2007 Dodge Grand Caravan - Rear AC Evaporator

[Number_35]

A bit of history:

We bought the van in March 2021.

Discovered the AC was not working when there was a hot spell a month later. The used-car dealer fixed it at their cost, and told us the rear evaporator had failed.

The AC was good for two years.

The AC did not work when we first tried it this year, about 6 weeks ago.

A trusted local garage did pressure-testing with nitrogen and dye, and found no leak. They added a sealer, and recharged the system.

The AC was fine for a couple of weeks, became mediocre, and then quit entirely.

I took it back this morning, and the tech found that the rear evaporator is leaking.

The cost of replacing the rear evaporator and drier is very high -around $1200 plus tax.

I asked about blocking off the rear lines. The shop has had poor results (50%) with the Dorman block-off compression fittings, and won't use them any more. Quite understandable.

If I block off the lines myself, the shop will recharge the system for me at their expense, but of course cannot guarantee my work.

Thoughts from the BITOG community? Thanks.

 

[kschachn]

I've replaced two before, one on my old Sienna and one for someone else. You usually have to remove quite a bit of interior trim and on my Sienna the connection to the two refrigerant lines underneath the van were corroded so badly I had to replace the line sections. This may factor into the shop's price.

 

[Number_35]

I've replaced two before, one on my old Sienna and one for someone else. You usually have to remove quite a bit of interior trim and on my Sienna the connection to the two refrigerant lines underneath the van were corroded so badly I had to replace the line sections. This may factor into the shop's price.

Agreed, I'm not questioning the pricing but just trying to find a cheaper solution.

 

[mk378]

It looks like you can buy the two lines under the hood for the front air only version and cleanly convert it to front air only. The front air only lines do not have tees for the rear.

 

[mattd]

They’re not that hard to do honestly.

 

[Number_35]

They’re not that hard to do honestly.

Matt, which, capping off the lines, or replacing the rear evaporator?

 

[Number_35]

It looks like you can buy the two lines under the hood for the front air only version and cleanly convert it to front air only. The front air only lines do not have tees for the rear.

That would be a nice neat solution for sure.

 

[mattd]

The evaporator

 

[Number_35]

The evaporator

I may do it myself, and then take it back for the recharge. Lots of horror stories online regarding rear AC in the land of salted winter roads.

 

[mattd]

Take a photo of where the lines go to in the body to see how corroded they are. That bolt will usually break.

 

[Number_35]

The saga continues ...

I liked @mk378's suggestion to completely replace the front AC lines with new front-AC-only lines, and ran that past the service writer/shop foreman.

He had trouble confirming that it's a straight swap without complications; the lines would be special order, and if they weren't right he'd be stuck with them.

The shop has had bad experiences in the past when replacing the rear evaporator with an aftermarket part, and after having a few warranty returns established a policy of only using a factory part. Completely understandable. As it turns out though, the foreman found that the factory evaporator is no longer available. That means that a rear AC deletion is really the only reliable way to go.

We brainstormed a bit, and decided that I would remove the front AC lines, take them to a reputable welding shop (that both the garage and I have used in the past), and get them to weld the lines closed at the tees for the rear AC lines.

However, I couldn't get away from the idea of using a good-quality cap on the front lines where they are connected to the rear lines, rather than removing the front lines and modifying them.

I put the van up on ramps a few minutes ago, and was pleased to be able to easily crack open the connectors. They were not at all rusted shut. That made the decision easier.

So I poked around online and found a well-reviewed rear AC block-off kit from Auto Cooling Solutions. I ordered the BK13055.

https://www.autocoolingsolutions.com/collections/rear-ac-block-offs

Hopefully it works well and we have our AC back soon. To be continued ...

 

[Number_35]

Still waiting on the block-off kit from Auto Cooling Solutions - it was supposed to be delivered this past Thursday (July 6th), but there has been no update from USPS tracking since Friday morning (July 7th) when the package was in Chicago.

 

[clinebarger]

I block rear evaporator lines with Aluminum Brazing Rod from my local A/C Supply House (Ranshu) when no other option exists. Is there not A/C Hose Assemblies for non-auxiliary air models?

 

[Number_35]

I block rear evaporator lines with Aluminum Brazing Rod from my local A/C Supply House (Ranshu) when no other option exists. Is there not A/C Hose Assemblies for non-auxiliary air models?

I did plan to remove the AC lines and take them to a local welding shop that has done good work for me before, but when I was able to undo the threaded fittings so easily, I thought it made more sense to cap them with a good kit.

It's probably still the right decision IF the parts ever get here. I wish they'd used a courier service instead of the USPS.

I did consider picking up front-AC-only lines from a wrecker, and will consider that again if the rear-delete parts don't come in soon. (Another issue: I don't know whether the wrecker is equipped to evacuate the refrigerant from AC systems before the customer pulls AC parts.)

 

[Number_35]

Finally!

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

your front ac is going to be less effective with the rear inoperable.

The evaporators aren’t that hard to do, you could DIY and just pay a shop for vacuum and refill. But if there’s no evaporator available I guess you’re out of luck…there’s nothing?

 

[CarDoc66]

Purchase the front suction and liquid lines for a non-rear A/C van and be done with it. I’ve done this many times, that rear evap connection being behind the tire is a poor design.

 

[JTK]

.... that rear evap connection being behind the tire is a poor design.

So true.

I've never seen a rear evaporator equipped vehicle have the refrigerant lines in a good spot.

I had a 2016 Nissan Quest minivan that developed a line leak for the rear a/c. The OEM coolant and refrigerant lines are molded into one assembly and IIRC, the rear subframe had to be dropped to remove/replace the line set. Thankfully the van was still under warranty. I think for these nissans, them make a block off plate to eliminate the rear a/c.

 

[Number_35]

your front ac is going to be less effective with the rear inoperable.

The evaporators aren’t that hard to do, you could DIY and just pay a shop for vacuum and refill. But if there’s no evaporator available I guess you’re out of luck…there’s nothing?

The trusted shop has had bad luck with aftermarket rear evaporators, and so will only use genuine Mopar ones.

I suspect my rear evaporator, that failed after two years, was likely aftermarket, which is a data point confirming the shop's experience.

Now they are unable to get the fa tory evaporator, so I suppose will do block-offs until these old vans are gone.

 

[Number_35]

Purchase the front suction and liquid lines for a non-rear A/C van and be done with it. I’ve done this many times, that rear evap connection being behind the tire is a poor design.

I considered that - the block-off kit was way easier, but front-only lines would certainly work.