Update on A/C in 94 Dakota
From : ron s
Q: okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. here is the big clue in this mystery the compressor will not stay running. it will cycle for about 5 seconds and then kick off for about 10 seconds then go back on for 5 and keep repeating itself. the low side line does get very cold but not to the frosting point and the outlet temp only drops about 8-10 degrees below ambient. anybody have any ideas where to look i was thinking maybe the low temp cutout switch is going flakey. just what does control the clutch engagement thanks for any help. ron 94 dakota 3.9 4x4 at .
Replies:
From : denny
hmmmm... the one liners that come to mind. but ill be good.g roy why start now find a buyer for the truck yet my offer still stands!! bg denny .
From : ron s
all points are well taken i am just trying to make sure it is not some simple thing that is being overlooked. ron .
From : tom lawrence
and not being an ass but this is a prime example of why i suggested a complete manifold with high side readings. no one can tell you a thing based on that. period. you could be low for the temps or you could be overcharged...and both sides have pressure switches to handle it... you could have a couple of other issues... actually... that was better than i expected .
From : cbhvac
and not being an ass but this is a prime example of why i suggested a complete manifold with high side readings. no one can tell you a thing based on that. period. you could be low for the temps or you could be overcharged...and both sides have pressure switches to handle it... you could have a couple of other issues... okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. here is the big clue in this mystery the compressor will not stay running. it will cycle for about 5 seconds and then kick off for about 10 seconds then go back on for 5 and keep repeating itself. the low side line does get very cold but not to the frosting point and the outlet temp only drops about 8-10 degrees below ambient. anybody have any ideas where to look i was thinking maybe the low temp cutout switch is going flakey. just what does control the clutch engagement thanks for any help. ron 94 dakota 3.9 4x4 at .
From : ron s
i think i am on the right track now pulled the low pres cutoff switch connector off and the compressor would not run so i put it back on and the system started cycling like it did before so low on the freon charge seems to be the answer. guess i will put some in until it stays on and add a little bit more and see if that agrees with the presure reading. then......find out where the leak is that allowed it to get away in the first place. ron .
From : xgrizzfantom lawrence
99 ram 1500 with the factory tow package. the service manual seems to imply that there is an electric brake controller installed. can someone tell me where this would be located in the truck. the service manual said n/s not shown in the component location table. thanks leon my 03 with the tow package has a connector for the brake controller. the truck also came with the mating connector to attach to a controller. i had to buy the controller but that was easy to install. if you talk to a trailer supply store im sure that theyd be able to tell you about it. my connector is under the dash in front of the parking brake and up a little bit on the firewall. its a blue rectangular jack about two inches wide and a half an inch in height. .
From : tom lawrence
okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. i can practically hear steve having a coniption fit right about now... you should have around 40psi with the system running... pressures will always be higher when its off. .
From : nitpik
id say youre a good candidate for having someone else do the troubleshooting and work on this system before you hurt yourself or mess up the compressor or waste a bunch of refrigerant. okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. here is the big clue in this mystery the compressor will not stay running. it will cycle for about 5 seconds and then kick off for about 10 seconds then go back on for 5 and keep repeating itself. the low side line does get very cold but not to the frosting point and the outlet temp only drops about 8-10 degrees below ambient. anybody have any ideas where to look i was thinking maybe the low temp cutout switch is going flakey. just what does control the clutch engagement thanks for any help. ron 94 dakota 3.9 4x4 at .
From : greg o
i think i am on the right track now pulled the low pres cutoff switch connector off and the compressor would not run so i put it back on and the system started cycling like it did before so low on the freon charge seems to be the answer. guess i will put some in until it stays on and add a little bit more and see if that agrees with the presure reading. then......find out where the leak is that allowed it to get away in the first place. ron get a clue!! the other day when i had my car running i pulled the wires off of the distributor. the engine stopped must be something wrong with the engine correct get my drift! all you did was shut off the ac compressor you may as well have pulled the wires off the compressor clutch! if you pull the wires off the low pressure switch it will not run! you have not resolved anything! jumper the two wires together at the low pressure switch and see what happens. if it cycles still you have other problems. if you runs steady it may be low on refrigerant could be something else too. greg .
