Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) a/c problem

[JMachemer]

well i had to get the air conditioner serviced again this year.



Last year i got the system charged and had the dye added for leak detection. I took it back a month later and they could not find a leak. The a/c stayed cold all last year.



this year the a/c was not cold again. And again they checked for leaks with the black light. It was recharged and put dye in again. I am taking the truck back in a week or 2 to get the black light test done again.



Any ideas? The tech. said it could be a leak in under the dash that does not show up.



Anyone else have a/c problems?

 

[Nukebike]

Yep. My leak is in the evaporator based on not finding it anywhere else. I wonder if I can DIY swap out the evaporator since most the cost is labor. I did it once on a 1983 Dodge van and it was a pain. Maybe I should have someone else do it. I have to charge every week.

 

[sgoeing]

If it takes all year to leak out, just refill. But I digress.





The most common point of leaks is the evaporator. The whole dash has to come out to access the airbox. It was worth it to me to have a shop do it. I had a dealer fix the damage the shop did.



It was worth it to take it to a dealer. I build jeeps, put in stereos, rework axles, but taking a whole dash and a/c system out is just a headache that I don't want to deal with.

 

[JMachemer]

i am hoping that when i do take it back to get the black light check they can find the leak. It is a pain the the a**. Why would Dodge put the evaporator in such a bad place? I know i don't have free time to take the dash out, borrow a machine to do the job, and put the dash on. And i sure don't want to pay the 40-60 bucks an hour to have it done.



I will have to do some asking around about how to recharge my a/c system. Can i do it myself? or pay someone? Does oil need to be added or is oil already in the R134 cans u can buy from the auto stores?

 

[Nukebike]

My shop manual says to add 2 oz of oil if the evaporator is replaced. I wonder how many people have done this themselves. The evaporator is about $300. 00. They say to replace the orifice tube ($30. 00) and dryer which is another $114. 00. Freon on labor is $760. 00. Grand total is approximately $1350. If I just did the evaporator,it would be $300 plus freon as a DIY project. Any recommendations?

 

[sgoeing]

The shop did mine for 700 flat. All new parts under the dash.





The dealer took it all apart, assembled it properly, and then recharged the system for 900. That's no new parts.





The local AC shop was obviously cheaper, but they assembled it all improperly and I had to have it redone.

 

[NDaniels]

Evaporator R+R

I did mine a few weeks ago myself. I was really surprised by the ease of it- I was expecting the worst. Heres the link that I used: http://turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134690 . The only thing that I would clarify is that when you disconnect the park brake, you need to disconnect the rod that goes to the release handle only. I had to stare at it for a minute to figure it out. I bought an air operated vacuum and a set of gauges so I didn't need to go to a shop for anything. Good luck, hope this helps. Nick.

 

[Nukebike]

Is this link right? I didn't see anything on the page to help with A/C evaporator replacement.

 

[NDaniels]

Check out the second post by Walt-L. His directions are for evap replacement. I don't post much, so maybe my link is screwed up, but when I click on it I go right there. Nick.