Dash air conditioner

[Moondoggie]

On the last 20 minutes of a twelve hour trip the dashboard a/c of my 2017 Thor ACE 29-4 quit blowing cold air. The AC button was pushed in and the blue light was on. The temperature dial was all the way to the blue side of the spectrum and the recirculation button was lit. This was a sudden change, it was cold then suddenly went to outside air temp.
I should mention that turning the temperature dial had always acted differently than any other AC I've seen. With most, the further to the red the dial is turned, the less cool the air would get. On this AC the air was either very cold or room temperature--no in between. When the cold air quit I checked all the dashboard gauges. All looked normal.
We're on day one of a two week Florida vacation. Not looking forward to checking into a hotel while the RV sits in the shop. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[JamieGeek]

Well you always can run the genny and use the rooftop air until you can get it fixed.

[Moondoggie]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Well you always can run the genny and use the rooftop air until you can get it fixed.

Sure. And that's the most reasonable option. It's just frustrating because I bought a brand new motor coach to avoid this kind of stuff. It's all under warranty, I guess, but for this kind of money we shouldn't have to deal problem after problem ruining vacations. This is by far not the first malfunction on this 3 month old vehicle. I'm trying to be a good sport about it but...

[halfprice]

I had the same thing happen to my Hurricane the day I bought it and took it home. I drove right back to the dealership as the a/c was blowing 100* air at me. It took a tech an hour or so to find a wire butt connector not crimped. This wire lead to the a/c compressor. Not being crimped did not give the compressor power. He crimped the wire and it hasn't been a problem since.


Good luck. Wish I could tell you where the wire was located but I never saw it. If you're handy maybe follow some of the compressor wires and check the crimps.


Jerry

[Moondoggie]

Originally Posted by halfprice

I had the same thing happen to my Hurricane the day I bought it and took it home. I drove right back to the dealership as the a/c was blowing 100* air at me. It took a tech an hour or so to find a wire butt connector not crimped. This wire lead to the a/c compressor. Not being crimped did not give the compressor power. He crimped the wire and it hasn't been a problem since.





Good luck. Wish I could tell you where the wire was located but I never saw it. If you're handy maybe follow some of the compressor wires and check the crimps.





Jerry

Thanks Jerry. I'll do some looking around.

[Golf4Fun]

Please let us know if how this gets fixed. Just pulled our 2015 THOR ACE 30.1 out of storage for a run down. The dash AC DOES NOT work. Heater and Vents will blow air; however AC and MAX AC ---- Nothing. Good Sam does not work on motor homes, so we are looking for a repair shop. Will contact Thor for suggestions on repair.

[Moondoggie]

I'll make a point to post my findings. We're midway through the second week of a two week vacation. I plan to drive home running the Ginny and coach AC all the way. I'm hoping a local Ford dealer can take care of it. Otherwise it will be a 6 hour round trip to have it checked out.

[Moondoggie]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

I'll make a point to post my findings. We're midway through the second week of a two week vacation. I plan to drive home running the Ginny and coach AC all the way. I'm hoping a local Ford dealer can take care of it. Otherwise it will be a 6 hour round trip to have it checked out.

Golf, I told you I'd keep you posted on my dash A/C, but I'm afraid my info won't be very helpful. After two weeks of camping in Florida I cranked the engine with the intention of using the Ginny and cabin air to keep cool. No need though, the dash air worked fine, and did so for 2 days and 700 miles. No explanation unless maybe it somehow froze up on the way down? Who knows?
If it glitches again I'll let you know.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

On the last 20 minutes of a twelve hour trip the dashboard a/c of my 2017 Thor ACE 29-4 quit blowing cold air. The AC button was pushed in and the blue light was on. The temperature dial was all the way to the blue side of the spectrum and the recirculation button was lit. This was a sudden change, it was cold then suddenly went to outside air temp.
I should mention that turning the temperature dial had always acted differently than any other AC I've seen. With most, the further to the red the dial is turned, the less cool the air would get. On this AC the air was either very cold or room temperature--no in between. When the cold air quit I checked all the dashboard gauges. All looked normal.
We're on day one of a two week Florida vacation. Not looking forward to checking into a hotel while the RV sits in the shop. Any ideas would be appreciated.

