Air symptom - vent or AC
#1
Air symptom - vent or AC
Hey all,
2001 360 4X4 Quad
I don't think this is a wild vents problem. I've read and heard for years that when an AC is on, the compressor kicks on and off. I don't dispute that, but I've never noticed it when inside the vehicle. (Maybe you're not supposed to.)
Anyway recently, I've noticed that while driving with the AC, there will be a brief second where the air comes out moist and warmer than it's supposed to, then goes back to normal. It does this every few minutes. I figured it was the AC kicking on and off and I was just now beginning to notice it. I haven't worried too much about it because the AC works great. I thought it might be getting low on freon or something and I just hadn't got around to checking it yet.
But today, I noticed the same symptom while driving with just the vent on. It was a bit cooler than usual this morning, and I just like to have air flow while I'm driving. With the thermostat set all the way to cold, all of a sudden, a blast of warm, moist air came out, then it went back to normal. It did this every few minutes or so, just like when the AC is on. Now I'm thinking it has nothing to do with the AC itself.
What am I looking at here?
2001 360 4X4 Quad
I don't think this is a wild vents problem. I've read and heard for years that when an AC is on, the compressor kicks on and off. I don't dispute that, but I've never noticed it when inside the vehicle. (Maybe you're not supposed to.)
Anyway recently, I've noticed that while driving with the AC, there will be a brief second where the air comes out moist and warmer than it's supposed to, then goes back to normal. It does this every few minutes. I figured it was the AC kicking on and off and I was just now beginning to notice it. I haven't worried too much about it because the AC works great. I thought it might be getting low on freon or something and I just hadn't got around to checking it yet.
But today, I noticed the same symptom while driving with just the vent on. It was a bit cooler than usual this morning, and I just like to have air flow while I'm driving. With the thermostat set all the way to cold, all of a sudden, a blast of warm, moist air came out, then it went back to normal. It did this every few minutes or so, just like when the AC is on. Now I'm thinking it has nothing to do with the AC itself.
What am I looking at here?
#2
#3
Thanks, Spillage. So, my first step is to check refrigerant for the AC. Any ideas on why this would happen with only the vent air on? The two seem to be linked since the symptoms are the same.
#4
#6
#7
Thanks for talking this out, guys. Let me guess - this is something that is only accessible via ripping the whole dashboard out, right? LOL If that's the case, I'll just let it go until everything stops working altogether. If not, I might be able to check it out with some light guidance.
I'm probably not going to mess with even checking the refrigerant - the AC is plenty cold 99.9 percent of the time. I can tell when it's low because I've charged it before. It seems like this newer stuff they use can't take as much loss as the old stuff before the air becomes useless.
I'm probably not going to mess with even checking the refrigerant - the AC is plenty cold 99.9 percent of the time. I can tell when it's low because I've charged it before. It seems like this newer stuff they use can't take as much loss as the old stuff before the air becomes useless.
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#8
If you're on vent (not using the A/C), the evaporator will get cold and the compressor will cut out to avoid freezing it up... this cycling will happen less often when air is passing over the evaporator (using A/C).
#9
#10
Look at the FSM in the FAQ/DIY forum.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...e-manuals.html
(Google is your friend)
This is the generic layout.
This is where it lives
This is the guts
Reading your original post again, I would personally be looking for a vacuum leak... My call is you have early signs of the classic wild vent issue.
Do the fault finding and isolate the real issue, before you start tearing the dash apart.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...e-manuals.html
(Google is your friend)
This is the generic layout.
This is where it lives
This is the guts
Reading your original post again, I would personally be looking for a vacuum leak... My call is you have early signs of the classic wild vent issue.
Do the fault finding and isolate the real issue, before you start tearing the dash apart.
Last edited by Spillage; 08-29-2014 at 09:06 AM.