Topic by Bunny Wabbit

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l have a 2003 Ford Escape XLT.Recently, the air conditioning has started taking a little longer to cool down the car.The air flow just does not seem as cold as it usually does.After driving for a short while, the air finally gets cold.Does this mean that the vehicle needs more freon?The air conditioner has never been serviced, so is this a possibility?How much does it cost?Where is the best and cheapest place to have this done?Thanks!

The extended warranty on the vehicle has already expired since the vehicle has over 70K+ miles.

  Reply by Kim

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What is the best and cheapest way to add freon to your 2003 Ford Escape

You really should not add Freon to your AC as all cars 1993 and newer run R-134a and Freon is a DuPont Chemicals trademark name for R12 and R22 made by them.

  Reply by abelincon

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What is the best and cheapest way to add freon to your 2003 Ford Escape

You can pick up a kit and do it yourself , $20-30.

  Reply by Earth

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What is the best and cheapest way to add freon to your 2003 Ford Escape

My husband bought the can of stuff from Wal-Mart for $19. Comes with the hose already and his Dad did it in my car (Taurus). It only took him about 5 minutes and the air is ice cold now.

  Reply by North

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What is the best and cheapest way to add freon to your 2003 Ford Escape

Just go pick up a can of R-134 and a hose to put it in with and put in probably one can. You can get cans of R-134 at Auto Zone, or other car part carriers like Car Quest or Advanced Auto Parts for under $7. The hose might be around $10. I just put a can in my Town and Country and the air is alot colder now. It is also best to let the car run a little and then turn on the A/C. It hurts the A/C when you turn it on right after you start the vehicle.

  Reply by Wil

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What is the best and cheapest way to add freon to your 2003 Ford Escape

You probably do not have a problem. Remember it is summer & a car that has been sitting in the sun all day absorbs a ton of heat.

Ambient (air temperature) will play a critical role in how long ur Escape will take to cool down the interior. I recommend that after u drive a while & the car starts to cool off on a real hot & humid day, insert a thermometer (a/c thermometer from auto parts store)in the center dash vents & the temp should be in the 40 is with blower on medium.

On a cooler less humid day the truck will cool down faster. Until the truck cools down, do not run the a/c on max, this is a recirculate mode that re-cools the already cool air in ur vehicle

If this is not the case, when the a/c is on, verify that the compressor is turning all the time & the electric fan is on. If the compressor cycles on & off u probably have a leak & need to get the truck serviced by a reputable facility or ur local Ford dealer