From : greg o
okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. i can practically hear steve having a coniption fit right about now... you should have around 40psi with the system running... pressures will always be higher when its off. i am starting to have a conniption fit myself! greg .
From : ron s
i think i am on the right track now pulled the low pres cutoff switch connector off and the compressor would not run so i put it back on and the system started cycling like it did before so low on the freon charge seems to be the answer. guess i will put some in until it stays on and add a little bit more and see if that agrees with the presure reading. then......find out where the leak is that allowed it to get away in the first place. ron get a clue!! the other day when i had my car running i pulled the wires off of the distributor. the engine stopped must be something wrong with the engine correct get my drift! all you did was shut off the ac compressor you may as well have pulled the wires off the compressor clutch! if you pull the wires off the low pressure switch it will not run! you have not resolved anything! jumper the two wires together at the low pressure switch and see what happens. if it cycles still you have other problems. if you runs steady it may be low on refrigerant could be something else too. greg yes i know this but unless they have a high limit switch hidden somewhere that i cant find then i know it was the low switch that was turning the comp off. read the end post.... .
From : ron s
ok here is what i did. added a total of 26oz of refrigerant which was added very slowly with the engine running. as the pressure started to come up it reached a piont where the compressor stayed on. about 28 psi see...low limit switch added more until the suction at 1400 rpm stabilized at about 36 psi. that now gives me an outlet temp of about 58 degrees at medhigh blower speed and recirculate on. so....where does 36 psi fall. it is enough or should i go a little more to say 40psi. and to all the naysayers that think i am a bumbling fool and dont have a clue as to what i am doing i do have a lot of common sence just not a lot of money to throw away so a certified tech can tell me yep it was low on freon that will be $75 plus materials. i was rebuliding auto engines when i was 12 years old......mechanical things are second nature to me. i just need someone to fill in the details. i am going to run it like it is for a day or so and check the readings again. it does seem like this 134 system cools down a lot slower than the r12 that i have on my olds. never had a bit of problems with that unit so i never had the need to work on it and learn about it. ron .
From : scott collinscbhvac
you have the 4.7 l correct i have an 03 durango but i have the 5.9 l so im not worried about it. however i suggest you check out the following websites for some insight http//www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.phps=&threadid=10243 http//consumeraffairs.com/automotive/dodgeduroil.html doesnt sound like an isolated problem to me but more of a potential design flaw. definitely something you research some more. as far as dc not wanting to help you need to push harder. i had a grand cherokee that was way out of warranty and the exhaust manifold cracked. i complained politely but persistently that the problem was chronic and that i shouldnt have to bear the full burden or replacement. in the end i only had to pay $100 of the $500 the dealer wanted to charge. i did the same thing with volkswagen on my wifes car. the trick is to be polite but persistent. if you are rude and attack the customer service drone they wont be motivated to help you. good luck and let us know how it goes. scott collins 03 durango r/t newcastle wa to all ill keep a long story short. recently on a trip mycheck gages light came on at a rest area. i checked the oil and it was a little low so i added some. then 50 miles later the oil pressure gauge dropped. i tried to get off the highway but before i could the engine broke down. after replaceing the engine and returning home ive heard that others have had similar problems and that there was a gasket or filter of somesort that caused the engine to burn oil or leak it out but not show any symptoms. has anyone heard of any action being taken against chrysler on this ive spoken to chrysler but because the warrenty has expired they say its not thier problem. dan 1999 durango 55000. .
From : cbhvac
okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. i can practically hear steve having a coniption fit right about now... nah...that was last night about 9pm...its been the week from hell.. the one i liked that perhaps is setting a new standard you should have asked me you fucking retard if you could cut holes in my floor for the new ac....i dont want holes in my floor...i could care less what the inspector says or what your fucking code books say..i want this room cool and i want no holes in the floor...the damn plumbers did the same thing....bunch of idiots.... well...needless to say there is more to that than what i wrote..but its the customer from hell and all the trades are being yelled at and told we are idiots and yet when we explain things we are told we have no clue... i begged her to fire me last night...told her that i wasnt gonna be back for a while...etc.... you should have around 40psi with the system running... pressures will always be higher when its off. .
