I have a 2014 Ford Explorer, with 100,000 miles on it, that had the CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM light come on in the morning for a couple days. At the same time the light came on the power steering would not work for a few minutes and then the light would go off and steering would com back. No other problems. I took it to the shop and they said I needed a new water pump, a new alternator and a new battery…lots of $$$. The day I got it back after the repairs, the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air. It seems to me that all of these things are connected to the serpentine belt and that might be the main culprit here (I did bring this up to them when I first brought it in) as it touches all of these parts. Any thoughts on why all these things would break at the same time or if they are looking in the wrong place. No other lights or sounds or issues at all. Thank you
Can’t see it, but first things that come to mind are worn serpentine belt, bad tensioner and\or contaminated dripping on serpentine belt. Or bad harmonic balancer.
Thank you very much. I just looked under the hood while it was on and it looks like the belt is just slipping around the compressor. I turn the air/recirculator on or off and nothing changes it’s not moving. Dumb question but the belt should make the compressor spin, correct? If so, could that be caused by a bad belt as well?
One more thing. As I was looking under the hood, my arm brushed against the tube pictured in the photo below and it made a hissing sound. I then noticed it was loose where it connects at the top of the photo (arrows), like the mechanic forgot to tighten the bolt. Is this a piece of my problem or is it a separate thing and I should just tighten it down.Thanks
Ok, now with more information it’s getting easier. Now can I assume after you got this back from the shop that the charging system and power steering is fixed? Now the only problem is the AC. The part you "brushed is an AC line. If it hissed then you are losing refrigerant. This indicates that the shop fixed your problems and now you have just one issue. The AC system needs to be checked for proper pressures and leaks.
Yes. Thank you