Air Conditioning Troubleshooting A/C Blows hot on one side 2002 2003 2004 2005 Thunderbird | Page 4 | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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Air Conditioning Troubleshooting A/C Blows hot on one side 2002 2003 2004 2005 Thunderbird

Last edited by a moderator:
Is there such a thing as a heater module? I swear when I turn the climate control to OFF it starts blowing hot air at my feet. (both sides) At first, I thought there was a leak from the firewall. My bird and I haven't spent much time together so I'm not sure what's going on.
Where do I get a lighting control mod? Are they hard to install?
Have you had everything electronic in the dash just be blank (tach, speedo, radio) the car still runs but nothing works. Turning the car off, removing the key then trying again has brought it back.
Tell me there is a speedometer module, mine is twitchy, sticky might be a better word.

​

 
A/C blowing hot on passenger side, replaced 3 way heater valve and was working great last night but today back to hot. Bought cheap valve off amazon, did I screw up not getting the motorcraft valve or should I be looking into actuator or something. Thanks Michael
 
frog face said:
2005 heater / control unit needed has dual button
Click to expand...
As a thought you might take the old valve apart to see if it shows any signs of the plungers sticking or the valves not seating properly. If the old one proves to have been bad you were correct in replacing it and it's more likely that the new one is also bad. It the old one seems to have been ok I don't know where to go next.
 
For those of you wondering how to diagnose where the fault lies if you have heat all the time and suspect the heater valve or the climate module: A Jaguar enthusiast who is also an engineer opened a business just to solve this problem, which our Jaguar twins have too. He posted a diagnosis scheme for the Jags which works on Tbirds too, for the most part (some things are in slightly different locations). Most importantly, he figured out that if the heater valve goes bad it can draw too much current from the climate module, so the module fails also. If you then switch out the heater valve it won't fix the problem because of this "failure cascade".

His diagnostic page:

DIY: Diagnose It Yourself - JaguarClimateControl.com

jaguarclimatecontrol.com jaguarclimatecontrol.com
 
As I live in FL did not need Heat or AC with top down. I did notice that the ext temp would go down to 0 or below and the Auto or AC would only blow hot air. Is is when outside temp is in the 70’s & 80’s. Does anyone have any idea on what is wrong and how to fix. Thanks
 
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Patrick Keebey said:
What is the dccv part? I had my aircondtioner diagnosed and was told the H2O valve needed to be replaced at a cost of $1200.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late answer Patrick, it's a $300ish part if you buy from Ford and less than $100 if you use aftermarket. MAX two hours labor. No way it should cost that much. I had mine done with OEM part for $600 total.
 
Buckeye said:
As I live in FL did not need Heat or AC with top down. I did notice that the ext temp would go down to 0 or below and the Auto or AC would only blow hot air. Is is when outside temp is in the 70’s & 80’s. Does anyone have any idea on what is wrong and how to fix. Thanks
Click to expand...
Sounds like the exterior temperature sensor is broken. Also, something is making it only blow hot air. Could be the dual climate control valve or something else. Try doing a cold start with the AC on full. If it blows cold for a bit but than turns hot, the problem the is the DCCV. If not it could be the interior temp sensor.
 
First and easiest step after confirming that your compressor is actually engaging when you call for cooling and to eliminate a suspect bad diverter coolant valve is Pinch the output hoses off near said valve you can get cheap needle nose channel lock type locking pliers from harbor freight about 8 -10 inches long to reach the hoses slip some thin vinyl hoses over the jaws of the pliers to avoid damage to your rubber hoses if it blows cold it MIGHT only be the valve im pretty sure the default position of the valve is in the open position so that you would get heat- AC mode stops hot coolant flow and gives you AC you can pull the plug off your valve and check for voltage when calling for AC if this checks out you have a bad valve.I just went through this got a cheap valve from Amazon it worked then sprang a leak in the valve assembly bought a gates valve from rock auto for 120 bux all good the Amazon one was 30 bux sometimes the cheap parts aren’t worth installing when there’s significant labor involved I have a lift and many tools my 2 cents
 
