I have a 2004 Dodge Ran w a Hemi. First I got very little air flow through vents researched here and discovered the Blend door issue, I removed the fan reached in and upward and found the Blend door just laying there with the connector busted off. I removed the door and had massive air flow, then the AC just stopped working the compressor clutch wouldn't engage so I checked the system NO pressure. I purchased a can of coolant and recharged it and the compressor clutch kicked on and Cold air blew only on Drivers side. Shortly thereafter the cold air had stopped clutch had disengaged and I noticed a large area of oil in the driveway. It looks as if it came out through the evaporator drain tube, beneath where the AC lines goes through the firewall.

I know someone out there has suffered this same issue, so please tell me whats going on so I'll be equipped with what needs to be done before I take it to a mechanic. Maybe I won't get ripped off if they think I know what the problem, is.

 

Welcome to the site. When coolant (freon) hits the atmosphere it turns to a gas so it will not be liquid and in a small puddle under the truck. Are you sure it was a oil puddle in the drive way and not water from the drain tube? If it was oil, are you sure it wasnt from the trans or engine instead?

My thoughts are this, yes, you have a coolant leak obviously but you would need to buy a leak detector kit to find out where. Even with a leak though and everything escaping out of the system, moisture has now gotten in so the evaporator/condenser (one of them but I forget which) has to be replaced. Moisture in the compressor is not good either.

 

After I recharged the system, I thought the can was empty but when I removed the guages from the can some of teh chemical inside the can was liquid and it dripped out on my driveway where it left a brownish stain. The stain that leaked out of my truck matched it exactly you can even see where it leaked down the firewall onto the frame I'm sure it came from the AC unit. The coolant I used had a leak sealer addative, I though it was a gas also until I seen the oil dripping from the can. Whats underneath the dash that can leak. why else would the system have gone from 35 LBS to zero in the matter of a few minutes.

 

Well that would make better sense if the can had additives in it. Im not sure what the drain hose connects to. What size (oz) was this can you added?

 

Check the evaporator core, my guess is it's rusted thru and is leaking...

 

If you have oil on your driveway, and you dumped the r-134a refrigerant that fast, its time to pull the evap coil out and replace it---a major undertaking for a do it yourselfer. I would strongly advise you not to put anymore stuff in your system until you have it checked out by someone that knows what they are doing on a refrigeration system. Putting additives in can cause as much trouble down the road as a bad TXV, and if you keep refilling like that, its alsmost a sure bet, you'll fry your comressor-which will triple the cost of the repair. The dash has to be pulled apart (out) to get the coil out.
Sorry for the bad news, but maybe save you a lot of coin in the end.

 

yep, if that coils got to go it's a B*TCH! I lost the blend doors in my Grand Cherokee in '08. The doors were cheap enough, but the dash had to come out, Evap looked ok, but I went ahead and replaced it and the recurc door because I'd be dammed if I was gonna have to take that dash off again.

If (more like when) these doors go again, I'm gonna do the heater treater trick.

BUT, don't just assume the evap is the issue, always take you an air compressor and blow out the drain hose first. Might be that's the only problem...

 

yup,

First things first