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coralcrazed
Dodge Dakota
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9/16/2009
21:31:54
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 Subject: ac problems...
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I own a 2000 dodge dakota sport and my ac does not function at optimal level. I've taken it to my tech who told me that it would cost $1200 to fix because he filled dye into the ac system and could not find the source of any leak. He thinks that it may be the component behind the dashboard that may be leaking. I think he called it the evaporator coil. For this to be checked he would need to remove the entire dash board in the car hence the labor cost involved. However, if there was a leak anywhere in the loop wouldn't the system not work at all or blow out hot air???? currently it blows out slightly cooled air... On hoter days it would blow out slightly hotter air but the temp of the air is always slightly above ambient temp. So far, I ran out and picked up an AC cleaning kit and an AC sealant kit as well as one large recharge a304 from the auto store. first I ran the sealant kit and than ran the cleaning and moisture reduction kit but haven't noticed any substantial change in AC temp. so the question is... what should I consider the problem to be?
BTW, the cluch operates... serpentine belt is new and installed over ac compressor pully. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as I would love to get the AC working again. thanks so much in advance.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2009
08:32:27
| RE: ac problems...
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"For this to be checked he would need to remove the entire dash board in the car hence the labor cost involved." This is why mechanics are not mechanics anymore. It's possible to test the evaporator while in the car. It just takes imagination and rigging your own tools, which these so-called mechanics are unwilling or unable to do. He could disconnect the refrigerant lines from the evaporator, plug the evap openings with rubber corks, with one having a tube in the center, and draw a vacuum with a hand vacuum pump through the tube. Then observe and see if there is a vacuum leak. It may take only seconds, or coming back and checking after a few hours. Almost free and simple to do. You can buy a hand vacuum pump for $40 and do this yourself, and the pump comes in handy for other diagnostics.
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coralcrazed
Dodge Dakota
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9/17/2009
08:48:56
| RE: ac problems...
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ok I'm willing to try this... any good picture or video referance that you could guide me to? I am going to venture a guess and this is only a guess... i think once I run this test it would reveal absolutly no leak at the evaporator coil. i don't know this for sure, its just a hunch. My gut tells me that it might be some debree or sediment in the lines somewhere. Is ther a way to clean or flush the system of any contaminants? could contaminants cause the AC not to work or blow warmer air?
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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9/18/2009
08:30:48
| RE: ac problems...
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No, I don't have any pictures. And it might hold a vacuum for an hour and still leak under pressure. That's why when I service A/C I vacuum it, let it sit overnight, and check it again, and even if it held, I vacuum again to get the last bit of moisture out.
Evaporators are a common failure point for Chrysler since about 1993 or so. It seems obvious that you do have a slow refrigerant leak.
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Bucket
GenII
9/18/2009
10:37:09
| RE: ac problems...
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Yeah mine has a slow leak as well, and it was such a pain i never bothered to fix it, although i did buy a vacuum pump real cheap at Harbor Freight Tools, ac has always been a real pain for me, it takes alot of time and i hate it.Hey there Bob glad to see your still around and helping out.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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9/18/2009
11:03:00
| RE: ac problems...
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Coralcrazed, I would only use that sealant stuff as a last resort. It's only a band aid for the real problem. If working on A/C systems it's virtually impossible to do anything properly without a set of gages. The first thing I ususally do is hook up gages and start checking pressures.
If you're still having that overheating issue that could be the route of the A/C not working optimally. If the electric fan is not coming on when it's supposed to the A/C will not work properly.
Bob,s got some good advice there. If the system is totally discharged, pull a vacuum on it and see what happens. Your mechanic could have checked the evaporator with a handheld freon detector. They usually work pretty well for pinpointing leaks and you wouldn't have to tear the dash apart.
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coralcrazed
Dodge Dakota
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9/18/2009
13:36:46
| RE: ac problems...