I recently purchased a 2005 Thunderbird with under 40k miles. I thought I had a real great deal until I started really driving it. The A/C blows very cold and then after a while just gets blazing hot. I turn it off for a few seconds and then back on and it gets cold again. I took it to the shop for evaluation. They said I had a leaking Shrader Valve, so they replaced it and recharged it. They told me that they drove it several times and it did not get hot anymore. I picked it up and drove about 10 miles and there it is again blowing hot. Could this be the control panel or blend doors? Has anyone run into this issue? Thanks!
 
Hello Everyone,

My father, who passed a little over a year ago, left me his 2003 Thunderbird.

About 2 weeks ago, the air conditioner instantly stopped working - or so it seemed. I took it to a mechanic who checked the compressor - he determined that it was working but slightly low on refrigerant. After filling it, he mentioned that it was still blowing hot on the driver's side vents, but noticed that there was cooler air (but not Cold) on the passenger side. He said that sounded like a blend door actuator failure, but he could not find that my T-bird had one. He suggested that I take it to a Ford dealership for further troubleshooting. I intended on taking it to a nearby Ford dealership, but first did some investigation online first, which brought me to this forum. I determined that the issue was most likely the Dual Coolant Control Valve. My son and I replaced the heater valve. It probably took us a little over 3 hours - we took our time. After finishing, I held my breath and started the T-bird. I turned on the A/C and . . . there was cold air on both sides. It has now been about a week, and the air is still cold.
 
TJs03Bird said:
Hello Everyone,

My father, who passed a little over a year ago, left me his 2003 Thunderbird.

About 2 weeks ago, the air conditioner instantly stopped working - or so it seemed. I took it to a mechanic who checked the compressor - he determined that it was working but slightly low on refrigerant. After filling it, he mentioned that it was still blowing hot on the driver's side vents, but noticed that there was cooler air (but not Cold) on the passenger side. He said that sounded like a blend door actuator failure, but he could not find that my T-bird had one. He suggested that I take it to a Ford dealership for further troubleshooting. I intended on taking it to a nearby Ford dealership, but first did some investigation online first, which brought me to this forum. I determined that the issue was most likely the Dual Coolant Control Valve. My son and I replaced the heater valve. It probably took us a little over 3 hours - we took our time. After finishing, I held my breath and started the T-bird. I turned on the A/C and . . . there was cold air on both sides. It has now been about a week, and the air is still cold.
Click to expand...

Glad you got your AC working! I had the same issue with the DCCV, replaced it and everything was fine until a couple weeks later when the AC was hot on one side while driving in recirc mode. Turns out there was just a little air bubble hiding somewhere in the system, I burped it again and it's been fine for the last 3 years.
 
TJs03Bird said:
Hello Everyone,

My father, who passed a little over a year ago, left me his 2003 Thunderbird.

About 2 weeks ago, the air conditioner instantly stopped working - or so it seemed. I took it to a mechanic who checked the compressor - he determined that it was working but slightly low on refrigerant. After filling it, he mentioned that it was still blowing hot on the driver's side vents, but noticed that there was cooler air (but not Cold) on the passenger side. He said that sounded like a blend door actuator failure, but he could not find that my T-bird had one. He suggested that I take it to a Ford dealership for further troubleshooting. I intended on taking it to a nearby Ford dealership, but first did some investigation online first, which brought me to this forum. I determined that the issue was most likely the Dual Coolant Control Valve. My son and I replaced the heater valve. It probably took us a little over 3 hours - we took our time. After finishing, I held my breath and started the T-bird. I turned on the A/C and . . . there was cold air on both sides. It has now been about a week, and the air is still cold.
Click to expand...
How challenging to replace? Looks like pretty easy access once the upper radiator hose is removed. Did you have to drain the entire cooling system?
 
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