'02 300M A/C overhaul

so now that it is operational, what kind of pressures are you seeing?


"Percival P. Cassidy" > wrote in message
...
> On 07/13/12 12:39 pm, I wrote:
>> On 07/03/12 08:36 pm, I wrote:
>>
>>> I'm about to tackle the replacement of the evaporator, heater core and
>>> receiver-drier on our '02 300M.
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> I have at last got everything apart and have almost all that I need to
>> restore it to normal operation,
>>
>> Removing screws, nut, bolts and air-circulation pipes, and disconnecting
>> electrical connectors to remove the whole instrument panel/dashboard was
>> tedious but comparatively straightforward, except that not all the
>> connectors' "latches" worked the same way: some were press-to-release,
>> whereas others had to be pried outward to release the connector.
>>
>> The real nightmare was disconnecting the heater hoses at the firewall:
>> the spring hose clamps were extremely difficult to release with the
>> tools I had and not easy to release even with the special tool I bought.
>> Even after moving the clamps out of the way, getting the hoses off was
>> not easy. I ended up slitting the heater-to-block hose and buying a new
>> one, but I persevered with the other one because of the difficulty of
>> getting at the other end to remove the clamp. The service manual said to
>> replace the clamps by new ones of the same kind, but nobody seems to
>> sell that size, and even the Chrysler dealer said they just discard them
>> and use regular screw hose clamps because the fancy spring clamps fail
>> too often; it's a good job I happened to have a stash of the right size
>> regular clamps, because they are very difficult to find just now as a
>> result of the lawn-sprinkler maintenance being performed during our
>> heatwave.
>>
>> The heater core I had bought from Advance Auto Parts too long ago to
>> return fits but has a pathetically small surface area compared to the
>> original; maybe it would be fine in a climate where the winters are not
>> as severe. I now have from NAPA one that looks identical to the original.
>>
>> The evaporator core I had bought from Advance too long ago to return
>> turned out to have a different style of connector from the original, and
>> at the NAPA Web site I discovered that there had been a change during
>> the model year and that I needed one that was specified for the '03
>> model.
>>
>> I guess I can sell the other heater and evaporator cores on eBay.
>>
>> The one thing I have not been able to buy is the Styrofoam insert that
>> goes under the evaporator. The original was in a real mess as a result
>> of the leaking PAG lubricant, and the only way to buy it was, the
>> Chrysler dealer told me, as part of an HVAC installation kit that had to
>> be ordered specially (US$103), but when it arrived it did not include
>> that item; it turned out that the parts guy did not know what Styrofoam
>> was and was thinking of the soft foam that is used in various places in
>> the HVAC system. They eventually found out that it comes with the
>> genuine Chrysler evaporator (US$416) and is not available otherwise, so
>> I'm going to make do with the original one, crappy though it may now be
>> -- perhaps with a layer of duct tape over it.
>>
>> In addition, once I removed the air cleaner I could see that a clamp
>> holding the suction tube/hose in place was almost totally eaten away and
>> that there was white corrosion on the tube at that point; that most
>> likely explains the gradual deterioration of the cooling function before
>> it finally died with a hiss. I got a replacement from Advance, who
>> messed up the expedited shipping I requested but ended up by refunding
>> the whole of the shipping charge. NAPA and Autozone list only the
>> discharge hose, not the suction hose.
>>
>> The receiver-drier I had bought from Advance appears to be fine.
>
> It turned out that the suction hose I had purchased from Advance Auto
> Parts did not fit, thanks to the mid-year engineering change. I was able
> to return it to one of the local stores, but the only '03-style suction
> hose I could track down was a genuine Mopar one with a list price of $122,
> but I discovered "We R" Mopar" (wermopar.com), which shares a physical
> address with Taylor Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Bourbonnais, IL) and sells the
> genuine article for only $80.03. I told the customer service person the
> VIN of my vehicle and he was able to tell me the exact part number I
> needed, although I still had to order it on their Web site.
>
> I had thought originally that I would put everything together at least to
> the point of being able to drive the car to an a/c specialist to evacuate
> and recharge the system, but I realized that if a leak were discovered at
> that point a great deal of disassembly might be necessary to remedy it, so
> I got an el-cheapo vacuum pump and gauge set at Harbor Fright (and was
> able to use some coupons as well, to lower the price still further) and
> was able to do everything myself.
>
> Perce
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

I forget the actual pressures now (I actually finished the job about ten
days ago), but when I checked they were in line with the table in the
service manual.

