On my 03 Expy, I can only get cold air when in the Max AC mode. This is frustrating because without the temp adjustment, there is no recirc mode for anything other than COLD! This is not very nice, my 01 could adjust the temp.

How about you guys, can you adjust the temp? Is there something wrong with mine, or did Ford make an unwanted change?

 

I work at a Ford Dealership and I own an 03 Expy. It is very annoying and yes, it is an unwanted feature. However, what we do is put the front AC at the lowest setting and then crank up the heat from the rear AC. We love using Max AC with the heater on our 2000 Expy because it is re circulated air. This is very helpful when you do not want to smell the outside air. I will asked about this and see if there will be a fix.

 

I can't figure out why Ford didn't put a button for recirculation like my Ford Focus has? Seems like it would have been easy to do. At least on my 01 F150 I can use MAX AC and keep out traffic fumes (I live in Los Angeles), while still adjusting the temp.

I am wondering if the reason the 03 does not have this feature is packaging. Mybe there was not enough room under the dash to make this work?

If you do hear of a fix, please post it. I would like to have it so I can adjust the temp. I guess for now, I will have to try your idea of cranking up the back temp, but I don't think the kids will like it too much

 

It has to do with the design and efficiency of the heater/evaporator plenum. There is a heater core shutoff valve that cuts the flow of coolant off in the max ac position, where the older bodystyle didnt and flowed coolant through the core all the time. Explorers and rangers have also always used this type of shutoff to make their AC systems more efficient also.