A/C issue? or bad heater core? or something else?

[FullForceRam]

Would love your opinions.

I refilled my freon on my truck 2 years ago, last year it felt as thought the air not getting very cold when driving on the road so I decided to I replaced my AC compressor and evaporator off of my truck at a local automotive shop, had the service done and they filled it with freon to spec.
I picked up my truck, drove home with Ac and everything was fine. The next day I go to open my truck door and this weird chemical smell was in my truck. I cranked the engine on and turned the AC on and some strange plume of chemical mist came out of my vents for several seconds then it went away! I drove off and AC was not getting cold at all. I called up the shop that performed the service and he had never seen that. Mind you, the AC was working fine until then except the original AC motor was going bad had a minor leak hence why I chose to replace it. He refilled it with freon and sure enough a day later that weird mist and smell came out of my vents again...

I called him back and he said it could either try to seal the leak with a type of chemical and it could fix the issue or replace my heater core which he said was a much bigger job. Could my heater core be going bad?? Any truth to his possible fixes? or was something switched around on some hoses?

It heats up just fine in the winter and have had NO problems heating the interior, but when switched over to AC, no dice.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[srv1]

ck a/c system for leaks,possibly at a/c evaporator core or maybe a broken blend door but with the odor i would suspect leak in a/c evaporator core,probably want to change heater core while you are in there.if heater core was leaking you will have wet(coolant)on pass. sd.floor.they should have did a leak test first thing.also maybe possible they crossed some lines up if it was working before they touched it or coincidently your a/c evaporator core started leaking.if not doing this yourself,sounds like you may want to find another mechanic.a/c evaporator core and heater core are two different things ones for heat ones for a/c.

 

[FullForceRam]

Thanks. To make sure if wasn't leaking I triple checked the carpet and surrounding area of the floor and it is bone dry, the mechanic also checked that and verified it was not leaking.
I'm suspecting it could be a crossed line. He did a leak test and didn't find anything.

He said we could try one more method before R&R the heater/evaporator core which was that chemical (he decribed it much like a radiator leak sealant method) and said he would do it at his cost, as mentioned hes never seena anything like this and has been in business for over 30years.

It's going to start warming up here in the coming month or so and would like to have my AC working properly.

 

[srv1]

heater core has nothing to do with a/c.a/c evaporator core is for a/c(cold air)they are both in the hvac box and similar in appearence but serve two different functions.i would ck. online for the proper routing and connections for all a/c lines that were disconnected and make sure everything is hooked up where it needs to be.

 

[Ricks Ram]

As stated the heater core and A/C evaporator are two separate pieces. It's common to have that smell in the cab of the truck if the evaporator core is leaking which is most likely your issue. The only part of the A/C system that's actually in the cab of the truck is the evaporator. The rest of the system is in the engine compartment. The A/C lines connect to the evaporator at the firewall of the truck. The dash will need to be removed in order to remove the HVAC box. Sounds hard but it's really not that bad. I just did mine to install Dual Zone temp control. This is a picture of the HVAC box separated to remove the evaporator after I pulled it out of the truck.

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[srv1]

fyi-rock auto currently has a/c evap core for $28.00 closeout.me personally would replace heater core as well and check all blend doors and actuaters while you are balls deep in there.....

 

[crash68]

^^^ what he said

The stuff used to sealnup leaks in an AC system usually ends up plugging up parts of the system that shouldn't be.
Fix it the right way if you want a reliable AC system. The mechanic is correct to want to replace both the evaporator and heater core at the same time, even if the heater core isn't leaking. Most of the job cost is removing and replacing the dash and HVAC assembly, the only extra cost is the price of the heater core itself.

 

[Karlsweg]

Bad evaporator! Ask me how I know lol. Put uv dye in the system and then check the evaporator drain hose. It will glow green like we the people.

 

[pajeepman]

DO NOT use sealer. Bad idea, screws up shop A/C equipment also. I would use it if I was selling a vehicle, that's it.


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[FullForceRam]

Thanks for the replies gents. I do appreciate it.

 

[FullForceRam]

Soooooo, finally had a chance to take my truck in for the AC service I've been troubleshooting. The shop filled it dye and traced it to inside the engine bay where two hoses for the AC were leaking... $800 dollars later and everything was properly replaced and she's riding nice and cold now.

Just in time too, it's nearly 100 all week over here.

 

[Rado]

Soooooo, finally had a chance to take my truck in for the AC service I've been troubleshooting. The shop filled it dye and traced it to inside the engine bay where two hoses for the AC were leaking... $800 dollars later and everything was properly replaced and she's riding nice and cold now.

Just in time too, it's nearly 100 all week over here.

Thanks for the update !
I just saw this thread and read it all lol..
Glad it is all fixed and you DID NOT use a sealer. That cause more damage then it fixes :O
I was in the HVAC business for over 40 years and when I saw this thread I just had to read it lol

 

[DodgeLady]

Big day today! Space-x returns mankind to space !

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/27/falcon-9-crew-dragon-demo-2-mission-status-center/


Oops... wrong thread! Still a big day though!

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