How To Change 2006 Expedition Expansion Valve

(Updated on July 29, 2020)

The A/C expansion valve is found within the air-conditioning system of a vehicle. The purpose of the valve is to manage how much refrigerant liquid tin menstruation throughout this system.

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Whenever in that location is an abundance of refrigerant, the cadre of the evaporator will become as well common cold and eventually freeze. Just similar if there was not enough refrigerant, the core would get besides hot and then overheat.

To forbid either scenario from happening, the A/C expansion valve controls the flow based on the temperature of the evaporator and the need for cool air that is coming from the arrangement.

How an A/C Expansion Valve Works

The A/C expansion valve manages this flow of refrigerant via a rod which exists inside of it. The rod can be moved either down or up, causing the passageway for the refrigerant to be either closed or opened; respectively.

If the passageway is opened, the refrigerant volition be able to flow through. If it is closed, the refrigerant cannot flow through. When you set the air conditioner to a college temperature, this causes more refrigerant to flow through the passageway. That is how the air is able to go colder.

When the period of refrigerant is regulated, it is basically metered by the A/C expansion valve. In other words, the valve is calculating how much refrigerant must flow through the passageway based on the demands being placed onto it.

This not merely includes when the driver sets a colder temperature, but besides when the temperatures outside are naturally hotter. Someday the heat resistance is greater in the surrounding environment, the air conditioner will need even more refrigerant to create a cool temperature in the cabin.

Bad Car A/C Expansion Valve Symptoms

When you have an expansion valve that stops working properly, the symptoms will show up quickly. These symptoms will mostly pertain to the functionality of the air-conditioning arrangement.

If information technology is a hot summer day and yous turn on your ac organization, you will observe something is wrong if you're not getting the cold air that yous're expecting.

Beneath are 5 common symptoms of a bad A/C expansion valve:

1) Warm Air From Vents

The nigh recognizable symptom of a bad A/C expansion valve is when you turn on your air conditioner and warm air starts bravado out of the vents. This would plain mean that not enough refrigerant is making its mode to the core of the evaporator.

Most people will discover this problem at the worst possible time like during the middle of August. You should e'er test your air conditioner in the months before summertime approaches. That style, yous will be fix for this problem ahead of fourth dimension.

Related: A/C Not Cooling? (Here'south Why)

2) Frost on the Vents

A motorcar's air conditioner should never be common cold enough to the bespeak where frost forms on the vents. If you have frosty vents in your vehicle, this is an indication that your evaporator is freezing.

The air that comes out of the vents will also be a lot colder than normal. You lot may recall this would exist a good thing, but it volition actually damage the overall performance of the organization if it continues on like this.

Obviously, in this state of affairs, the A/C expansion valve was not able to stop an overflow of refrigerant from entering the core.

iii) A/C Compressor Always On

If your A/C expansion valve stays open up and cannot close properly, this is how refrigerant continuously gets pumped into the air conditioning system. The compressor will just go along on pumping this refrigerant without ever stopping.

The more than that this goes on, the more stress that is placed on the compressor. Once that happens, other components within the air conditioning system will starting time to wear down and neglect.

4) Inconsistent Airflow

Sometimes a bad A/C expansion valve volition provide an inconsistent functioning in its ability to regulate the flow of refrigerant throughout the organisation. If this were to occur, the air coming out of the vent may be besides cold or too warm.

The air will probable alternate back and forth between different temperatures at various times. People may mistakenly recall the organisation is fine and that it just needs a few minutes to gear up itself.

Withal, if the air e'er goes from absurd back to warm again, then inspect the A/C expansion valve at in one case.

See Also: How to Make clean a Chock-full Cabin Air Filter

5) A/C Organization Failure

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms on this list but yous continue to ignore them, information technology volition eventually result in your unabridged air conditioning organisation failing. In other words, some of the vital components of the air conditioner will exist damaged.

Even if y'all replace the A/C expansion valve afterwards this happens, you will likewise have to set up the other components that go bad likewise.

A/C Expansion Valve Replacement Cost

Y'all will notice when the A/C expansion valve goes bad considering your air conditioning system will ultimately cease functioning properly. It will either produce less cool air or information technology won't produce whatever absurd air at all. At this point, you volition need to replace your A/C expansion valve to fix the problem.

The replacement cost of an A/C expansion valve is anywhere from $200 to $450. The parts cost itself volition be between $100 and $200 while the labor costs will be between $100 and $300. At that place are likewise local taxes and other fees added on as well.

If y'all want to reduce your expenses as much every bit possible, you should request quotes from the unlike automobile repair shops in your area and see which one will requite y'all the cheapest quote.