AC quit on 2017 F150.

[wtd]

Today we were driving back from vacation in my fiancé's 2017 F150 with the 5.0L. We turned on the AC and it was working great, ice cold. It had only been on for about 10 minutes and we heard a weird noise that I can't even describe. We thought maybe it was road noise from a car in front of us. About five minutes later the noise happens again and the AC goes out.

We pull over at a rest stop and I look at the compressor and the clutch is not turning and I can see a bunch of black rubber looking stuff splattered around down by the compressor and it looks a little wet around the clutch.

I have not tried moving the clutch yet because we got home late so I don't know if it's locked up or not.

I'm not familiar with the compressor or the system on this truck. I do know it uses the new 1234r refrigerant. I don't have any connectors that will fit the AC ports on these new systems so I can't even check to see if it still has a charge in it.

Has anyone here had the AC go out on their newer F150? The truck only has right at 33,000 miles on it and is out of warranty. I'm not sure if the clutch went out or the compressor.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Today we were driving back from vacation in my fiancé's 2017 F150 with the 5.0L. We turned on the AC and it was working great, ice cold. It had only been on for about 10 minutes and we heard a weird noise that I can't even describe. We thought maybe it was road noise from a car in front of us. About five minutes later the noise happens again and the AC goes out.

We pull over at a rest stop and I look at the compressor and the clutch is not turning and I can see a bunch of black rubber looking stuff splattered around down by the compressor and it looks a little wet around the clutch.

I have not tried moving the clutch yet because we got home late so I don't know if it's locked up or not.

I'm not familiar with the compressor or the system on this truck. I do know it uses the new 1234r refrigerant. I don't have any connectors that will fit the AC ports on these new systems so I can't even check to see if it still has a charge in it.

Has anyone here had the AC go out on their newer F150? The truck only has right at 33,000 miles on it and is out of warranty. I'm not sure if the clutch went out or the compressor.

I looked up your compressor and the clutch/pulley assembly is identical to my a/c clutch. It sounds as if your clutch assembly and pulley face burned up. If the bearing were bad the belt would have broke leaving you stranded.
These parts are easy to replace. If you do the work yourself just make sure your air gap is correct.
I'm just using AAP as a reference to look at.

Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

 

[Snowflake White]

Today we were driving back from vacation in my fiancé's 2017 F150 with the 5.0L. We turned on the AC and it was working great, ice cold. It had only been on for about 10 minutes and we heard a weird noise that I can't even describe. We thought maybe it was road noise from a car in front of us. About five minutes later the noise happens again and the AC goes out.

We pull over at a rest stop and I look at the compressor and the clutch is not turning and I can see a bunch of black rubber looking stuff splattered around down by the compressor and it looks a little wet around the clutch.

I have not tried moving the clutch yet because we got home late so I don't know if it's locked up or not.

I'm not familiar with the compressor or the system on this truck. I do know it uses the new 1234r refrigerant. I don't have any connectors that will fit the AC ports on these new systems so I can't even check to see if it still has a charge in it.

Has anyone here had the AC go out on their newer F150? The truck only has right at 33,000 miles on it and is out of warranty. I'm not sure if the clutch went out or the compressor.

Whether or not the warranty is up it's outrageous that the AC failed on a 2017 truck with just 33k on it.
Call Ford Corporate and explain what happened many times they will pay part of the repairs as a good will gesture perhaps almost all of the cost depending on the exact situation, yours sounds like they might be tempted to pay nearly 100%. If you go to the dealer they will use OEM parts and you get a two year Ford warranty on the repair work, so if a problem arises once again you can take your truck to any authorized Ford service center for 100% free warranty repairs!

 

[Chris142]

The compressor locked up. When this happens it tears the rubber out of the front hub and spits it all over in small pieces. That is what you saw.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

The compressor locked up. When this happens it tears the rubber out of the front hub and spits it all over in small pieces. That is what you saw.

My compressors clutch/pulley assembly did the same thing, but the compressor didn't lock up. The pulley bearing must have overheated and did freeze up. How and why,......