In car A/C's the hot to cold temperature switch is actually a thermostat that turns the compressor on and off when the inside temperature matches the dial. In Thor RV's (at least Axis/Vegas) that dial is attached to a flap that is supposed to mix the cold air from the A/C with outside air. Theoretically you should be able to regulate the temperature of the air coming thru the vents by setting the dial so that the mix of A/C and outside air is the temperature you want. However in both my Vegas and Axis it never worked that way. As you indicated, it is always either all off or all on. But unlike a car in the Axis/Vegas, the compressor never turns off.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

I'll make a point to post my findings. We're midway through the second week of a two week vacation. I plan to drive home running the Ginny and coach AC all the way. I'm hoping a local Ford dealer can take care of it. Otherwise it will be a 6 hour round trip to have it checked out.

This is not a Ford A/C, it is an after market add by Thor, so a Ford dealer may or may not fix it. You are probably better off to find a good vehicle A/C shop.

[Moondoggie]

That's an interesting bit of information. I don't think Iberia ever heard of a set up like this. It will be good to know if I get in a position where I have to take it in.
Thanks!

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Moondoggie

On the last 20 minutes of a twelve hour trip the dashboard a/c of my 2017 Thor ACE 29-4 quit blowing cold air. The AC button was pushed in and the blue light was on. The temperature dial was all the way to the blue side of the spectrum and the recirculation button was lit. This was a sudden change, it was cold then suddenly went to outside air temp.
I should mention that turning the temperature dial had always acted differently than any other AC I've seen. With most, the further to the red the dial is turned, the less cool the air would get. On this AC the air was either very cold or room temperature--no in between. When the cold air quit I checked all the dashboard gauges. All looked normal.
We're on day one of a two week Florida vacation. Not looking forward to checking into a hotel while the RV sits in the shop. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I am not sure if this is your problem...this is what happened to us....
last summer in our NEW Axis ... our a/c changed temps...
after checking things out...I found that both dials were brittle plastic and had fallen apart around the metal piece they fit onto to...
We decided that it would do no good to contact Thor for replacements as they would be the same quality...so we super glued the pieces back together...and they are better than new and our a/c works perfectly !!

I hope your problem is this easy to fix...even tho I found the problem by dumb luck !!

K

[Golf4Fun]

Well after a week of troubleshooting here is the story:
1. Camping World refused to work on our unit because it is a Thor Ace Motorhome. Yes, we did purchase from Camping World. Told us to take to Ford Dealer.
2. Ford dealer would not touch because they are only responsible for the chassis. The dash AC was installed by Thor factory.
3. Took rig to local automotive shop. Discovered the dash control panel was fried.
4. Called Thor for part. And they sent me to their AFTER market vendor Acme Air and told me to take to authorized Camping World dealer. Told Thor they already refused to work on it.
5. Placed part order on Wednesday at 4 pm. Got confirmation from Acme Air for delivery for Friday. Paid for two day delivery.
6. Received an update from UPS that delivery will not happen till Monday. Call ACME asked why confirm for Friday and change to Monday. Oh, we could not get it out in time because we close at 4:30 pm and sent it out the following day. Asked for a refund for the two day shipping costs.
7. Acme refused the two day refund, then sent a notice at 6:57 pm on Friday that they cancelled my order. So much for them closing at 4:30 pm.
So much for dealing with THOR and their sub vendors. I will be filing a BB complaint against Acme. Buyers beware. Never will we purchase another RV from Camping World or Thor..... We have owned 6 and Thor is the worst.

[Beau388]

Here we go again - Ford truck or Ford commercial vehicles does not manufacture the F-53 motor home chassis. Detroit Chassis manufactures the chassis and sources most of the components from other vendors under contract to Ford Truck. It has been that way since 1998. Everything in the front cap except the instrument panel and steering wheel is not Fords. Thus only the A/C compressor is a Ford sourced product. Thor Motor Coach is responsible for everything in the A/C system except the compressor, but all parts are supplied by outside vendors. Part of the RV dealer's contract with Thor Motor Coach is to repair all defects in a timely manner for 10 years. If a dealer defaults on the contract Thor will remove them for cause. In 2016 several dealers lost the ability to order 2017 coaches due to owner complaints directly to dealer. An RV is not like a car in design or manufacture but more like a custom house. You wouldn't expect the house contractor to repair the house A/C would you?

Once the dealer buys the motorhome, it is their responsibility in all things. Thor Motor Coach's responsibility is to supply parts and information to the dealer as necessary.

