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Old 04-30-2014, 07:16 PM   #1
meg
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Mirada Ford engine Dash Air conditioner

Just bought a 2011 coachman Mirada Motorhome and the front dash air is blowing warm air and won't cool. Our Ford dealership says it isn't a ford air conditioner Coachman puts in their own air so Coachman has to repair it. Anyone else have this problem?
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Old 04-30-2014, 10:50 PM   #2
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I don't have that problem however Coachmen does not have to repair it. Unless it's under a warranty/insurance policy, any competent automotive AC repair shop can fix it. Lack of use sometimes will cause leakage from the compressor seal. It might just need freon...
Some folks don't use the chassis AC as it may be more economical to run the rooftop unit. Others only run it for defrosting.
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Old 05-01-2014, 08:59 PM   #3
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I have a 2014 and it blows warm too. It only gets cold if I put it on AC MAX. How is it more economical to run the rooftop AC?
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Old 05-02-2014, 07:26 AM   #4
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I have a 2014 and it blows warm too. It only gets cold if I put it on AC MAX. How is it more economical to run the rooftop AC?
The cost if running your generator vs running the chassis AC is variable.
There are so many factors that will affect your bottom line that it becomes
very hard to determine what's best when. Even altitude will play a part.
The basics are things like horsepower loss and genset fuel consumption. Then there is the engine types for both the chassis and the genset.
Most research puts the parasitic drag of the AC at an average of 5HP. It is that loss of power that costs fuel $'s. My genset is the gas powered onan 4000. The spec sheet reads that I will use about 1/2 gal per hour at 50% load.
Soooo, how much more gas do I use per hour to run the chassis AC? Too many variables for me to answer that but my estimate is that it's pretty close to running the genset under normal driving conditions.
Then I look at the goal, keeping the fur kids cool. So I run the chassis AC to defrost and when the sun is roasting us. I run the rooftop when we are bucking a headwind, traversing mountains, or when it's just too hot for the ineffecient chassis AC to keep up. We bought our mini A so we can travel comfortably so that's what we do. If there is a conflict between economy & comfort, comfort wins.
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Old 05-03-2014, 09:44 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by meg View Post
Just bought a 2011 coachman Mirada Motorhome and the front dash air is blowing warm air and won't cool. Our Ford dealership says it isn't a ford air conditioner Coachman puts in their own air so Coachman has to repair it. Anyone else have this problem?
In addition to what's already been said....

Sometimes the valve that is supposed to stop the flow of warm coolant through the heater core does not close completely and so while the A/C is trying to cool the air, the heater is also trying to warm the air. Common on motorhomes and especially Coachmen based on the complaints about this very subject.

You can without too much effort have a bypass installed or do it yourself. This may help but don't expect to get artic air out of a motorhome dash AC set.

By the way in cold weather you have the same but opposite issue. The air is just not warm enough for some folks, because the AC only actually shuts off when the control is set to vent, otherwise the AC runs even when you call for heat. (So I have been told by Ford CS).

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Old 05-08-2014, 02:35 PM   #6
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2011 Coachman Mirada

I also have a 2011 Mirada that I bought new in 2012. Shortly after getting the RV I also had an A/C problem. I brought it to the Ford dealership and they fixed it for me. They replaced the compressor.
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Old 05-08-2014, 03:07 PM   #7
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I have a 2014 and it blows warm too. It only gets cold if I put it on AC MAX. How is it more economical to run the rooftop AC?
The word motorhome and economical do not belong in the same sentence.
It's not because it will save you money, but more like the roof units will cool the entire coach down vs. the engine's AC.
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Old 05-08-2014, 03:13 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by meg View Post
Just bought a 2011 coachman Mirada Motorhome and the front dash air is blowing warm air and won't cool. Our Ford dealership says it isn't a ford air conditioner Coachman puts in their own air so Coachman has to repair it. Anyone else have this problem?
If it's not a Ford installed compressor then maybe the PO swapped it out. The Ford compressors are known to leak from the main compressor's seal and they are not replaceable. You have to get an entire new compressor. Like it was mentioned, it's because they sit for long periods of time without use. I try to run ours often. If the coach has been sitting for a while I'll go out and start the engine, turn the AC on and let if run for a little bit. I also run the genset.

Another thing to check is your vacuum lines. All of the AC/Heater flaps are control via vacuum/diaphragms. If one of your flaps is stuck or if you have a leak you could be letting hot air from the heater core into the vents. Another thing I've noticed in ours is that if you move the temperature knob from max cold, it will blow hot air and when you move it back it takes a while for it to cool off again.
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Old 05-08-2014, 03:16 PM   #9
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The word motorhome and economical do not belong in the same sentence.
It's not because it will save you money, but more like the roof units will cool the entire coach down vs. the engine's AC.
Another thing is that running your genset uses ~1/2 GPH...that's pretty cheap considering you can fire up all your AC units in 100* weather while microwaving lunch, etc.
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Old 05-20-2014, 01:47 AM   #10
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engine Dash AC quick fix

We recently bought a new Mirada 29 DS SE, but since I picked it up in early March, I did not get in a good dash AC test. It turns out that we had the same issue described here: The dash blew hot even on Max AC, and even after switching back and forth and moving the thermostat around.