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I'm wondering... where can i get a freon detector? no one around here seems to carry it. I have the guages BTW... i'm determined to try and find the problem. So you guys don't think that it may be debree in the lines? than i guess its a very slow leak.
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daddio
Dodge Dakota
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9/18/2009
13:58:30
| RE: ac problems...
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Has the a/c ever been serviced before? If this problem has just surfaced, I would just top off the charge for now and see what happens. Also, I mentioned earlier, make sure that eelctric fan is coming on as it should. My '00 has the condenser replaced due to an accident and other than that it has never given me any trouble at all. Still blows ice cold and I don't even have a mechanical fan on my truck.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2009
09:36:46
| RE: ac problems...
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I bought a leak detector kit that I'm about to use on my car - a bottle of UV dye, a UV penlight and protective goggles. All for $22. Yes, I have to open the system to pour it in, but the leak point I suspect is either the evaporator, or where it joins the expansion valve. So I'll put it in the compressor, where there are no oil stains, pump some compressed air in, run the system and see where the dye leaks.
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billcofnh
Dodge Dakota
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9/01/2013
21:40:31
|  RE: ac problems...intermittent cut out
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I have a 1999 Dodge Dakota (Sport,3.9L). I replaced the evaporator and dryer about 3 years ago. I had a qualified tech evacuate and charge the system.
About a year latter I experience intermittent cut outs. That is to say, I would be driving along with the a/c cooling fine, then it would stop cooling. I would turn the a/c off and after several minutes turn it back on and have cool air...until the next drop out occurred in a couple of minutes.
This year the bearing of my a/c electric clutch disintegrated (on a long trip of course!) I have since replaced the a/c electric clutch assembly (bear, clutch, & coil) and have perfect a/c cooling (i.e., no more intermittent drop out).
Analysis: Over a period of a year as the electric clutch bearing degraded it generated frictional heat. As the temperature of the electric coil increased, resistance increased, and current dropped to the point where the clutch disengaged --- hence the drop out. When I turned the a/c off (therefore no current to the coil) the coil cooled sufficiently to allow re-engagement (for a couple of minutes only) when the a/c was turn on again.
Diagnosis: If you take of the serpentine and discover axial play or wobble, that indicates a bearing on its way out. Look for discoloration or paint burnt off in advanced case.
Emergency plan: If you experience a/c clutch seizure, buy a serpentine belt for a 3.9L w/o a/c. You might have to try a few sizes. I think mine was about 92 or 93 inches long.
Hope this is helpful to you.
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Scotty
Dodge Dakota
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8/17/2014
18:18:14
| RE: ac problems...
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Ac works fine then fuse will blow replace fuse the second you
turn the key the fuse blowes again. Replace the fuse a little
later ac works again
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billcofnh
Dodge Dakota
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8/20/2014
20:21:59
| RE: ac problems...
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Scotty,
If it is Fuse E (15A) in the Power Distribution Center you are talking about, then if may the A/C Compressor Clutch has a short circuit or the wire upstream of the clutch and downstream of the relay is shorting to ground.
Testing: "The A/C clutch coil resistance test is performed with an Ohmmeter. A result of 0.00 indicates that there is a short in the windings and a result of O.L or infinity indicates an open in the windings. There's nothing special about a clutch coil, most are in the range of 2 to 5 Ohms, and any reading below 2 Ohms or over 5 Ohms indicates a bad coil. The diode should be tested as well. Diodes are like one-way check valves because current is permitted in one direction and not the other. Many multimeter have a selection or function for testing diodes. This is because many coils contain Zener diodes that allow current only up to a certain threshold. If unsure, check with the manufacturer's manual for specifications and special procedures for performing the A/C clutch coil test."
In my case the clutch bearing was in an advanced state of failure and the wire winding of the clutch was all tore up causing a short to ground that blew the fuse. My clutch bearing was at the point of seizing and the serpentine belt was starting to smoke.
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