Dash air conditioner

[gnach]

@Beau388 "You should pick your RV dealer as carefully as you select you prostate surgeon. Convenience is not an entering argument."

That's beautiful, thanks. And stolen!

[SuperBoar]

At 3000 miles the engine Air-conditioner is blowing ambient air while in the full cold position. Pulling the compressor fuse and putting it back in changes the engine sound but not the usual audible click of the compressor clutch engaging.

Already having problems with my local Ford dealer and my unit has not even been in their shop yet. Seems their scheduler failed to mention that the dealer needs two days just to look at it, so a wasted drive. That and their service writer went into full "Not My Problem" mode from the git-go.

So please tell me where is the line between Ford and Thor on the engine AC. I've read where just the compressor is Ford. I would think they would deliver a "cutaway" chassis with a working air-conditioner: compressor, evaporation coil, condenser coil and the other bits to control those parts. Presumably, Thor just adds ductwork and switches... yes?

[gnach]

On reading other threads, it seems Thor buys the cutaway chassis with only the compressor, the bracket and appropriate belt. The other parts are supplied by, no kidding, Acme Air Conditioning Parts, assembled by Thor. At least yours is blowing something. My very new '18 Axis, 350 miles after delivery, has no dash air, no blower, no recirculator and NO CAMERAS! Huh? CW has had it for a month. They want it to be Ford's problem. Yeah, my Axis getting Thor.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by gnach

On reading other threads, it seems Thor buys the cutaway chassis with only the compressor, the bracket and appropriate belt. The other parts are supplied by, no kidding, Acme Air Conditioning Parts, assembled by Thor. At least yours is blowing something. My very new '18 Axis, 350 miles after delivery, has no dash air, no blower, no recirculator and NO CAMERAS! Huh? CW has had it for a month. They want it to be Ford's problem. Yeah, my Axis getting Thor.

Thor MC plant 750 dash air conditioner parts are supplied by EVANS Tempcon. Please investigate any RV dealership BEFORE purchasing any RV, while most are reliable, there are a few that are in business to sell RV and not to repair them. I am fortunate to have three independent RV repair shops in the San Antonio area. The going labor is $130 an hour with the techs making $60 per hour. The good news is, if the parts are in stock, you drop the coach by at 7:30 in the morning and it is ready that afternoon. When my coach was sideswiped, it took Iron Horse RV only 8 days to repair and paint the $11,000+ damage. That included the time for Thor MC to ship the parts.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by gnach

On reading other threads, it seems Thor buys the cutaway chassis with only the compressor, the bracket and appropriate belt. The other parts are supplied by, no kidding, Acme Air Conditioning Parts, assembled by Thor. At least yours is blowing something. My very new '18 Axis, 350 miles after delivery, has no dash air, no blower, no recirculator and NO CAMERAS! Huh? CW has had it for a month. They want it to be Ford's problem. Yeah, my Axis getting Thor.

Acme? The same guys who supply the Bombs to Wiley Coyote?

[Rxster08]

Golf,
I have read your story with a lot of interest. We have a 2017 Axis 25.5 that has been experiencing intermittent operation of the dash a/c. We've had it to our local A/C shop where they appear to have been quite diligent and we leave the shop with the A/C working well, but then we are still experiencing problems when on the road. Have you had any issues with the A/C after the chaffed line was repaired back in 2017?



I also wanted to share a story that occurred on our recent outing. When we pulled into a South Carolina welcome center, we spotted another Axis in the parking lot and pulled up along side them. I chit-chatted the owner and asked him how he like his rig. He told me that he loved his 2020 24.1, but that the dash A/C was only working some of the time. He told me that the A/C stops when the "condensate does not drain".


Is this guy pulling my leg or is there some type of design flaw that results in the dash A/C working only intermittently?



Thanks in advance,


Rxster

[Onroadagain]

We have a 2016 Thor Ace 30.2. The dash air will only blow on lowest setting. Turning it to Max doesn’t increase the flow. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Neil

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by Onroadagain

We have a 2016 Thor Ace 30.2. The dash air will only blow on lowest setting. Turning it to Max doesn’t increase the flow. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Neil

The dash A/C fan is a 12 volt DC fan and technically has one speed, #4. Evans uses a dropping resistor pack or a bipolar transistor to control the fan's speeds. The lower the voltage or current the slower the fan runs. So if you have only #4 speed, the resistor pack is not working. If you have only one of the other speeds, the switch is not working and needs to be replaced. This is only a guess but any good A/C shop should to be able diagnose and fix the problem. Do not take back to a RV or Ford dealer.

