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

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!!

Yes.

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

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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.

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