How to Charge a Ford F150 Air Conditioner

by Johnathan Cronk

car heater vent image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com

Throughout the life of your Ford F150 you may notice the air conditioning unit beginning to blow out warm air, or taking a long time to cool off the vehicle. This is caused by a lack of refrigerant or coolant within the system. You can take your F150 into a local mechanic and have them charge the system with more coolant, but this job can become expensive. Instead you can purchase an R134a refrigerant kit and recharge the system yourself, which requires no tools and no prior experience.

Step 1

Place the F150 in "Park" on a level surface and allow the truck to cool for half an hour before starting any maintenance.

Step 2

Locate the air conditioner unit low-side service fitting under the hood of the F150. Look for a hose that runs from the compressor to the accumulator; this is the low-pressure hose and you will notice a service fitting on the hose.

Step 3

Connect the recharge hose to the valve on the top of the R134a can. The hose will snap onto the valve when pressed down in place. Twist the valve to the "On" position to open the can of R134a.

Step 4

Connect the R134a service hose to the low-side fitting, hold the can upright to ensure maximum coolant flow. Start the engine of the F150 and turn the air conditioning unit to the highest available setting. Coolant will now begin to flow into the system.

Step 5

Allow the system to continue to recharge until the can of R134a is empty. Turn the engine of the F150 off and twist the valve on the can to the "Off" position. Remove the recharge hose from the low-side fitting. Close the hood of the F150.

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