[Hittntherooad]

Originally Posted by Onroadagain

We have a 2016 Thor Ace 30.2. The dash air will only blow on lowest setting. Turning it to Max doesn’t increase the flow. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Neil

Apply 12 volts directly to the fan motor. If it speeds up, most likely as was mentioned it’s the resistor pack. Easy fix as long as you can get to it.

[Onroadagain]

Originally Posted by Beau388

The dash A/C fan is a 12 volt DC fan and technically has one speed, #4. Evans uses a dropping resistor pack or a bipolar transistor to control the fan's speeds. The lower the voltage or current the slower the fan runs. So if you have only #4 speed, the resistor pack is not working. If you have only one of the other speeds, the switch is not working and needs to be replaced. This is only a guess but any good A/C shop should to be able diagnose and fix the problem. Do not take back to a RV or Ford dealer.

Thank you. That’s helpful

[Onroadagain]

Thank you. Both. That’s helpful.

[Onroadagain]

Thank you

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Onroadagain

We have a 2016 Thor Ace 30.2. The dash air will only blow on lowest setting. Turning it to Max doesn’t increase the flow. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Neil

We recently sold our 2016 Axis 24.1 to downsize as we are staying closer to home now....ANYHOW....
REGARDING THAT PESKY dash a/c ....
we had an issue the first summer we had our Axis, which we bought new in January 2016......I pulled off the fan adjustment dial.....to find that the plastic sleeve which turns the fan to different speeds was in several pieces....
at our next stop, we bought a tube of super glue and we carefully glued all the pieces back in place and have had NO MORE ISSUES WITH THE A/C !!!
.....we also, have a 20 yr old Wrangler which has the same issue...and same fix!!

[Onroadagain]

I will check that. Thank you.

[Traina]

Check and see if you have a Rush Truck center near you. They are great. Repairs, oil changes, alignment etc Tgey work on all Ford F-53 and others, all ambulances ,fire trucks etc

[PalazzoBob]

Looking for some help from a fellow Palazzo 36.1 owner.
Trying to recharge the chassis ac and the little sticker on the bottom right hand corner of the evaporator is missing....this would indicate the proper charge.
Freightliner and Thor are of zero value in assisting so I figured the best option was to see if someone out there with a 2014 would post a picture of that sticker for me please.
Thanks in advance.

[16ACE27]

The sticker is a starting point. A good A/C technician with the proper tools/gauges can properly charge the system without a sticker just like in the days before the stickers were applied.

[PalazzoBob]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

The sticker is a starting point. A good A/C technician with the proper tools/gauges can properly charge the system without a sticker just like in the days before the stickers were applied.

Well yes but the only thing anyone seems good at anymore is writing a bill and beyond that best of luck. Freightliner dealer who should have good people and good tools have already wasted over 3 hours messing with it and it still doesn't feel right. Past motorhomes that I have owned it seemed that when they got to around the 10 year mark the ac performance would dip a bit and so we would evacuate, check for leaks and refill to the quantity specified on the sticker and all would be well for many more years.
That is all I want to do but the sticker peeled up after an oil spray and disappeared.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by PalazzoBob

Well yes but the only thing anyone seems good at anymore is writing a bill and beyond that best of luck. Freightliner dealer who should have good people and good tools have already wasted over 3 hours messing with it and it still doesn't feel right. Past motorhomes that I have owned it seemed that when they got to around the 10 year mark the ac performance would dip a bit and so we would evacuate, check for leaks and refill to the quantity specified on the sticker and all would be well for many more years.
That is all I want to do but the sticker peeled up after an oil spray and disappeared.

Or you could put the gauges on it and see what pressures you have which may indicate a slight deficit of refrigerant (not unusual after years of use). Then add refrigerant until the pressures are correct and you should get the same result sans the evacuation steps.

[PalazzoBob]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

Or you could put the gauges on it and see what pressures you have which may indicate a slight deficit of refrigerant (not unusual after years of use). Then add refrigerant until the pressures are correct and you should get the same result sans the evacuation steps.

Yes I could but hopefully another Palazzo owner will be kind enough to post the picture and the problem can be quickly solved.