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Re: Dodge AC problems
There are several parts to the a.c. system located under the dashboard; evaporator, fan, air doors (to control where the air flows), even a drain for the water the a.c. takes out of the air. To reach any of them pretty much involves un-bolting the dashboard and letting it settle away from the firewall and windshield. Then you can reach the large assembly containing the a.c. and the heater parts. If the evaporator has failed, the most feasible repair would be getting another one (that you hope will be good) from a salvage yard. Its a lot of work; and once you open up the a.c. system and the freon (and lube oil) escapes or has been recovered - you have committed yourself to having the system flushed/evacuated/recharged. Even if its a system that you created, that takes special equipment and some skills very few people have. The folks that can do it legally have a license to be able to get the freon, and either own-or-have-access-to the equipment to recover whatever freon is still inside your current a.c. unit. Its closely regulated by federal law.
Even if its just the circulating fan blower - its usually still a lot of work to reach it and replace it. I think any modification you made to the a.c. system would wind up costing you a bundle - and not be much cheaper in the long run than repairing the system it came with. For example, the high pressure hose in an a.c. system has to be able to hold up at pressures up to 400 psi, and temperatures of well over 160°f.
All of the above are the reasons the a.c. no longer works in most of our familys older cars. I can rebuild engines and transmissions, thats easy: But fixing a.c. systems is more trouble than I care to bother with. I just drive with the windows open and drink lots of water.
$1500 would seem like a reasonable price - but if you go back to get it fixed in December, the price might be somewhat lower.
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08-09-2007, 01:56 PM
