2000 Town and Country Rear A/C not cooling

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by ejlackey, Jun 7, 2005.

  1. ejlackey

    ejlackey Guest

    The rear A/C on my 2000 T&C is not blowing cool air.

    I had taken it to a local repair shop for the front A/C. He had
    mention that there were two systems. The first one they plugged into,
    the air would never get cold. After moving to the other input, they
    got it down to 42 degrees out of the panel. Took about a pound of
    Freon.

    Now I'm noticing the rear A/C is not cool. Took it too a different
    place, more convenient at the time, and they said there was only one
    system, and that there is a flapper valve or an acuator that sends cool
    air to the rear.

    Regardless of the service I'm getting... My real question is:

    Is there two condensers on this system or just one?

    I recall at one point that the water would drip towards the rear of the
    van, and I no longer see that. Just at the front.

    If there is a condenser back there, where is the Freon input for it?

    Haven't had the time just yet to look into real good. Just hoping
    someone would know off hand.

    I tried the calibration technique from another post, pushing the top
    rear wiper button and bottom rear washer button at the same time, and
    holding down until the LEDs flash. It goes through its calibration
    process, but doesn't improve the temperatrure in the rear.
     
    ejlackey, Jun 7, 2005
    #1
  2. ejlackey

    maxpower Guest

    One condensor, 2 evaporators, one in the rear and one in the front. If you
    had to add freon to the system at one time, theres a leak somewhere and that
    could be in the front or rear a/c.
    You could have someone add dye to the system and use a black lite to locate
    the leak, if i had to guess I would say it is in the evaporator...the front
    one. But if the system is low on charge now it will not be very cold out of
    the vents.

    Glenn Beasley
    Chrysler Tech
     
    maxpower, Jun 7, 2005
    #2
  3. ejlackey

    ejlackey Guest

    The front air remains cold.

    I also forgot to mention.. When the front air wasn't very cold, i
    heard a sound like air slowly evacuating (or entering) a cylinder.
    That's the point where I first took it in and they added Freon.

    That same sound is now in the rear instead of the front. And its
    loudest in the trunk area where the air return vent is. I'm guessing
    the rear evaporator must be in close proximity.

    Does that change your diagnosis any?
     
    ejlackey, Jun 7, 2005
    #3
  4. ejlackey

    maxpower Guest

    No. Keep in mind if the system is low on charge, the front can still be cold
    because the distance from the compressor is closer to the front evaporator
    then the rear.
    The hissing noise you heard from the front was a low charge. The rear has an
    expansion valve which could cause a problem but is very rare, I have never
    seen a faulty one yet on that model. There is also a blend air door that
    switches the door from heat to a/c in the rear box, that could cause a
    problem if the door was out of position or the mode actuator is bad but is
    also rare.
    The test you did with the buttons on the control panel that I posted on
    here before does not do anything for the rear heater or a/c, there are no
    self diagnostics test for the rear.
    And the fact that you said you had a leak before and never mentioned that a
    leak was repaired tells me you still have a leak and the proper fix is to
    recover/weigh/recharge with dye and leak test.
    My opinion only
    Glenn Beasley
    Chrysler Tech
     
    maxpower, Jun 7, 2005
    #4
  5. ejlackey

    ejlackey Guest

    And the fact that you said you had a leak before and never mentioned that a
    Not sure I mentioned a leak, rather just water condensation dripping to
    the ground.

    Guess I'll take it to the dealer. I have a decent after-market warranty
    that should cover it if something is at fault.

    Thanks for the advice.
     
    ejlackey, Jun 8, 2005
    #5
  6. ejlackey

    Steve B. Guest


    You mentioned them having to add refrigerant. Refrigerant doesn't get
    used up, it is either full or it leaked out. Do you have any
    specialty A/C shops in your area? The dual a/c systems aren't all the
    uncommon but they are rare enough that your average joe mechanic might
    not have a whole lot of experience iwth them. Maybe you have a
    thermo-king in your area? They only do A/C and mostly do big things
    like the coolers for the refrigerated haulers.
    http://www.thermoking.com/tk/index.asp

    Steve B.
     
    Steve B., Jun 8, 2005
    #6
  7. ejlackey

    ncs Guest

    I'm not sure if they changed the design since 93, but on my 93 Dodger Grand
    Caravan, every few years I have to get the metal gasket where the hose from
    the front to the rear connect at the H-valve replaced. In the Midwest, the
    salt used in the winter corrodes the gasket and is a common source of leaks.
    (also was told that the r134a reacts with the metal gasket and breaks down,
    that's why they came out with a upgraded, telfon coated gasket) But when
    this happens to me, I loose both the front and rear A/C, so it may not be
    your problem.
     
    ncs, Jun 8, 2005
    #7
  8. ejlackey

    maxpower Guest

    =----

    Yes they have changed those to o-rings, some connections even use both
    o-rings and gaskets together
     
    maxpower, Jun 9, 2005
    #8
  9. ejlackey

    macanic Guest

    there is 2 evap.coils and one is in the dash and the other is in the bac
    but the system as a whoile is only one so you need to have it checked for
    leaks because that sounds like what you have going on. the fisrt shop is
    not one you want to go bac to
    a complete recharge of the system should be done with leak detection dye
    added and then checked for leaks bet they find 2
     
    macanic, Jun 9, 2005
    #9
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