Our issue turned out to be that the assembly team did not attach the control cables with enough leeway or slack, and they came loose. So even though I was making changes on the dash, the corresponding action was not being relayed to the compressor.

This was diagnosed by our very helpful local Ford dealer, where I took the coach first feeling confident (mistake) that this was a chassis problem; Oops.

It does look like Coachmen (Forest River) is going to reimburse us for this as a warranty repair, we just have to submit it ourselves.

Hope this helps.

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Old 05-28-2014, 08:51 AM   #11
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Another thing is that running your genset uses ~1/2 GPH...that's pretty cheap considering you can fire up all your AC units in 100* weather while microwaving lunch, etc.
Amen to that brother. I didn't buy a coach just to cook my brains sitting in hot coach under the blazing sun.

The very best thing you can do to prolong the life of a generator other than normal maintenance, is to run it. And so I run it.

If we are camping and it's 100 outside, you'll find me in the coach with the ACs running (68 degrees inside), the lunch heating up in the micro and a good game or movie on the HD TV. Yup!

Gary
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Old 06-06-2014, 08:16 AM   #12
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It was the compressor. It was bad. It is a Sanden compressor. The best we can get out of it is 50 degrees . Not bad for a motorhome.
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Old 04-24-2015, 01:17 PM   #13
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We are experiencing the same problem with our 2011 Coachman Mirada. We checked paperwork from previous owner and had a problem and the compressor was replaced. Ours is in the shop now for AC not cooling. We were told Coachman did not leave enough room for air to circulate, causing compressor to lose coolant, eventually causing compressor to go bad. Their solution is to put a fan in to cool the compressor, at our cost, even though we have a lifetime warranty. Anyone have any comment on this fix?
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Old 04-24-2015, 03:05 PM   #14
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We are experiencing the same problem with our 2011 Coachman Mirada. We checked paperwork from previous owner and had a problem and the compressor was replaced. Ours is in the shop now for AC not cooling. We were told Coachman did not leave enough room for air to circulate, causing compressor to lose coolant, eventually causing compressor to go bad. Their solution is to put a fan in to cool the compressor, at our cost, even though we have a lifetime warranty. Anyone have any comment on this fix?
That sounds like hooey to me. I can't imagine how air circulation could create a freon loss.
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Old 04-26-2015, 06:15 AM   #15
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The air compressor, condenser and hoses between the two are supplied and mounted by Ford on the incomplete chassis. The evaporator and controls are supplied by Forest River. They also charge the system. If there is not enough air flow for the compressor it is Ford's fault. Forest River or Coachmen has to pass a approval review to be certified by Ford. The worst thing for the AC system and all systems is the lack of use they get.
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Old 04-27-2015, 02:58 PM   #16
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My dash air went out last year in Las Vegas while 107 degrees. Both roof airs running can only drop the temp by about 20 degrees. Anyway, I also have a 2011 Mirada that I bought new in 2010. I also had an A/C problem. I brought it to the Ford dealership and they fixed it for me. They replaced the compressor. Sounds pretty common.
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Old 04-28-2015, 06:11 AM   #17
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loose fittings cause freon loss, a high head pressure caused by lack of circulated air over the coils could cause a leek in a weak or loose connection, or cause a compressor fail
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Old 04-28-2015, 07:05 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by Beatrice S View Post
We are experiencing the same problem with our 2011 Coachman Mirada. We checked paperwork from previous owner and had a problem and the compressor was replaced. Ours is in the shop now for AC not cooling. We were told Coachman did not leave enough room for air to circulate, causing compressor to lose coolant, eventually causing compressor to go bad. Their solution is to put a fan in to cool the compressor, at our cost, even though we have a lifetime warranty. Anyone have any comment on this fix?
We're ready for our 3rd. I added a can of R134 twice last year, already have 1 for this year.
You can buy install kits at all auto supply, WalMart, etc.

If we (ALL ford mh owners) would run the ac once a week the seals wouldn't leak.
Check this thread on the Georgetown subforum.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...sor-69265.html
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Old 04-28-2015, 06:09 PM   #19
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loose fittings cause freon loss, a high head pressure caused by lack of circulated air over the coils could cause a leek in a weak or loose connection, or cause a compressor fail
OK, Indirect causal factors make sense. So lack of air flow can cause compressor failure. I like the electric fan solution. And maybe one for the genset too?
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Old 05-14-2015, 10:59 PM   #20
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My 2013 Mirada which I bought new, lost dash a/c cooling after 18 months, it was missing a viton seal (o-ring) in one of the hoses to the dash evaporator, which Coachmen had installed. Nice cooling now.

Like others said, my rig is next to my house, I "try" to remember to start the engine, run all A/C's and the generator and move it a few feet to keep the tires round every week or two.
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