2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission A/C Not Blowing Cold

[The Sequel]

My A/C is not blowing as cold as it should. A little history... . The truck is 2 years old and this is the third AZ summer. Last March, I noticed it was not getting cold enough so I took it in under warranty (right at 36,000 miles). Dealer added refrigerant and said it was fine. He said they checked for leaks and found none and that it must have just been low from the factory. I wondered then why the problem didn't come up sooner but it was working well after he added so I let it go. In the last two months it has become increasingly warmer and takes much longer to cool down. After a 20 mile freeway drive this week, the cab still wasn't cool and it was only blowing slightly cool at the vent. Not nearly as cold as it should be. With 45,000 miles on it now I doubt the dealer will handle it as warranty but I'm thinking I'll give it a try.



Any ideas of what the problem might be and do you think the story about it being low from the factory is reasonable?

 

[lizzyhermit]

does it make any difference if you use the MAX setting where you do not bring in outside air? I too live in Phx and lately only MAX gets mine cooled down without extended driving.

 

[The Sequel]

It doesn't seem to matter although I almost always use the MAX setting. I know the AC in my wife's Tauras (1999) and the Crown Victoria (2002) that I drive at work will both freeze you out within 15 minutes or so even when left out in the sun all day. The truck just isn't blowing cold enough. It seems to just not be blowing cold enough from the vent. Although it does cool somewhat after about a 1/2 hour or so.

 

[jsimpson]

When leak detectors can't find the leak, it's usually the evaporator. It collects dust and dirt. The dust and dirt holds moisture. The moisture corrodes the evaporator. AC shops in South Florida keep dozens of Dodge truck evaporators in stock. If your compressor is doing a lot of cycling, then the freon is low. This will hasten the demise of your compressor clutch and your compressor. They are NOT cheap.

 

[lawdog]

The Rams seem to have an issue with evaporator coils going bad. I was told this about 2 weeks ago and was told mine would most likely go bad since it has 56000 miles. sure enough, yesterday it quit, today a new evaporator. Air blew out a 58 degrees, at least until I smashed the hell out of the truck on the way home today..... ARGH. . Now it needs a new condensor, as well as radiatyor, intercooler,grill, bumper, basically everything except paint and bump work on the outer metal...

 

[mediccummin]

a/c actuator

Your a/c sounds like mine, took it to stealer and it turned out to be the a/c actuator. This part controls the flap or door that mixes the air, mine was in op so i was getting more outside air than cold a/c air. It would only get cold after a long time on max air. It's located just under the dash, pas side, just below the glove box,towards center, little control box with small plugged wire loom. Appears easy to replace of course this took 2 full day trips to have done but a/c is working great now. Good luck

Now that I look at my invoice they call it a blend door actuator

 

[M Barnett]

Mine had a slow leak that they couldn't detect. Turned out to be a seal in the compressor. Good now for two years. Make sure your condenser is clear of bugs. Blow them out with air pressure, not water.

Michael

 

[KCJackson]

I'll add my vote for the evaporator... mine was leaking all year, and even with dye in the R134, the techs couldn't find it - UNTIL - finally the evaporator O-rings showed signs of dye. They replaced the rings and refilled with more dyed refrigerant. It was gone again in 10 days. Opened the evap coil and that was it. Replaced the entire evap assembly (coil, liner, connections, etc) and all is frigid again. In fact, we just had a wave of hear here (10 straight in the 90s with high humidity) and a few times I had to turn MAX down a notch on the fan and temp settings because it was TOO cold.



And best of all, it was covered by the Chrysler extended warranty (I have the 7/100 Added Care plan). It took a good 12 hours of labor between the O-ring repair and the evap replacement (dealer's normal rate is $77. 95), and I don't even want to guess what the parts prices were, plus 2 full charges of R134.

 

[jsimpson]

believe me KC, the parts were nothing compared to the labor. The only bad side is that you can expect to replace it again. You can prolong its life by keeping your floor vacuumed regularly and adding the fresh air filter available from Geno's.

 

[KCJackson]

Well, at this point, it looks more and more like I may just order a 2003 HO/48RE in the spring when they're available. At that point in time, it will be 7 years old, about 92K miles (timing the 7/100 warranty perfectly), and it will still be worth around $10K or so - solid down paymant towards a new one.

 

[rrab1]

my 2000 will be in the shop next Friday for a new evaporator, My warranty ran out (7-21-02) 21 day's out of warranty,but my local dealer is taking care of it for meOo. Oo. Oo. My vote is for your evaporator leaking. Don

 

[The Sequel]

It goes into the dealer tomorrow. Service writer said he thinks it should be warrantied since it was already logged in as an issue the first time. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[The Sequel]

Well, the dealer finally found the leak. It was a very small leak in a suction tube. They replaced the tube and the system is working great. The cost was $475 and they agreed to take care of it under warranty except for $100. At first I figured they should cover it all but I guess since I'm 9,000 miles out of the warranty and there is no proof they missed the leak the first time (although I'm sure they did) $100 isn't bad.