A/C needs a recharge?

[BraddB]

I have a 2013 Edge Se with the 3.5L engine.  Today the blower motor stopped working, and when I went to take it out to test it I found that it was unplugged from the connecter.  Once plugged back in the motor worked fine, but now the A/C blows hot when it was blowing cold yesterday.  I was going to check to see if it needed recharged, but there is no sticker under the hood that tells me which type of freon to use.  Everything I have found says it is possible that it could be R134A or R1234YF.  Is there a way to find out without the sticker?  I am hoping to recharge this myself and not have to take it to a shop or the dealer.

 

Thanks.

Edited May 11, 2023 by BraddB

[Haz]

From the 2013 Edge Workshop Manual...

 

Specifications

Material

Item	Specification	Fill Capacity
Motorcraft® A/C System Flushing Solvent YN-23	—	—
Motorcraft® PAG Refrigerant Compressor Oil YN-12-D	WSH-M1C231-B	118 ml (4 fl oz)
Motorcraft® R-134a Refrigerant YN-19 (US); CYN-19-R (Canada); MYN-19 (Mexico)	WSH-M17B19-A	0.54 kg (19 oz) (1.19 lb)
Stay-Brite® R-134a Leak Detection Dye 164-R6060 (Rotunda)	—	—

 

Climate Control System

WARNING: Take the following precautions when repairing an air conditioning system containing R-134a:

• Always wear safety goggles.
• Avoid contact with liquid refrigerant R-134a. R-134a vaporizes at approximately -25°C (-13°F) under atmospheric pressure and will freeze skin tissue.
• Never allow refrigerant R-134a gas to escape in quantity in an occupied space. It will displace the oxygen needed to support life.
• Never use a torch in an atmosphere containing R-134a gas. R-134a is non-toxic at all normal conditions, but it decomposes when exposed to high temperatures such as a torch flame. During decomposition it releases irritating and toxic gasses (as described in the Material Safety Data Sheet from the manufacturer). Decomposition products are hydrofluoric acid, carbon dioxide and water.

Failure to follow these instructions may result in serious personal injury.

 

NOTICE: To avoid damaging the vehicle or Air Conditioning (A/C) components, observe the following precautions.

• Identify and analyze the A/C refrigerant of all vehicles prior to refrigerant charging. Failure to do so can contaminate the shop bulk refrigerant and other vehicles.
• Do not add R-12 refrigerant to an A/C system that uses R-134a refrigerant. These 2 types of refrigerant must never be mixed. Doing so can damage the A/C system.
• To prevent refrigerant slugging from damaging the A/C compressor, charge the A/C system with R-134a refrigerant gas while the engine is running only at the low-pressure side.
• Use only R-134a refrigerant. Due to environmental concerns, when the A/C system is drained, the refrigerant must be collected using refrigerant recovery/recycling equipment. Federal, State/Provincial and/or local laws REQUIRE that R-134a be recovered into appropriate recovery equipment and the process be conducted by qualified technicians who have been certified by an approved organization, such as Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) or Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) . Use of a recovery machine dedicated to R-134a reduces the possibility of oil and refrigerant incompatibility concerns. Refer to the instructions provided by the equipment manufacturer when removing refrigerant from or charging the A/C system.
• R-134a refrigerant must not be mixed with air for leak testing or used with air for any other purpose above atmospheric pressure. R-134a is combustible when mixed with high concentrations of air and higher pressures.
• A number of manufacturers are producing refrigerant products that are described as direct substitutes for refrigerant R-134a. The use of any unauthorized substitute refrigerant can severely damage the A/C components. If repair is required, use only new or recycled refrigerant R-134a.

 

NOTICE: To avoid contamination of the Air Conditioning (A/C) system, observe the following precautions.

• Never open or loosen a connection before recovering the refrigerant.
• When loosening a connection, if any residual pressure is evident, allow it to leak out before opening the fitting.
• Evacuate a system that has been opened to install a new component or one that has discharged through leakage before charging.
• Seal open fittings with a cap or plug immediately after disconnecting a component from the system.
• Clean the outside of the fittings thoroughly before disconnecting a component from the system.
• Do not remove the sealing caps from a new component until ready to install.
• Refrigerant oil absorbs moisture from the atmosphere if left uncapped. Do not open an oil container until ready to use and install the cap immediately after using. Store the oil in a clean, moisture-free container.
• Install a new O-ring seal before connecting an open fitting. Coat the fitting and O-ring seal with PAG oil before connecting.
• When installing a refrigerant line, avoid sharp bends. Position the line away from the exhaust or any sharp edges that can chafe the line.
• Tighten threaded fittings only to specifications. The steel and aluminum fittings used in the refrigerant system will not tolerate overtightening.
• When disconnecting a fitting, use a wrench on both halves of the fitting to prevent twisting of the refrigerant lines or tubes.
• Do not open a refrigerant system or uncap a new component unless it is as close as possible to room temperature. This prevents condensation from forming inside a component that is cooler than the surrounding air.

 

Fluorescent Dye Detection

NOTE: Ford Motor Company vehicles are produced with R-134a fluorescent dye installed in the refrigerant system from the factory. The location of leaks can be pinpointed by the bright yellow-green glow of the fluorescent dye under a UV lamp. Since more than one leak can exist, make sure to inspect each component, line and fitting in the refrigerant system for a leak.

1. Check for leaks using a Rotunda-approved UV lamp.
   • Inspect all components, lines and fittings of the refrigerant system.

1. If a leak is found, recover the refrigerant. For additional information, refer to Air Conditioning (A/C) System Recovery, Evacuation and Charging in this section.

1. Repair the refrigerant system leak(s).

1. Evacuate and charge the refrigerant system. For additional information, refer to Air Conditioning (A/C) System Recovery, Evacuation and Charging in this section.

1. After the leak(s) is/are repaired, remove any traces of fluorescent dye with a general purpose oil solvent.

1. Verify the repair by running the vehicle for a short period of time and rechecking the area of the leak with a Rotunda-approved UV lamp.

 

NOTE: Fluorescent refrigerant system dye is added to the refrigerant system at the factory to assist in refrigerant system leak diagnosis using a Rotunda-approved ultraviolet blacklight. It is not necessary to add additional dye to the refrigerant system before diagnosing leaks, even if a significant amount of refrigerant has been removed from the system. Additional refrigerant system dye should only be added if more than 50% of the refrigerant system lubricant capacity has been lost due to a fitting separation, hose rupture or other damage.

 

Good luck!

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Haz

[BraddB]

I still have no A/C in this car.  It has been recharged and the cooling fans have been replaced.  On a hunch I removed the glove box and it appears that the blend door motors are getting no power.  Neither the driver side or passenger side moves when the temperature is changed.  I bought a new blend door motor and attached it to the wiring and it didn't move either.  I just have the single climate control in my car.  Are there fuses or relays I should check?

 

At this point I am about to get rid of this car.  

[Haz]

I have provided, via the Forum messaging system, instructions and a download link to documents which are too large to share here, due to file attachment limitations.

 

Good luck!

[BraddB]

Thanks, turns out my mechanic said something to the fact there is a motor in, or under the dash somewhere that went bad that he found after running a scan on the system.   I guess it's time to save up for an expensive repair.  Living on SSDI stinks!