From : greg o
and to all the naysayers that think i am a bumbling fool and dont have a clue as to what i am doing i do have a lot of common sence just not a lot of money to throw away you freaking lucked out! your diagnostic skills suck! the info you posted proved nothing! greg .
From : denny
omg...am i getting sick or is it the fact that you guys can now officially call me gramps now thats getting to me i know the feeling. i kinda makes you feel old dont it or is it that you dont like playing with a grandma vbg denny .
From : roy
omg...am i getting sick or is it the fact that you guys can now officially call me gramps now thats getting to me i know the feeling. i kinda makes you feel old dont it or is it that you dont like playing with a grandma vbg denny hmmmm... the one liners that come to mind. but ill be good.g roy .
From : greg o
why greg it does sound like you are jealous that someone did something that you did not. maybe you got suckered into paying a fat bill or if you are one of the certified group you dont like it when things go in favor of the customer. i have been working on and engineering industrial machinery for 30 years i know a little bit about what works and what does not work and when things are going in the wrong direction. when you can put your hand on the low pressure limit switch and feel the contacts opening what does that tell you...that the switch is stopping the compressor! when you add gas to the system and the switch that is operated by low pressure stops opening i would say that is a pretty good indication that the system was low on gas in the first place! if the addition of the additional gas would not have made a difference in the operation of the switch then i would have stopped and figured that was not the answer and reduced the pressure to the original reading. or if the outlet air temp did not change that would have been a red flag also. but i guess all of this proved nothing except that i have cold air again. sorry yes i am in the certified group also the trained group. do i care if you fix your own ac no not at all i have enough stuff to do! my point i am trying to make is perhaps you fixed it but then maybe not! adding refrigerant may have got it running again by covering up some other problem. just because the suction pressure was low does not mean it was low of refrigerant. there are many things that can lower suction pressure other than low refrigerant. take one of these problems add refrigerant to cover it up then later replace the compressor because of flood back caused from overcharge! so how much money did you save then my point is you dont know for sure what the problem is! your last statement covers it all. but i guess this proves nothing except i have cold air again. yup your are right! you really can not prove without a doubt that you really found the problem! greg .
From : cbhvac
why greg it does sound like you are jealous that someone did something that you did not. maybe you got suckered into paying a fat bill or if you are one of the certified group you dont like it when things go in favor of the customer. i have been working on and engineering industrial machinery for 30 years i know a little bit about what works and what does not work and when things are going in the wrong direction. when you can put your hand on the low pressure limit switch and feel the contacts opening what does that tell you...that the switch is stopping the compressor! when you add gas to the system and the switch that is operated by low pressure stops opening i would say that is a pretty good indication that the system was low on gas in the first place! if the addition of the additional gas would not have made a difference in the operation of the switch then i would have stopped and figured that was not the answer and reduced the pressure to the original reading. or if the outlet air temp did not change that would have been a red flag also. but i guess all of this proved nothing except that i have cold air again. sorry yes i am in the certified group also the trained group. do i care if you fix your own ac no not at all i have enough stuff to do! my point i am trying to make is perhaps you fixed it but then maybe not! adding refrigerant may have got it running again by covering up some other problem. just because the suction pressure was low does not mean it was low of refrigerant. there are many things that can lower suction pressure other than low refrigerant. take one of these problems add refrigerant to cover it up then later replace the compressor because of flood back caused from overcharge! so how much money did you save then my point is you dont know for sure what the problem is! your last statement covers it all. but i guess this proves nothing except i have cold air again. yup your are right! you really can not prove without a doubt that you really found the problem! greg look...not gonna take sides on this one...but standing back i can see rons point. hes tired of being told he cant...and he might have just did. ok..thats great. kudos. but hes one of many. there is a reason we still call those kits with one gauge suicide kits. i can