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Whether or not the warranty is up it's outrageous that the AC failed on a 2017 truck with just 33k on it.
Call Ford Corporate and explain what happened many times they will pay part of the repairs as a good will gesture perhaps almost all of the cost depending on the exact situation, yours sounds like they might be tempted to pay nearly 100%. If you go to the dealer they will use OEM parts and you get a two year Ford warranty on the repair work, so if a problem arises once again you can take your truck to any authorized Ford service center for 100% free warranty repairs!

The AC in my 2018 Subaru went out 6 times so far and that was all by 35K miles.

 

[Snowflake White]

The AC in my 2018 Subaru went out 6 times so far and that was all by 35K miles.

Call Subaru Corporate and open up a trouble ticket on this vehicle I would bet that they will cover all costs to repair it and give you a two or three year Subaru warranty too. This kind of thing is INexcusable on a newer vehicle with low mileage. Especially when you consider that AC mobile systems were perfected decades ago.

 

[wtd]

Thanks for the replies. I went out today and looked at it closer. I can spin the clutch easily so the compressor is not locked up. The black stuff is definitely rubber like and is chewed up.

Can the clutch be replaced without discharging the system? We called two places that we regularly do business with on auto repairs about possibly repairing it and one guy said he couldn't do it and the other guy said that if he didn't have to evacuate and then recharge the system, he could replace the clutch. He is not currently set up to deal with the new refrigerant.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Thanks for the replies. I went out today and looked at it closer. I can spin the clutch easily so the compressor is not locked up. The black stuff is definitely rubber like and is chewed up.

Can the clutch be replaced without discharging the system? We called two places that we regularly do business with on auto repairs about possibly repairing it and one guy said he couldn't do it and the other guy said that if he didn't have to evacuate and then recharge the system, he could replace the clutch. He is not currently set up to deal with the new refrigerant.

Yes, the clutch and pulley CAN be changed without charging down the system.
There is an 8mm or 10 mm bolt you have to remove from the center of the clutch. DON'T let it tip down upon removal or you will lose the shims/washers! Then, remove the snap ring holding the pulley and install in reverse. You can add back the shims/washers and then check the air gap with a feeler gauge.. Adjust as needed.

2017 f150 ac compressor clutch and pulley replacement - Google Search

 

[PimTac]

It might be worth calling a Ford dealer. Ford might have a service notice or something on this. That could save some bucks.

 

[Snowflake White]

Thanks for the replies. I went out today and looked at it closer. I can spin the clutch easily so the compressor is not locked up. The black stuff is definitely rubber like and is chewed up.

Can the clutch be replaced without discharging the system? We called two places that we regularly do business with on auto repairs about possibly repairing it and one guy said he couldn't do it and the other guy said that if he didn't have to evacuate and then recharge the system, he could replace the clutch. He is not currently set up to deal with the new refrigerant.

Did you see my reply to you???!!!
You should avail yourself of any goodwill programs that Ford is willing to offer in this case. They may pay up to 100% of the repair and it will be done at the Ford dealer using OEM parts and you get a two year factory Ford warranty for the repair work whether you paid or not.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Thanks for the replies. I went out today and looked at it closer. I can spin the clutch easily so the compressor is not locked up. The black stuff is definitely rubber like and is chewed up.

Can the clutch be replaced without discharging the system? We called two places that we regularly do business with on auto repairs about possibly repairing it and one guy said he couldn't do it and the other guy said that if he didn't have to evacuate and then recharge the system, he could replace the clutch. He is not currently set up to deal with the new refrigerant.

Let the 2nd guy do the work if you're not comfortable doing it.

 

[Snowflake White]

It might be worth calling a Ford dealer. Ford might have a service notice or something on this. That could save some bucks.

Yes. I honestly don't understand why any customer would not take the opportunity to get the repair work done by Ford possibly for free and then you get factory OEM parts and a two year Ford warranty.

 

[wtd]

Yes, the clutch and pulley CAN be changed without charging down the system.
There is an 8mm or 10 mm bolt you have to remove from the center of the clutch. DON'T let it tip down upon removal or you will lose the shims/washers! Then, remove the snap ring holding the pulley and install in reverse. You can add back the shims/washers and then check the air gap with a feeler gauge.. Adjust as needed.

