As I thought I was about done fixing everything possible on this truck the A/C has stopped working. It blows out air but just air. It's not cold at all. The A/C is one of the few things I haven't fixed yet. Anyway I've got the idea in my head that it's going to be the evap. core that's leaking as when I worked at a shop we did these things quite often. I mean we had this issue way more than any other I can remember on any truck. They always asked if mine had it replaced yet to which the answer was no. Anyway, not that it's not working instead of just replacing that I'd like to check it. Do they sell any home kits you can buy with the dye in it to see where it's leaking? What would be the best way to do this or should I just take it to a shop? I don't want to sped a ton if I don't have to but at the same time I want my A/C back.

 

you can buy a 2oz or 4 oz can of dye/R-134a. You need a cheapy walmart can piercer/low side quick connect. You may want to also buy some dye remover and spray off the low side port once you add it. When you release the quick connect a quick discharge of dye and refrigerant it'll spray out, and another fairly common A/C leak point will be the schader valves and you won't know it with dye already there. The dye takes a black light to check BTW, you can use a cheap doggy pee stain detector they sell at Petsmart to check

To get an honest idea of what's going on, you really need a manifold gauge set, Harbor freight is usually the cheapest place, just make sure you buy one that goes up to 330PSI on the high side.

If you find that it's a very small leak and you don't want to tear the whole system down, try a bottle of Red Angel A/C stop leak. I found it at Napa and it's worked really well for me thusfar. padodgeram said they'd used it at their shop with good results in the past and it won't clog up the shop A/C machine's filters should you need to take it in for a professional servicing.

 

Ok so I went and got a can of stuff to refill the truck. Anyway when I hooked the gauge up it read as empty. Didn't even move the needle so I put some in. It started going up and withing probably 20 seconds if that was at the top of the blue. It says blue is full and any further it will have too much. It's at the top of the blue so I stopped. Anyway now you can hear the AC compressor kick on for a second or so then it sounds like it cuts off then kicks on again for and clicks on and off. If you look at the gauge when it kicks on it pulls it from the top of the blue down to the middle of the green witch is low then it slowly moves the gauge back up to the top of the blue when the A/C compressor cuts off. This is with the Air settings on Max AC and it all the way to cold. It doesn't seem to be getting cold at all still. Does this mean the compressor is bad? Or is it a mix of the compressor and evap coil or what?

What's involved in changing the compressor if that's what it is?

 

I got it filled up so it's in the range it should be on the gauge. A little low but in the range and the A/C compressor is staying on now. The air is getting cooler. So should I just go ahead and figure it's the evap coil and replace that or should I put the dye in it and see how it goes?

 

Dye it so you know exactly where it's leaking. No sense fixing a part that might not be broken, especially when it takes that much work to get at it.

You should always take pressure readings when the compressor clutch is engaged, that's the reading you go by to refill. The compressor is designed to kick off when the r-134a charge is too low to avoid damaging the compressor. I always fill a little, let it run and stabilize, fill a little more, stabilize, etc. The one thing you don't want to do is overfill, because then you have to get some out. be careful what brand of r 134a you buy and don't get any that has a stop leak in it, as those types will clog up a machine's filters and the shops won't work on them. They test your coolant around here before they'll work on your A/C and if they find crap in it, they won't work on it.

 

hi guys just finished reading about your problem. Had my evaporator replaced about a month ago. Its a big job, dash has to come out and all that. But what i didn't realize was that the dryer had to be replaced as well.
I had the same problem as you have stated above. The refrigerate lines would be cold to some extend, but I had no cold air. So with a small leak in the evaporator and a plugged dryer, both had to be replaced.

I have cold air now quicker now than I think I ever had in my 98 quad cab was new. I know I wasn't much help, but you might have to replace your dryer as well.

cheers
kayakman

 

I've got a mechanic basically walking me through this stuff from a Honda forum. I spilled a lot of the uv dye and made a huge mess. I tried to clean it up but can't get it off the intake manifold and firewall and stuff so now when I see it on parts hard to tell if it's from being spilled or if it's leaking. Did you replace your evap and dryer yourself? He told me I needed to do both if I did one. We haven't gotten far enough a long talking about how to do that yet. Any idea where it is? How hard was it? Any other parts I need to replace if I go do it? He said the compressors are also common for leaking on these that's why he wanted me to use the dye.

Is the evap something I can do in a day having never done anything of the sort before?

 

The dryer is the part by the PCM that looks like a can of Coleman fuel. To change the dryer and the evap core you have to evacuate the system, then swap them out and then draw a vacuum on the system and reload the whole thing.

 

you have to rip the whole dash apart ot get to the evap core. it's a whole day job and you might wanna buy a heater core too just so you don't have to do that later while you have the dash apart.

 

had my evap core replaced this summer. $700 job, I think its rated at 5-6 shop hours.
just watch your connectors on the steering column. I had a working left blinker, but no right blinker, I tracked it back to the wiring harness not being screwed tightly.

I know the feeling that you have when you just fix stuff and something crops up. I am still driving around with a leaky drivers side seal... i top off the oil at each oil change. I might try it this fall before it gets too cold.