Noise from AC compressor. Normal?

[live_discover]

Update: No change in noise. Its the exact same. Dealership is supposed to be reaching back out to Ford to see what the next step would be.

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[andymacks]

Just got mine back from the dealer after 2.5 weeks in the shop. Issue resolved!! This was done at LHM Super Ford in Salt Lake City Utah. After putting in a new compressor failed to resolve the issue, they had a ford engineer come out and drive it. They basically said it was “an acceptable annoyance”. Thomas Fortune the GM and Ken the shop foreman disagreed. The fix ended up being relatively simple it seems. They put heat tubing around various spots over the air conditioning lines in the engine bay. I’ve only had it back a few hours but I can no longer hear the noise at all. I am extremely happy with the dealership to think outside the box and take the time to fix the issue.

They have submitted their work to ford and it should be available for other dealerships to see on their database. Recommend having them reach out to LHM Ford and speak with Ken the shop foreman.

 

[unixadm]

Got some pics of the lines? Thanks for sticking with this.

 

[1996-to-2025]

Agree, a photo of the engine bay/lines would be super helpful. This sounds like it would much easier to take care of yourself vs. going to the dealer. Thanks for following up, much appreciated!

 

[andymacks]

Here is are some pictures...seriously can't believe this is all that it took. I left the truck out in the heat for a few hours, then drove it for another hour or so while shuttling kids around. The sound is GONE! I am loving the truck again. I'll probably throw a few zip ties on them to secure them better.

 

[1996-to-2025]

Thanks for the photos! Wild fix. I guess there were some resonant frequencies coming from the refrigeration lines or something.

 

[BHunted1]

Just got mine back from the dealer after 2.5 weeks in the shop. Issue resolved!! This was done at LHM Super Ford in Salt Lake City Utah. After putting in a new compressor failed to resolve the issue, they had a ford engineer come out and drive it. They basically said it was “an acceptable annoyance”. Thomas Fortune the GM and Ken the shop foreman disagreed. The fix ended up being relatively simple it seems. They put heat tubing around various spots over the air conditioning lines in the engine bay. I’ve only had it back a few hours but I can no longer hear the noise at all. I am extremely happy with the dealership to think outside the box and take the time to fix the issue.

They have submitted their work to ford and it should be available for other dealerships to see on their database. Recommend having them reach out to LHM Ford and speak with Ken the shop foreman.

Glad it all worked out and a simple fix. Thanks for sharing...
What I'm confused about is what/why did the hoses quiet the noise? What exactly was the noise that they resolved? Leak? Air passing through creating a whistle?

 

[waffleso_0]

Thanks for the photos! Wild fix. I guess there were some resonant frequencies coming from the refrigeration lines or something.

This seems plausible for sure.

 

[fueler]

I had a 2014 F150 and many on forums noticed the AC wasn't as cold as it could be, and cycled on/off maybe more than expected. Putting that insulation around as many hoses as possible helped to resolve that. Now it's a fix for noise! I have a 25 on the way now and am curious as to how good the ac works on this ride. Glad you got it fixed!

 

[RaRaRaptor]

Here is are some pictures...seriously can't believe this is all that it took. I left the truck out in the heat for a few hours, then drove it for another hour or so while shuttling kids around. The sound is GONE! I am loving the truck again. I'll probably throw a few zip ties on them to secure them better.

so just to be clear, you just put some fuel hose on every exposed metal line for the ac you could?

 

[unixadm]

I purchased some AC line wrap, though I do have plenty of hose laying around from my 70 Chevelle projects to replace it. I'm testing it out on the low pressure / suction side first to see if it makes any difference. If not, then I'll continue on with the liquid/high side. I'm first going to test the AC line wrap, and if that doesn't work, I'll switch over to hose. I cut strips that are 2" wide by 5-6" long, and they're adhesive backed. I then installed a cable tie around each piece. I'm going to head out to dinner later and I'll report back if I notice any changes.

 

[unixadm]

I got impatient and decided to take the truck out for a drive. It's about 85 degrees here today. I noticed with the insulation on the suction side, the noise was reduced. I could still hear it a bit, so I decided to grab some 3/8" Gates fuel hose, slit it down the length and install three pieces. Two stubby pieces right where the line goes into the block on the firewall and elbows downwards. I then used a longer section and routed it from just below the clip on the line right by the block going through the firewall, and covers the high side line until it was going under the battery tray. I jumped back into the truck and went for another drive and I can say the noise is largely non-existent, at least today. I noticed the noise would get louder the higher the head pressure or ambient temperature was, but I couldn't noticed it on this last drive.

If you need to purchase hose for the low side, 3/8" heater hose would work. For the high side, 3/8" standard fuel hose (not fuel injection hose) is what I would use, and is what I used. I posted the roll of foam AC line wrap I purchased from Amazon, and I'm going to leave that in place.

Again, thanks for the follow up to this thread. I also tried their fix like four months ago and talked myself out of it, because I suspected the noise was being amplified by the line routing on the driver's side right behind the cluster area

 

[RaRaRaptor]

I got impatient and decided to take the truck out for a drive. It's about 85 degrees here today. I noticed with the insulation on the suction side, the noise was reduced. I could still hear it a bit, so I decided to grab some 3/8" Gates fuel hose, slit it down the length and install three pieces. Two stubby pieces right where the line goes into the block on the firewall and elbows downwards. I then used a longer section and routed it from just below the clip on the line right by the block going through the firewall, and covers the high side line until it was going under the battery tray. I jumped back into the truck and went for another drive and I can say the noise is largely non-existent, at least today. I noticed the noise would get louder the higher the head pressure or ambient temperature was, but I couldn't noticed it on this last drive.

If you need to purchase hose for the low side, 3/8" heater hose would work. For the high side, 3/8" standard fuel hose (not fuel injection hose) is what I would use, and is what I used. I posted the roll of foam AC line wrap I purchased from Amazon, and I'm going to leave that in place.

Again, thanks for the follow up to this thread. I also tried their fix like four months ago and talked myself out of it, because I suspected the noise was being amplified by the line routing on the driver's side right behind the cluster area

You think you could just get it all with a wrap tape or 3/8th file injection hose would be better?

I bet the hose would be more easy anyway, but wrap would probably look better in the end.

 

[unixadm]

On the small lines I think the hose is cleaner. TBH, I don’t open the hood much so how it looked wasn’t that big of a deal. I could remove it all in 15 mins. I just want that noise gone.

I can say after 30ish miles it is much quieter. I can still hear it at idle, but it’s far less noticeable.

 

[andymacks]

https://share.icloud.com/photos/037rtIe3Uvm585I-uMOLzMSKQ

Here is an iCloud link to a video of all the areas that were covered by the dealership. I ended up using zip ties to secure them. Still no noise for me. I tried but couldn’t upload the video directly, even at low resolution.

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