2001 Town and Country A/C problem

I have a 2001 Town and Country where the A/C would not cool. I charged
the system with 24 oz. of r124a plus a can of dye. It worked fine for
6 weeks and then lost it's charge. High side 125psi. low 20 psi. Using
an electronic detector there was no signal from the engine
compartment, but it beeped in the front dash vents. It would seem like
a front evaporator leak. What causes the evaporator to leak other than
poor construction?
I called Chrysler and asked if they are having problems with their
evaporators on T & C's. I know they had problems in the past with
evaporators in some models and they entended the waranty on them. I
was told that on this model they did extend the waranty on the A/C
compressor, but not the evaporator. It would seem that a 4 y/o car
with 46k miles shouldn't need to have the evaporator replaced.

It appears that to replace the evaporator the entire dash has to be
removed. I'm pretty good mechinically, but I'm not sure I want to
handle this one.
The dealer quoted ~$1000 for the job.
A friend of a friend ( who is reported to be a good mechanic and has
done a number of these) quoted ~ $800. He also suggested replacing the
heater core since the only cost would be the part.
If I take it to the dealer and there is something wrong with the
compressor the waranty will cover the compressor. I'd be on my own
with that if I took it to the independet mechanic.
Any suggestions?
Should I replace the heater core also?
Has anyonre done this job, and is it as much of a bear as it appears?
Should I personally give it a try?

Thanks

 

How did you remove the '10' from r134a to create 124a freon?

Well, there's bad construction, crappy construction, and inadequate
construction to name three.

Evaporators? Heavens, no! I've never heard of an evaporator failure
on a Chrysler product, let alone a 2001 Town and Country... Please
complete the survey after I hang up with you if you think I did a
satisfactory job of customer service. Thanks!!

Sounds about right.

Not a *bad* idea, but the heater core really shouldn't give you trouble
-- statistically. It's probably a waste of money, unless your mechanic
likes to destroy the soft brass pipes during hose removal.

Treat them as separate issues. At this time you need an evaporator.

Give yourself a day or two time frame to carefully remove and keep
track of all of the bolts, screws and dash components and you shouldn't
have a problem. Do you have the capability of evacuating the system to
29" vacuum before recharging? That needs to be done for a proper
repair.

Toyota MDT in MO

 

I got the r134a on a discount, only $9 /lb.so they call it r124a.
I have the manifold and vaccum pump to evacuate the system.
I'm more worried about all the electronics and connections in the
dash..Someone suggested a two part system for fixing the leak. Has
anyone any experiance with it? I question how good it would be for the
compressor, reciever dryer, or the H valve.

Thanks

 

I wouldn't try any "Mechanic in a Bottle" crap for your A/C system. It
can certainly cause more problems than you have right now. Modern
automotive condenser core tubing is the smallest diameter it has ever
been (more prone to clogging), and your van uses an expansion valve
(more expensive to replace than an orifice tube if it clogs).

I wouldn't worry about the electrical connections. They are all
differently shaped to ease reassembly. Simply label every connector
and part with adhesive memo paper or whatever.

Other random thoughts on the job:
Drop the steering wheel down to get more room to pull back the dash.
Disconnect the negative battery cable and wait a few minutes before
disconnecting any airbag related wiring on and around the steering
column or passenger side airbag. Drain the coolant long before you
start. Use new green A/C orings and lube them with PAG oil before
reassembly. Take out the heater, instrument panel, and radio
components first to get a look at hidden bolts. Remove any A pillar
and kick panel trim that you think might get in the way. When all of
this stuff is out of the way the dash will move fairly easily. Be
careful with the heater core pipes. Break the heater hose adhesion
with a hose removal tool (a blunt pick shaped tool); don't try to twist
them loose with pliers like a butcher.

Toyota MDT in MO