see gregs point as well...sheesh...just look at the hvac group. i am one of the worst at telling a freebie cheap bastard to go fuck off. its all from your viewpoint and i have said many times i wish that everyone would start doing their own work....i could retire in about 4 years....just from fixing screwups. i had a buddy of mine from lowes call me tongiht..had a customer there that was wanting to clean their ac evap coil in the house. they wanted to buy the chems needed to do it right. i refused to sell them anything but told him to give them my number if they wanted to have a free looksee and see what it did need. they took the number but bought a few cleaners and lo and behold....i got a call from them about an hour ago....something about the vac bent the fins...the ac is not running right and now its freezing up...etc...and its only about 100% rh and 90f out right now. i told em to wait till morn...i wasnt gonna go out in this mess out there now and they said ok...and i know sure as i am sitting here typing this that the coil will either be fucked beyond repair or i will be able to take a comb and fix it and its gonna have gunk lodged in the coil so tight it has to be taken out anyway... either way its not going to be cheap....and i cant help that. do i care yes...actually. does that mean for one second i am going to do it for free hell no. i am not cheap. not by a long shot. but i am not the most expensive either...and my customers call back....they call to let me know that the units working better than new...etc.. i see both sides. i cant be there to say to ron..look..this is why we get this way...and i cant slap greg around to say..man..hes at least trying...and if he screws up hey..he was warned. no need really in the arguements...both of you guys are doing what you feel is right...let it go at that and be done with it. omg...am i getting sick or is it the fact that you guys can now officially call me gramps now thats getting to me .
From : greg o
omg...am i getting sick or is it the fact that you guys can now officially call me gramps now thats getting to me hey cb you ok lol!! i could care less if he fixes his own ac or not hell i am with you i wish everyone would! i just think it is kind of sad when someone start spouting off that he fixed it and he may have sort of. there is a good chance that he just f**ked it up some more and the next repair bill will really make him cry! if he had a full set of gauges and really knew what he is doing i would not be jerking his chain. but how many times do you see a hack just pumping more juice in a home ac till it starts cooling again and really not fixing the problem every day would be may guess! greg .
From : cbhvac
yea bunny boy..why start now...lol hmmmm... the one liners that come to mind. but ill be good.g roy why start now find a buyer for the truck yet my offer still stands!! bg denny .
From : roy
hmmmm... the one liners that come to mind. but ill be good.g roy why start now find a buyer for the truck yet my offer still stands!! bg denny a whole bunch of tire kickers nothing solid as yet. ya gotta wade througth all the bsers to get to the right person with the money. still real early in the season for a truck with plow. roy .
From : curmudgeon
you have a coupla choices theres a thermostat with a probe right next to the evap. coil in the heater/ac unit. that will cut you on and off. also there a lower pressure switch in the line near the radiator condensor dont know just where on a 94...that will also give those symptoms if going bad. okay folks here is the latest on my non-functioning ac. i borrowed a gauge and checked the low side after the unit was run for a while and it showed around 40 psi so i am assuming that the system has a sufficient charge. here is the big clue in this mystery the compressor will not stay running. it will cycle for about 5 seconds and then kick off for about 10 seconds then go back on for 5 and keep repeating itself. the low side line does get very cold but not to the frosting point and the outlet temp only drops about 8-10 degrees below ambient. anybody have any ideas where to look i was thinking maybe the low temp cutout switch is going flakey. just what does control the clutch engagement thanks for any help. ron 94 dakota 3.9 4x4 at .
From : denny
hi folks getting no power to the trailer connector for the running lights on my 2000 ram 1500. the truck lights work fine and all other trailer pins work turn sigs brake. this beast has the factory tow package. i swapped in a different relay in the power dist. box under the hood but no luck. when i turn the lights on the relay clicks but no power seems to be leaving the power dist box in the orange/brown wire which seems to be the one for the trlr lights. any ideas where i can look nect where does the power for these lights come into the power box -tom .
From : denny
tell you what you see ole bunny boy and hell take a ride in your hemi!!!!! thats gotta be a ride!! denny yea bunny boy..why start now...lol hmmmm... the one liners that come to mind. but ill be good.g roy why start now find a buyer for the truck yet my offer still stands!! bg denny .