kstrongsyj

Hi all. First post here but I have been lurking for a little while. I have a long story for ya on my A/C system....and is probably more of a whiny, get it off my chest than anything else :'(

I have a 01 2500 4x4. Bought it used in Oct of 01 with 14K miles on it from a dealership. Loved it from day one, but had lots of little probs with it (heated mirror didnt work, center console latch broke, etc etc) So when I was at about 4k before warranty was over I took it in . Well, not even a day after I made the appointment to drop it off the A/C up and quits on me. I thought I had noticed it getting a little warmer but then one day BAM....no more cold at all. So I included that when I took it in.

So I drop the truck off after hours and pick it up after hours 3 days later....I am told everything is fixed. I neglected to obtain the paperwork from that service (I know, my fault) Everything WAS indeed fixed, and I was a very happy camper... until about 7-8 weeks later. I am now a couple thousand miles out of warranty and sure enough A/C bombs out on me again.

I call the dealership back. "Well, according to the system it says they leak tested it and could not find anything wrong so we just recharged it for you" : Hmmm, interesting I said. Well apparently there is something wrong because it just went out again. "And?" And I want you to fix it properly this time. "but you are out of warranty now sir, I am sorry we cant help you"

Thats a very condensed version that I neglected to mention my cursing and eventual hanging up on said dealership > Well, that was all last summer and since then I have been adding those r134 recharge kits to it...and it works good for a month or two then goes dead again. I honestly forgot all about it through the winter but this weekend it finally warmed up and I remembered I have no a/c. Tried another one of those bottles and this time it didnt really even cool the air much, let alone make it cold.

Moral to the story.....where do I start? I am very mechanically inclined, just dont know anything about a/c systems. Is this a project I can tackle myself or do I have to waste my money having someone else work on my truck and not knowing if it is really fixed or if its going to go out again in 2 months [undecided]

Thanks in advance!

Shovelhead

You might want to have the system leak tested again and check the Evaporator Case (the Under-the-Dash) part really closely.
Several have found that the accumulated leaves and such that find their way into the bottom of the Evap. case cause the Evap. itself to "rot out".
Not a fix for the faint-of-heart, or those with limited mechanic's skills as the entire dash needs to be removed.

MnTom

Check all the A/C lines for traces of oil. When there is a leak the size you have, there will be oil seeping at the leak. Another thing you can try is to put some h134a in and have some one with a "sniffer" type leak detector (the type for refrigeration) and see if you can find it. If that won't work, try putting some dishsoap and water into a spray bottle and spray the A/C lines. It will bubble where the leak is. Then you can figure ot how to repair it.

Stamey

Well those idiots you took it to before forgot the first rule. If the AC system is empty now then it HAD to leak out, therefore there has to be a leak.
I suggest you find a good garage or AC shop that can hook you up. There is a dye you can put in your system to help find a leak, but I'm skecptical on how much problem it can cause in the system down the road. For small leaks, it doesn't do that much good either. A good shop will have the necessary leak detector to find the problem. It requires charging the system, check for leaks, reclaim the system, fix the leak(s), recharge again, and of course check for leaks again.
Oh, and I second Ed's idea.

Chris

samfox737

If they Dodge dealer fixed your truck under thw warranty they will have a record of it in the computer. Have them enter the VIN number and check it that way.<br><br>Cheers!!

D4Fritz

If it helps any, I just went through the same problem. Last year probably used 4 r134 cans. Refused to take it back to the dealer, so stopped by a little A/C place. They checked it out and found it to be the core in the high pressure valve. The replaced it, charged me $75 and it seems to be fixed.

tishmael

I had the same experience. My A/C quit and the dealer recharged it under warranty. Sure enough, a few months later and out of warranty it quits again. Then they say they'll fix it for a fee.<br><br>Anyway, I took mine to a local mechanic and he leak tested it. It turned out to be the evaporator core under the dash. He said he has replaced several of them, so it could be the same problem with yours. It is evidently a weak point on these trucks. The core was only $135 I believe (dealer only item), but the labor added up a little because it is so hard to get to and replace.<br><br>Good luck!

kstrongsyj

Thanks for the replies! 8) SO far evertyhing (incluiding taking outthe dash) is all within my realm of ability. No matter how much I dont want to SO sounds like I have to have it diagnosed ... and that is probably something I cannot do on my own Then once I know what it is I can do the rest myself :'( What a pain.