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Car Forum / Chrysler Cars / October 200699 T & C Air conditioning problem
The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at the beginning of the summer. Took it to a non dealer service center and they evacuated and recharged. Worked fine for two months then gradually stopped cooling. So Im assuming it has a system leak. How do you go about locating the leak? If it is one of the major components that is leaking, would a scan tool diagnose the problem? Does the HVAC system have its own computer? Frank Frank Boettcher Wrote: > The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent > service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Frank A good repair shop can check for proper feron charge and run a leak test and find the leak. Some scan tool will pick up low freon. But the proper way ia a pressure gauge test on low and high side with these. http://tinyurl.com/jt94c http://tinyurl.com/qvn5k http://tinyurl.com/q2h9j  SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com or can look at a known problem area yourself open glove box and drop it down out of the way you will see a black rubber plug in the side of a black plastic case pull it outward with out damaging wire and look inside hole with a bright lite if you see a black like oil film on the bottom of the evap coil then your evap is no good and leaking there is also issues with rear ac./heat systems leaking at the rear connections and pipes again oil film show up easily > Frank Boettcher Wrote: > > The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > http://www.automotiveforums.com >or can look at a known problem area yourself >open glove box and drop it down out of the way you will see a black rubber plug in the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >there is also issues with rear ac./heat systems leaking at the rear connections and pipes >again oil film show up easily dropped the glove box and see the plug, trapezoid shaped, has an electrical connection fixed to the outside of the plug. Can the connection be disconnected to take a look and then reconnected without any issues? plug will not come out far enough with it connected and I don't want to dislodge or damage the wiring or sensor. With it disconnected it appears the plug will pivot down and the sensor side wiring will not be stressed. I can tell from cracking it open that the evaporator is back there but can't get a good look at the bottom. Frank >> Frank Boettcher Wrote: >> > The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> >> http://www.automotiveforums.com careful; do what yuou have to to get it out > >or can look at a known problem area yourself > >open glove box and drop it down out of the way you will see a black rubber plug in the [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > >> > >> http://www.automotiveforums.com > The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent > service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Frank The best way to locate all leaks is by doing a dye test. More the likely the evaporator is what is leaking, a common problem for this vehicle Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech >> The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent >> service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >Glenn Beasley >Chrysler Tech Thanks I'm assuming there are two evaporators with rear air. Is the front the most likely to be at fault? And can the dye check detect it without exposing it or is it process of elimination if no other leaks are detected? I'm led to believe it is hard to get to, therefore expensive to change out. Frank >I'm assuming there are two evaporators with rear air. Is the front >the most likely to be at fault? And can the dye check detect it >without exposing it or is it process of elimination if no other leaks >are detected? I'm led to believe it is hard to get to, therefore >expensive to change out. <snip> Correct assumptions all. Due to debris such as leaves and other trash falling into the cowl and entering the heater box the front evaporator normally fails. The rear evap is not exposed to these elements. A dye test is used to basically check all outside fittings and components. The front evaporator is under the dash and in order to see if it is where the leak is coming from you would need to use the special lite to look at the a/c drain for signs of dye. Alot of times this will not show up and the evap fin temperature sensor will need to be removed to get a peek into the housing where the evap sits. Make sure if you use this dye you dont forget to check the condensor for leaks Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech On my old 1994 GC, there was a small leak in the A/C system. My shop put an additive into the system which will plug small leaks. It worked like a charm! We figure the leak was in the condesor (under the dash!$$$), but after adding the stop leak to the system, all was well. That was done over 3 years ago and the A/C was still working just fine when the van was totalled in an accident. >The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent >service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Frank For clarification, the condenser is in front of the radiator under the hood. The evaporator, as noted in previous email in this thread, is located inside the passenger compartment under the dash. One is fairly simple to replace while the other is a PITA. Bob > On my old 1994 GC, there was a small leak in the A/C system. My shop > put an additive into the system which will plug small leaks. It worked [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> >>Frank My Bad. Thanks Bob. >For clarification, the condenser is in front of the radiator under the hood. >The evaporator, as noted in previous email in this thread, is located inside [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >>> >>>Frank Did the shop who did the recharge check for leaks prior to their work? I believe they are required to in most areas. The source of a leak can be difficult to find, and small slow leaks - like you may be desribing - are especially difficult. But before you begin tearing things apart, you should seek professional help. My experience with this generation minivan would have me looking more closely at o-ring seals and the compressor's main seal. Both tend to dry out and leak with age. Depending on how you use your system, infrequent use could be your biggest culprit. Where you live (you didn't say, right?) also can introduce other issues. Tree leaves, etc, as indicated by others posting replies, can be an issue. Driving a lot on gravel roads can toss rocks at the lines running to the rear unit and cause punctures. My advice remains the same: seek professional help. A good shop will quickly locate the leak and explain your options. My 2 cents. > The AC on my '99 T & C, with rear air, after seven years of excellent > service has finally developed a problem. System stopped cooling at [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Frank |
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