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Auto Air Conditioning & Heater Repair/re
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Question
i got a 1999 ford winstar the heat is working in the back but not the front whats rong with it
We are based in the uk and have no specialised knowledge of your vehicle.
Only one component in the a/c system would prevent the system working in the front compartment.
Beyond there it will be something to do with the controls or flap movement behind the dasboard.
If you have a separate rear a/c system and not one that justs ducts air from the front, you will have two expansion valves. These regulate the flow of refrigerant around the system. If the front one has stopped working then the cool chamber ( evaporator) will not function properly and the vents at the front will not blow any refrigerated air.
This is difficult to diagnose on the gauges, if you have a separate rear system the rear expansion valve appears to be working. Under these circumstances the gauge readings are likely to appear correct.
The only clue would be if you are able to touch the a/c pipes as the enter the vehicle under the bonnet.
With the engine and a/c running, and taking the greatest of care to secure all loose clothing before leaning across the engine,
feel the temperature of both pipes, if they are both ambient then this could indicate valve failure.
Beyond there I will need more information from you.
Let me know how you get on, in the meantime it would be useful to know whether you have two expansion valves, is the system fully charged with no leaks, and do you have full climate control or manual a/c ?
Thank you
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Answers by Expert:
Paul Evans/ www.chillywillys.org
Expertise
Any question related to the function or malfunction of vehicle air conditioning excluding model specific problems with the heater controls. We are a UK based company and are unlikely to be familiar with the exact make and model of American vehicles. We will always at least try to guide the owner towards what the problem is likely to be in this instance We may struggle with none specific electrical issues related to the a/c without seeing it but it is likely we could narrow the problem down
Experience
Director www.chillywillys.org specialising predominantly in UK vehicles, fleet, rare and collectables. Although all a/c works on the same principal US vehicles have different controls and electrics.
12 years experience automotive and aircraft air conditioning.
This is our sole source of revenue, we see lots of a/c issues that we are able to diagnose accurately mainly down to experience.
UK have garages caught on to a potential revenue stream within the last few years but sometimes struggle with the problems as they don't see the issues that often........to be fair they could get their own back and ask me to change a timing belt !
Certain vehicles have known issues, we can help with that and also anything that is obvious to us but not necessarily to the bamboozled owner.......
a/c is relatively new here and owners are catching on to maintenance but are sometimes still misguided by inexperienced individuals a bit timid to say' I don't really know
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