Perce

On 07/31/12 08:09 am, Rob wrote:
> so now that it is operational, what kind of pressures are you seeing?
>
>
> "Percival P. > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 07/13/12 12:39 pm, I wrote:
>>> On 07/03/12 08:36 pm, I wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm about to tackle the replacement of the evaporator, heater core and
>>>> receiver-drier on our '02 300M.
>>>
>>> <snip>
>>>
>>> I have at last got everything apart and have almost all that I need to
>>> restore it to normal operation,
>>>
>>> Removing screws, nut, bolts and air-circulation pipes, and disconnecting
>>> electrical connectors to remove the whole instrument panel/dashboard was
>>> tedious but comparatively straightforward, except that not all the
>>> connectors' "latches" worked the same way: some were press-to-release,
>>> whereas others had to be pried outward to release the connector.
>>>
>>> The real nightmare was disconnecting the heater hoses at the firewall:
>>> the spring hose clamps were extremely difficult to release with the
>>> tools I had and not easy to release even with the special tool I bought.
>>> Even after moving the clamps out of the way, getting the hoses off was
>>> not easy. I ended up slitting the heater-to-block hose and buying a new
>>> one, but I persevered with the other one because of the difficulty of
>>> getting at the other end to remove the clamp. The service manual said to
>>> replace the clamps by new ones of the same kind, but nobody seems to
>>> sell that size, and even the Chrysler dealer said they just discard them
>>> and use regular screw hose clamps because the fancy spring clamps fail
>>> too often; it's a good job I happened to have a stash of the right size
>>> regular clamps, because they are very difficult to find just now as a
>>> result of the lawn-sprinkler maintenance being performed during our
>>> heatwave.
>>>
>>> The heater core I had bought from Advance Auto Parts too long ago to
>>> return fits but has a pathetically small surface area compared to the
>>> original; maybe it would be fine in a climate where the winters are not
>>> as severe. I now have from NAPA one that looks identical to the original.
>>>
>>> The evaporator core I had bought from Advance too long ago to return
>>> turned out to have a different style of connector from the original, and
>>> at the NAPA Web site I discovered that there had been a change during
>>> the model year and that I needed one that was specified for the '03
>>> model.
>>>
>>> I guess I can sell the other heater and evaporator cores on eBay.
>>>
>>> The one thing I have not been able to buy is the Styrofoam insert that
>>> goes under the evaporator. The original was in a real mess as a result
>>> of the leaking PAG lubricant, and the only way to buy it was, the
>>> Chrysler dealer told me, as part of an HVAC installation kit that had to
>>> be ordered specially (US$103), but when it arrived it did not include
>>> that item; it turned out that the parts guy did not know what Styrofoam
>>> was and was thinking of the soft foam that is used in various places in
>>> the HVAC system. They eventually found out that it comes with the
>>> genuine Chrysler evaporator (US$416) and is not available otherwise, so
>>> I'm going to make do with the original one, crappy though it may now be
>>> -- perhaps with a layer of duct tape over it.
>>>
>>> In addition, once I removed the air cleaner I could see that a clamp
>>> holding the suction tube/hose in place was almost totally eaten away and
>>> that there was white corrosion on the tube at that point; that most
>>> likely explains the gradual deterioration of the cooling function before
>>> it finally died with a hiss. I got a replacement from Advance, who
>>> messed up the expedited shipping I requested but ended up by refunding
>>> the whole of the shipping charge. NAPA and Autozone list only the
>>> discharge hose, not the suction hose.
>>>
>>> The receiver-drier I had bought from Advance appears to be fine.
>>
>> It turned out that the suction hose I had purchased from Advance Auto
>> Parts did not fit, thanks to the mid-year engineering change. I was able
>> to return it to one of the local stores, but the only '03-style suction
>> hose I could track down was a genuine Mopar one with a list price of $122,
>> but I discovered "We R" Mopar" (wermopar.com), which shares a physical
>> address with Taylor Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Bourbonnais, IL) and sells the
>> genuine article for only $80.03. I told the customer service person the
>> VIN of my vehicle and he was able to tell me the exact part number I
>> needed, although I still had to order it on their Web site.
>>
>> I had thought originally that I would put everything together at least to
>> the point of being able to drive the car to an a/c specialist to evacuate
>> and recharge the system, but I realized that if a leak were discovered at
>> that point a great deal of disassembly might be necessary to remedy it, so
>> I got an el-cheapo vacuum pump and gauge set at Harbor Fright (and was
>> able to use some coupons as well, to lower the price still further) and
>> was able to do everything myself.
>>
>> Perce
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>