99 dodge caravan a/c problem????

[daspotsjcom]

i have a 99 dodge caravan and just recently had it filled with new 134a and it still doesnt get cold???i had a shop do it but they couldnt tell exactly what was wrong?? they said that my orofice tube could be bad or it could be a plugged line or something??all i know is it blows hard just not cold...any help in the right direction would be greatly appreciated..thnx
cause its too :VHOT:

[daspotsjcom]

:help:

[Rick99]

Where to start? First of all, I don't know if the 99's have an orifice tube or an expansion valve. My 01 T&C has an expansion valve.

A/C basics-- the A/C system consists of a compressor, a condenser (the radiator thing in front of your engine radiator), an expansion valve or orifice tube, a receiver/drier or an accumulator, an evaporator (a smaller radiator-like thing inside your dash), a number of sensors and all the hoses and lines between these components.

The A/C cycle works by taking the refrigerant (in this case R-134A), condensing it to a liquid form and then evaporating that liquid inside the evaporator (when a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat, making the evaporator cold). The refrigerant flows from the compressor (attached to the engine and driven by the belt), where it is compressed into a high pressure, high temperature gas into the condenser where the high pressure gas is cooled and condenses into a high pressure liquid, it then goes through the orifice tube or the expansion valve which acts kinda like a spray bottle spraying the liquid into the evaporator where it, you guessed it, evaporates and absorbs heat. The remaining low temperature, low pressure gas then flows from the evaporator to the compresser where it is compressed into a high temperature, high pressure gas and the cycle continues.

So now I can begin to answer your question. It could be that the orifice tube or expansion valve is clogged or broken preventing the appropriate flow, in which case the offending item would need to be replaced. On the other hand it could be a number of other things including a faulty pressure switch that won't allow your compressor clutch to engage. To help you find the problem, I would need to know if the compressor clutch is in fact engaging and if so, roughly for how long. To determine whether there is a blockage or broken expansion valve, then you would need to get high side and low side pressure readings using a manifold gauge set.

You could do this stuff yourself if you're so inclined (I'm a DIYer and I've made several major repairs to A/C systems in my cars), but you should be handy with a wrench and be willing to invest a little time in learning how to do this right and a little money in the proper tools. Personally, I've chosen to invest about $400 in a few special A/C tools and they more than paid for themselves the first time I used them.

A decent shop should be able to diagnose this pretty easily. I don't know why the shop you went to did not-- maybe you didn't give them permission to do more than a charge.

[daspotsjcom]

wow...there is actually quite alot to an a/c system..as far as what i was told shown ..the compressor was /is engaging and the pressure was not "dropping" on one side as he was trying to show me...would it help you better if i got the "exact"readings for the high and low sides?let me know and i will do it..thnx

[daspotsjcom]

:help:

[Pwogaman]

When you had refrigerant added, you didn't use the stuff with leak stop or sealant did you? That stuff will crap up your system in heart beat.

[brentbartol]

i'm having some ac probllem right noow also,but one problem was the ac belt was slipping and not turning the compressor fast enough to run the air,try new belt and ajust tension