Partial update here...fan clutch is shot. You can stop the fan from spinning while the truck is idling just by touching the blades with a screwdriver handle. Compressor is shot. I took half a day off work today, took my truck to a shop, they first found the freon was low so they evacuated and recharged the freon, temp at the vent only went as low as 70 and that was with the tach at about 2,000 RPM. The fixed orifice tube had some small metal fragments in it, put in a new one but the AC still would not cool below 70 unless you held the throttle down. Shop estimate to fix it with new compressor, new fan clutch, new receiver-dryer and re-charging the freon was right at $1,200.00..

So I had the shop evacuate the system and not re-charge it. Shop charged me $100.00 for diagnosis time and a new orifice tube, which I think is more than fair. I will buy my own parts and replace the compressor, drier and fan clutch myself and then have the shop re-charge the freon later this week. As it stands now it will cost me about $500.00 in total parts and labor, just figuring it without a calculator handy. If I buy a used OEM Mopar compressor from the junk yard it would save me $140.00. I may do that and use new for the rest of the parts.

Gotta fix it soon, as it is now I have no AC at all. Luckily we have a cool front and maybe some rain coming tomorrow.

Jimmy

 

Good replacing the compressor is easy anyway so is all the rest.

I would go new on the compressor don't forget always replace the A/C Receiver Drier
I have a feeling my compressor will need replacing in the next year or two as summer works your A/C hard in AZ.

 

I completely tore my A/C system apart and updated it to 2001 and up parts that are better and leak less.

My A/C is now way cooler

All new custom made lines and change to 2001 Drier with needed 2001 lines from junkyard.


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Before you put in a new compressor, flush out the lines, condenser, and evaporator. You want to get rid of that metal that you found or it may end up in the new compressor.

You can get a "flush" kit.

Use the SP-20 or the PAG 100 oil. Ebay has some SP-20:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sanden-R134a-PAG-SP-20-SP-15-Compressor-Lubricant-/261439495302?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cdf021c86

 

a new orifice tube will catch any metal scraps the rest will stay in the condenser.

Unless he had the black Death you really don't need to do a flush the only other need to do a flush is if the system had been open for a long time.

Flushing the system is not easy to do is why I say this

If you can pull the condenser to flush it go for it that is all I would flush.

 

Toss one can of this in its great stuff and cools your A/C by a few degree's PAG 100 with ICE 32

 

Some stuff for ya 01SilverCC

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Thanks. My orifice tube did not have anywhere near that amount of crud in it. It was just a few flakes of what may have been metal or dirt. I am in the process of gathering parts now and still need to buy an air compressor for the flush. Heading out to Harbor Freight and/or Home Depot today.

Jimmy

 

Harbor Freight is like a crack shop for me, got a set of manifold gauges there for my A/C. Work great and are inexpensive. Look for coupons online or at least use the 20% off coupon you can easily find. Good luck, keep us posted!

 

Yea that's from the Black Death a complete burn up of the system.

Its not from my Dakota but from some of the junkyard parts I got to mod the system to the 2001 parts.

Black Death you never want that to happen bad news all around.


I never used an air compressor the flush in a can evaporates ASAP on its own let it sit in the sun and cook the residue out