i recently bought a 2001 durango v8 a/c didnt seem cold so i added a can of 134a ,,,it got cooler but i noticed that the hotter the car got and the day was, the less cool the a/c got,,, i know thats somewhat normal BUT i noticed that when a/c was off and blower was off air was still coming thru the dash vents (this doesnt seem right),,, i also noticed that both water hoses going into firewall were very hot (SHOULD THEY BE???) is there an apparent malfunction and if so what steps do i need to determine and correct the problem i am thinking my a/c is not entirely the fault here but maybe a vent door switch or actuator,,,, as i am new to dodge i can use any help or ideas out there,,,ty

 

If the a/c and blower is off, you should not have any air coming out of the vents unless your on vent mode settings.

Check to make sure your auxillary electric fan kicks in when you use your A/C.

Check your condenser coil localted directly in front of your Radiator. Make sure it is clean and free of debris to get good air flow.

it could be your H Valve that may need replacing if your pressure and freon is nominal.

Otherwise, if eveything checks out, you may want to insulate the A/C return lines from the firewall back to the compressor.

A recommendation: Get yourself a good dashmat to cover that huge dash. It will make a WORLD of difference in cooling your D in the summer. I rarely move my blower beyond the 2nd speed setting to maintain cabin temp in 100+ Texas heat.

 

Maybe it is time to have the fluid vacumed and refiled with new fluid.

Hey kensai, your in tx, whats up man?

 

DRO318,

You do not want to recondition or replace the fluid. The chemical state of freon will never change or degrade if it is not contaminated. The only times you would replace the fluid is if it is low, or comtaminated. If contaminated, simply replacing it will not solve the problem as the new fluid will also become contaminated. The only things that can contaminate freon are:

moisture, burned out compressor. Moisture is only present in the system if the freon was installed improperly or if the system ran low on freon due to a leak on low side where the low side went into a vacuum state and could have pulled in moisture from outside. This means, if you did not purge the lines really good when you hookedup, your lines may have air in them which has a good chance that the air also has moisture.

 

I had mine vacumed and filled because of the same issue it has been great ever since. haven't had any problems, cold as ice

 

I agree Kensai but with questions?

A lot of people I have heared did the evac and refill and it fixed the system. This is my question to you; If freon escapes and is recharged the lubricant inside the system stays from the older charge thus lowers the level of freon in the system at the same charge. This would create a shallow coolness. Therefore a vacuum would be needed.

Although, heat from the motor will increase line temps so I think they should be wrapped, this helps for a couple of degrees. Also great idea on the dash cover.

 

Do you just rap the lines or everything the lines connect to under the hood canister and such

 

I have a similar problem on my 01rt....the unit was parked, unused, for 7 weeks during some 80 degree weather and when I got back to using it I found that when in ac or defrost the system makes a sound like it is 'breathing' from the right side of the dash.....also the rad cap has shown some blow by. when in as it will blow hot

until I parked it..it was running very cold.

any ideas?

 

I have a similar problem on my 01rt....the unit was parked, unused, for 7 weeks during some 80 degree weather and when I got back to using it I found that when in ac or defrost the system makes a sound like it is 'breathing' from the right side of the dash.....also the rad cap has shown some blow by. when in ac it will blow hot

until I parked it..it was running very cold.

any ideas?

 

Anytime you have to perform a evac and refill is due to the original freon being contaminated. Freon is freon, it has its own lubricants. Only the compressor may have addltional fluids to lube itself and the fluids will not disturb the operation of the freon properties.

The most common problems that needs a evac and refill is moisture contamination. Anytime moisture is present in a freon based system, it will freeze up at the Thermostatic control valve (H-Valve). This will further restrict the amount of freon entering the low pressure coil, thus not having enough freon to absorb the btu heat content from the air. Ever had that intermittent cooling issues? This happens when the A/C turns itself off or you manually turn the system off. Once the moisture that was frozen eventually melts off, the A/C will run fine again until the moisture works it way back to the other side and back to the H-valve and freeze up again.

Most autos do not have a freon filter installed on the system that I know of compared to alot of home A/C's and home refrigerators that do have them. These filters can filter out most contaminates including moisture.

Anytime you have a burned out compressor, you must evac and purge the system before refill. Burnt oil from compressor can cause alot of problems if it got mixed in with freon. Usually when you encounter extremes like this, it is best to install a freon filter into the system to ensure long life and no headaches down the road.

I have not installed a filter in my A/C system on my Durango as I do not have any cooling problems. But if I ever have to refill my system due to a leak, I will go ahead and install a freon filter to ensure I won't have any troubles.