Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum (Archives)

sunrise7 on Thu July 02, 2015 12:51 AM

Year: 2000
Make: Dodge
Model: Dakota
Engine Size: V8
Refrigerant Type: R134
Country of Origin: United States

Here are the symptoms.... AC works fine when turned on but after about 5 minutes or so it starts to blow warmer and warmer air. If I turn it off for a few minutes, especially on a hot day, over 90F, and then turn it back on it will blow cold air for a few minutes and then start to get warm again ..... I can do this over and over ...... When it works it works great ! But not for long without that cycling ....... What are the likely causes I need to troubleshoot ? And what are the right troubleshooting procedures... I have a set of gages but have not had time to put them on the truck yet ...
Thanks ....

Jag987 on Thu July 02, 2015 2:23 AM

Best guess is it is low on refrigerant due to a leak. Find the leak, repair it, then recharge to factory specs by weight and forget about it.

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I bought a can of 134a at w**-mart that had a stop leak, oil, and dye in it. It also had a hose and a gauge, so now I'm an AC pro!

GM Tech on Thu July 02, 2015 7:02 AM

Or-- next time it gets hot- pull over- look at the front of compressor- is it turning? If not, bump it with a hammer handle-be careful- don't let your necktie get wrapped up in pulley. If clutch snaps in- then your air gap is too wide and a shim needs to be removed from behind clutch driver.

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The number one A/C diagnostic tool there is- is to know how much refrigerant is in the system- this can only be done by recovering and weighing the refrigerant!!
Just a thought.... 65% of A/C failures in my 3200 car diagnostic database (GM vehicles) are due to loss of refrigerant due to a leak......

sunrise7 on Thu July 02, 2015 11:36 AM

Thanks Guys... I will follow up with an update here after I do some checking over the July 4th weekend .....