Every 16,000 km or 12 months.
Warning: The air conditioning system is under high pressure. Do not disassemble connections or remove components until the system has been depressurized. Carefully drain the refrigerant into a suitable container. Depressurization of the air conditioning system must be performed at a station equipped to handle R134a refrigerant. Always protect your eyes when disconnecting system connections.
1. To ensure reliable operation of the air conditioner, the following checks must be performed regularly:
- a) Inspect the accessory drive belt. If it is worn or damaged, replace it (paragraph 5).
- b) Inspect the system hoses for cracks, bulges, hardened areas and deterioration. Check all hoses and connections for bubbles and leaks. Replace hose(s) if any wear, leaks or damage is found.
- c) Check if leaves, insects or dirt have got into the condenser fins. Clean the condenser with a special scraper or compressed air.
- d) Check the condition of the evaporator drain pipe. If it is in good condition, clean water should flow out of it when the air conditioner is running. After the car has been parked for a long time, a puddle of considerable size may form under the pipe - this is normal.
Caution! Protect your eyes when working with compressed air!
2. It makes sense to turn on the system for operation at least once a month for 30 minutes, especially in winter. If the system is not used for a long time, this can lead to hardening and subsequent failure of the seals.
3. Due to the complexity of the system and the special equipment required for its maintenance, a detailed description of diagnostics and repair is not provided in this book. If you need detailed information about the air conditioning system, you should use the HAYNES Automotive Heating and Air Conditioning Systems Guide.
4. The most common cause of poor cooling is low refrigerant levels in the system. If you notice that the air coming out of the system is not being cooled enough, perform the quick check below to see if the refrigerant level has dropped.
5. Warm up the engine to normal operating temperature.
6. Set the air conditioning system temperature selector to the maximum cooling position and turn the system fan on at maximum speed. Open the doors to ensure that the system does not interrupt its operating cycle while it cools the vehicle interior.
7. With the compressor on (you should hear a click from its clutch engaging, and the center of the clutch should rotate), feel the compressor's inlet and outlet pipes. One of them should be cold, and the other hot. If you do not feel a noticeable difference in the temperature of these two pipes, then there is a malfunction in the compressor or in the system. It can be caused by a low level of refrigerant or something else. In this case, you need to give the car to specialists for inspection.
(The original text is provided on an online resource FordBook.ru)