2017 f150 ac compressor clutch and pulley replacement - Google Search

Thanks. I did call the Ford dealership just to see what they would charge to replace just the clutch and he told me that the system would have to be evacuated and recharged to replace the clutch. He said it would cost $500+ just for the clutch. The compressor would be anywhere from $600-800 depending on which compressor it had plus about $300 in labor and about $150 to evac and recharge so close to $1,000 just for a clutch replacement and more if a compressor is needed.

We called another two shops and neither one is setup to deal with the new refrigerant and won't work on the systems. Both said that the Ford dealership is about the only place that is doing them right now because of the cost of new equipment and the refrigerant itself is expensive I guess. The one shop told me it's about $600 for a 10 lb tank of the stuff.

 

[wtd]

Yes. I honestly don't understand why any customer would not take the opportunity to get the repair work done by Ford possibly for free and then you get factory OEM parts and a two year Ford warranty.

I did call the dealer and ask about repair costs and about some type of goodwill because of the low mileage and that was a no go. This was the dealer she bought the truck from.

 

[PimTac]

Maybe a call to Ford corporate? It is not normal for that to go out that soon.

 

[Snowflake White]

I did call the dealer and ask about repair costs and about some type of goodwill because of the low mileage and that was a no go. This was the dealer she bought the truck from.

Calling the dealer is NOT the same as calling the manufacturer and opening up a trouble or case ticket on a matter.
You MUST call the mfr or you could e mail them at an officially designated phone number or e mail address.
Explain the situation and request that a trouble ticket or case is opened on the matter. It might take a week or two before you hear back from them. But persist after not hearing from them within two weeks or so. I would push in both these cases for 100% mfr pay.

The mfr may request that you show up at the dealer of your choice and allow the mfr district service rep to inspect the vehicle so they can come up with a decision. That's a pretty good sign that they will fund a large part of the repair bill if not all of it.

It's crazy to see such failures on a basic system which is a perfected item! Shows poor design and quality for sure.

 

[atikovi]

Did you see my reply to you???!!!
You should avail yourself of any goodwill programs that Ford is willing to offer in this case. They may pay up to 100% of the repair and it will be done at the Ford dealer using OEM parts and you get a two year factory Ford warranty for the repair work whether you paid or not.

Op's fiance is out of factory warranty and declined the extended warranty when it was offered to her. She gambled and lost. Find an independent shop. R1234 has been out 8 years now, so many shops have the equipment. If the compressor locked up you will also replace the condenser and have the system flushed. A Motorcraft compressor at Rock Auto is $190 and cheaper than a clutch alone.

 

[Snowflake White]

Op's fiance is out of factory warranty and declined the extended warranty when it was offered to her. She gambled and lost. Find an independent shop. R1234 has been out 8 years now, so many shops have the equipment. If the compressor locked up you will also replace the condenser and have the system flushed. A Motorcraft compressor at Rock Auto is $190 and cheaper than a clutch alone.

You don't need to feel obligated to buy an extended warranty to get serviceable lifetimes out of basic auto systems. There is zero excuse for something like an AC system to fail on a three year old car with low mileage. It's a clear sign of poor design and or defective manufacturing processes. This is what the goodwill repair process is for and why mfrs set it up for out of warranty claims.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Thanks. I did call the Ford dealership just to see what they would charge to replace just the clutch and he told me that the system would have to be evacuated and recharged to replace the clutch. He said it would cost $500+ just for the clutch. The compressor would be anywhere from $600-800 depending on which compressor it had plus about $300 in labor and about $150 to evac and recharge so close to $1,000 just for a clutch replacement and more if a compressor is needed.

We called another two shops and neither one is setup to deal with the new refrigerant and won't work on the systems. Both said that the Ford dealership is about the only place that is doing them right now because of the cost of new equipment and the refrigerant itself is expensive I guess. The one shop told me it's about $600 for a 10 lb tank of the stuff.

All I can say is the clutch assembly in the AAP post IS NOT what your system is. Ford must have updated their compressor configuration now as to where the system MUST BE discharged. I guess I learned something new today.
I should have called my son or his shop foreman about this.