees or less within 30 seconds of turning on the AC it was within tolerance. Unfortunately I ran the AC on the way over to the shop in order to deplete any cold air that had gathered in the system overnight

- it was 7:00am when I went to the shop and I believe that there was a reserve in the system (cold air) when they tested the system. I was told to wait until an 85 degree day came along and then go back and have it tested. I work during the week and every weekend so far has been damp and rainy. It is also a $124 diagnostic charge to test the system for leaks, and they already say it is within tolerance. I was told that AC system cooland doesnt' "go bad" and that any time a recharge is necessary it is because there is a system leak. Is this true?

I just now started to develop a noise in the rear axle area that occurs when breaking/turning. It doesn't matter which direction I'm turning so I believe it is activiated when I brake. This is more easily re-created so I'm sure they'll figure this out.

I have made an appointment for Thursday this week and was hoping somone may have some insight into this issue. I just know Thursday will be cool and not be able to reproduce the poor cooling and I'm not confident that the dealer will be able to reproduce the cooing sound either. Unfortunately I can't stick around to test drive the truck for them.

Anyone ever experience the cooing sound?

Dave K.

Reply to
dekern
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Our '02 eddie bauer with dual auto temp control makes a vacuum leak hiss sound in cold weather when you press the accelerater and hold the pedal down for a few seconds (light acceleration) after the car is parked outside over night (under 20 degrees). It sounds like it's comming from the ac/heater control head below the radio. It will also make a slightly different sound when it's been parked out in the hot sun of summertime under light steady acceleration. I'm guessing there's a vacuum leak in the control head, thats affected by tempeture thats warping the control head to cause a vacuum leak. The sound will change/go away the moment you let up or press down harder on the gas pedal. wth

Reply to
wth

There is more to the "spec" then whether it's reading 40 degrees within 30 seconds. A system that is low on freon can sometimes do that and then after a while the evaporator gets too cold and forms ice, blocking teh airflow and not cooling very well. It's also possible that the cooing sound is a vacuum leak and that at idle there's enough vacuum to keep all the flapper doors where they should be but when you are driving it they may not be staying in position. Usually that will affect airflow. So if you have no change in airflow it's probably not either of those. If you have automatic temp control it's possible that has gone bad and it is causing your problems. The freon doesn't go bad but compressors do. It's possible your compressor is on it's way out and when that happens it sometimes fills the system with a very fine black sludge that can clog some of the passages. When they "tested" your system did they do anything other then measure the air coming out of the ducts?

I'd have the rear axle checked pronto if it's making noise. They can be very expensive to repair.

Is your extended warranty a FORD warranty or some other company? Do you have to take it to a Ford Dealer? If you don't have to go to a ford dealer just take it someplace that's convenient to you and have them take a look at it and possibly fix it under the warranty if you don't need to go to a Ford dealer.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

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