Repair 7

The orifice tube on a Ford truck is a hard debris filter for the air conditioning system. If a component in the system fails, the orifice tube prevents the debris from the failure from spreading throughout the system.

Location

The orifice tube resides in the liquid line between the receiver/dryer and the evaporator. The liquid line brings rigerant into the evaporator, the component that removes heat from the air in the passenger compartment.

Purpose

The rigerant flows through the AC system, outward from the AC compressor, through the manifold hose, condenser, receiver/dryer and evaporator before returning to the compressor.

Purpose

When performing a full AC system inspection, after evacuating the system with a rigerant service machine, remove the orifice tube and visually inspect it. If you note any signs of debris in the line, the AC compressor is most likely coming apart inside and requires replacement.

A Ford Windstars air conditioning orifice tube is also know as an expansion tube. The component contains a filter and it screens out particles, such as dirt, grit and metal shavings, in the air from within high-pressure line. The orifice tube should be removed and replaced after all refrigerant has been discharged from the air conditioning system. The tube is located in the Windstars engine compartment.

Instructions

1

Release the Windstars hood latch. Open and secure the hood.

2

Look toward the center of the engine compartment and locate two sets of aluminum pipes. The larger of the two pipes is the low-pressure line. The thinner is the high-pressure line.

3

Follow the high-pressure line to the evaporator. At the end the line is the orifice tube.