Unfortunately, I had a $8,500 accident when my coach had only 2,200 miles on it. The other guys insurance paid for the repair, I took my coach to the local Jayco dealer as the selling dealer is 690 miles south. It took Youngblood's RV three weeks to get the parts from their vendors and from Thor and repair the coach. No problems so far for the next 15,000 miles.

You should pick your RV dealer as carefully as you select you prostate surgeon. Convenience is not an entering argument.

[hpycmpr]

Hi, my dash air did not turn back on one morning. It had been working fine until we stopped over night. I turned the ac off at the dash. In the morning I went to turn it on and nothing came on. The lights work, but nothing blowing. I checked the fuses. It is in the shop now.

[Golf4Fun]

Our Ace is now at a big rig truck repair center. Neither Ford dealerships or Camping World would try to fix. We did replace the dash control board, still no cold air. Compressor runs. Due to design , mechanic needs to tear apart dash to get to lines and wires which are buried behind housing. Big rig truck repair shop is also an authorized Ford dealer and is researching warranty. Ours is 2015 with 11K. However, we have been told by Thor not warranted and Ford auto dealership say, not theirs. Will post updates.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Golf4Fun

Our Ace is now at a big rig truck repair center. Neither Ford dealerships or Camping World would try to fix. We did replace the dash control board, still no cold air. Compressor runs. Due to design , mechanic needs to tear apart dash to get to lines and wires which are buried behind housing. Big rig truck repair shop is also an authorized Ford dealer and is researching warranty. Ours is 2015 with 11K. However, we have been told by Thor not warranted and Ford auto dealership say, not theirs. Will post updates.

Unfortunately over a year old - any warranty from Thor would be over... Ford does cover the chassis for 3yr/36,000 mile - but as already stated - only the compressor is installed by Ford - so I don't expect they will cover what isn't theirs...

Only an extended service plan (if you have one) would step in at this point...

[Golf4Fun]

Hurrah, we finally got our Dash AC fixed....$1,400 later..... So, here is what happened. When there is a default in the Dash AC, the system shuts the AC doors and defaults to defrost. After 13 hours of troubleshooting our mechanic found a chaffed vapor line which was leaking and it was buried behind the firewall. The three inches of line was replaced and insulated with a protective tube to prevent chaffing. The dash AC never worked like it now does after this repair. We believe it was always like this and we had just accepted Camping World's explanation that the THOR ACE dash AC really was not robust.... Well, guess what.... now we have AC in the front cab like never before. I'll post the mechanic's detailed report later. Oh, we saw a brand new THOR ACE today, broken down in a parking lot with duck tape on their exterior windows.... WOW, THOR quality is not getting any better.

[riotfoto]

I am super bummed to read this thread. I have an appt at 730 am at the local ford med size truck dealer for a non working front cabin ac on my 2018 Hurricane 35m. Campingworld stated to take it to the ford dealer since they take care of the ac unit. It seems to as though they were wrong again. fingers crossed the ford dealer takes pity on me and helps me fix this issue.

[Golf4Fun]

This is the detailed mechanic's report to fix our dash AC. Took 13 hours of labor.
Checked compressor and clutch was engaging. Checked all fuses and they were okay. Checked air coming out of vents and found the vents were not distributing air out of dash vents when in ac mode. Instead air was defaulting to the defrosters. Checked recirculator door function and found that it is working. Checked vacuum at recirculator door and it was ok. Checked for vacuum at climate control panel and it was ok. Checked all vacuum lines a far as they were ACCESSIBLE and they were ok. Started taking dash apart in order to check air box for a door being jammed. During dissassembly of dash, removed air vents, passenger table assembly, and air hoses to vents. Whe removing one of the vents, found the vent is broken on the back side which allows air pressure to escape while air is flowing to the dash vents. Found the yellow vacuum line CHAFFED and broken about an inch away from where it goes into air box. Cut out broken/Chaffed section of line and replaced with new vacuum line. Used a piece of hose and taped it to vacuum lines to protect the lines from chaffing. Reassembled truck. Put AC system in Vacuum, no leaks. Charged system to spec. Steam cleaned condensor. 13 hours of labor. Now our Dash AC is working properly. Never worked like this from day one. Thank you Gambrielli Truck Sales. Felt sorry for the other Thor coach owner whose brand new coach was riddled with Electrical, brake, and AC problems.