Interior fan not blowing cool air

[Grabber5.sl0w]

Hey guys, have a strange problem going on that's leaving me clueless. Coming home from OC over the weekend about an hour into the trip I noticed that it was getting hot even while I had the fan on max AC. It wasn't blowing as hard as it should be and the passenger side middle vent was blowing hot air while the others were blowing cool but not chilled air. If I turned the heat on it would blow hot air but still at the same low speed even though the fan dial is maxed out. The longer we drove the worse the problem got where it seemed like it was just ambient air that was barely even blowing out.

Well, stopped to eat for about an hour, got back into the car, and boom! The fan and AC are working again. After about an hour into the trip home again it started to decrease again. The worse it got, the more a noticeable air restricting sound got louder. It even started blowing "cool steam" from the vents but stopped after I turned on the recirculation. Fan switches fine from floor, to mid, to windshield. Condensation is dripping fine from the vehicle. The only thing I've done to the car lately is replace the clutch last week.

I hate asking stupid questions but I'm at a loss here and wanted to see if anyone as experienced the same thing. Car is a 2011 Mustang GT Prem with 45k miles. Any input of what to look for or check is greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys,
Trevor

 

[ksack]

I'd check the SJB for water damage. I had all sorts of gremlins when mine got wet.

 

[Grabber5.sl0w]

^^ I'll give that a look when I get home from work tomorrow. Thanks man!

 

[TexasBlownV8]

Check the a/c lines by the firewall and everywhere else, look for any oil residue. The line or condenser (up front) may have punctured and you have a small leak.
Only way to really tell is to hook up gauges and see what the charge is doing, but it sounds like it might be freezing up on you, which can happen if the freon a little low.

 

[05gtowner]

Freon is low. Take it to a ac repair shop or get a good set of gauges and do it yourself. Taking it in is usually around a $100 not including parts.

 

[Grabber5.sl0w]

^^ I will check, but it almost seems to me like its the fan since it's not even blowing out properly. Anyway I can check the freon levels myself? I always thought newer cars should never need a freon refill especially being only 5 years old.

 

[RedfireV8]

Had the same issue on my 12'.

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95104

 

[TexasBlownV8]

Just because it's new does not mean it is a little low. I've had to add just a little to my '11 F150.
If you can safely and properly hook up a set of manifold gauges, and perform the diagnosis and understand and interpret your findings, yes you can do it yourself. While you can 'learn' to do it, you might injure yourself or let all the freon (and a/c system oil) out if you make a mistake.

 

[RedfireV8]

Were you ever able to get this resolved OP?

 

[Grabber5.sl0w]

Actually, I just dropped it off at the Ford Garage this morning so a friend of mine could take a look at it. He texted me about 20 minutes ago and said the following;

"Okay man, I've got it narrowed down. The freon was low to begin with so I think that's the problem. I'm all going to fix a known issue with these and that the a/c evaporator discharge air temp sensor. Plus the cabin filter was dirty. Total will come to just under 100 bucks."

Hopefully that's all it was.

 

[RedfireV8]

Mk cool. Hopefully thats all it is. Keep us up to date with everything.

 

[johnnyhxw]

you checked the clutch?

 

[Grabber5.sl0w]

^^ I just replaced the clutch. Why would that have to do with anything?

Seems good so far. Haven't had a chance to try it out on a long trip yet but I'm pretty certain it's fixed.

 

[Wes06]

I think he meant the A/C clutch for the compressor