Rear Air Conditioning in 2007 Doddge Caravan blowing warm air

870

Asked by rschweitzer Jun 16, 2018 at 02:35 PM about the 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Rear A/C not cold.  Traced it to the expansion valve or so I thought.  I changed the rear evaporator/expansion valve assembly with OEM from Mopar/Chrysler.  Initially, it appeared that I was getting the same temp from the rear as from the front.  But a day later, I am back to where I started.  Still no cold air is coming from the rear.  It is only ambient temperature or hot if I raise the temp control from Low to High.  The front is fine and is nice and cold and has been.   

Here is what I have accomplished
1. Van has auto temp controls, I used manual.
2. The rear lines are not pinched or broken.  I traced them to the mounting block on the front evaporator and the all the way back to the rear.
3. The system was evacuated and this created a vacuum.  Upon removing the lines to the rear evaporator, air entered the system as expected.    
4. I check the blend door, controls and motors and those are working just fine; both in auto and manual modes.  The blend door was tested multiple times.  No issues.
5. Motor speed control is also OK.
6.  After re-assembly, I had the system vacuumed and recharged.  No leaks.
7.  I can adjust the temp control to get heat from the rear heater core, but no cold air.  Only ambient.
8. The lines going to the rear evaporator are not cold,
9.  I reset the system by holding the Power and Recirculate buttons.

So, with the blend door and motor operating, why is the rear evaporator which is now new, not getting cold?  Could the one of the lines be blocked?  That is the only thing left that I can think of.    

What am I missing?

3 Answers

870

So...still continued investigation, but have more questions. No leak detected, but debris, foreign matter, defective dryer, low charge might be the issue. Not likely that the lines are clogged, but anything could have clogged up the rear evaporator/expansion valve. That may explain why it was cold and then went warm. Off to the A/C tech...

2 people found this helpful.
870

Problem solved. Overcharged. My main mechanic gave up and could not solve. 2nd mechanic evac'd the system and recharged with new freon/pag oil. It is not super cold in the rear, but it s not blowing hot air either. A hot day and long trip will be the key test. Front is still nice, around 39 deg.

4 people found this helpful.
870

****Update**** Turns out that I had some 'garbage" metal shavings in the system and it collected at the new rear expansion valve. Replaced the expansion valve and the drier. Prior to that, with rear evaporator removed, ran the vacuum on the system to verify the rear lines were not clogged. Used compressed air to clear the rear evaporator. Then reconnected everything, installed the drier last and vacuumed the system for an hour. Let it sit at 30Hg for several hours. Charged with 43 oz. If refrigerant. I put in maybe 1/2 of oil. Lessons learned: if you crack open the AC for any reason, replace the drier!!!!

15 people found this helpful.

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