How to Recharge Air Conditioning Dodge Grand Caravan
How to Recharge Air Conditioning Dodge Grand Caravan: During winter months air conditioning is rarely used especially in Ontario and Canada, but summer is coming and we all need air conditioning to work when we press A/C button. Well, sometimes it doesn’t and low refrigerant is one possible cause.
At least this is something we can somewhat remedy ourselves with little effort and expense. Although recharging air conditioning system yourself is not the same as professional full system vacuum and recharge, it will do fine in most cases when your A/C system is low on refrigerant.
If you have a slow leak recharging your air conditioning system yourself will help but if you have a large leak then you need to go to your mechanic and properly fix it, otherwise refrigerant will leak again.
You can get an idea what kind of leak you have when you initially install pressure gauge hose, before you start recharging. When you plug in refrigerant gauge check A/C system pressure, if you still have pressure then chances are leak is small and recharging will help.
However, if pressure in your air condition system is zero then you have a large leak, recharging will not help and will empty again soon after.
Start by buying an Air Conditioning recharge kit, usually sold at auto parts and automotive stores (Walmart and other superstores sell it too), cost is about $30 to $50 depending on brand and where you buy it. Recharge kit has a recharging hose with pressure gauge and two refrigerant bottles.
How to Recharge Air Conditioning Dodge Grand Caravan
Open hood and locate low-pressure air conditioning port. Remove engine cover by pulling on it, it doesn’t have any screws. Dodge Grand Caravan has low pressure port located at base of windshield on drivers side (image below).
Unscrew and remove air conditioning low-pressure port plastic cover, it gets seized sometimes and you might need to use pliers to loosen it.
Open valve fully on refrigerant hose, screw a bottle of refrigerant on recharging hose and make sure is tight. Close valve all the way in, when valve is closed a hole is made on refrigerant bottle allowing refrigerant to flow.
Insert refrigerant hose connector on low-pressure port by press it in (image below). You should hear a click when valve is locked, pull on it to make sure is locked in place. Check system pressure, as we said earlier if you have pressure left in the system then leak should be small and recharging will hold. If gauge shows zero then leak is large and will leak again soon after, anyways still worth a try.
How to Recharge Air Conditioning Dodge Grand Caravan
Be careful when you recharge A/C system as you will be working in close proximity to a running engine. Make sure to stay clear of any moving, spinning or hot parts.
How To Recharge: Start your car and set max A/C with fan at full speed. Open recharging hose valve and shake the bottle. Recharging hose pressure gauge has colors and numbers on display.
When needle is at top of green part then system is fully charged system, close or about 40 psi. You should hear Air Conditioning compressor kick in as soon as you add up refrigerant.
How to check A/C system pressure
Air conditioning system pressure should be checked with recharging hose valve closed, close valve and check pressure, if pressure is still low then open valve and keep charging until fully charged. Close valve to check pressure periodically.
There are cases when one refrigerant bottle is not enough and need to change recharging bottles, you will feel recharging bottle empty in your hand, is easy to tell.
To replace refrigerant bottle with a new one, close valve fully and remove connector from low-pressure port. Unscrew empty refrigerant bottle and screw in a new one, install connector back to low-pressure port and repeat recharging procedure.
System is full when pressure with valve closed reaches about 40 psi on pressure gauge indicator. Close valve, remove pressure hose and install low-pressure pot cap. Install engine cover and you done.
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Overcharging A/C System
Try to not overcharge it, higher than optimal pressure will cause air conditioning compressor to stop working. A/C system has a pressure sensor in line which will disconnect power to compressor if pressure is higher than normal.
If you overcharge by mistake, remove charging kit and use a small screwdriver to release pressure. Be careful and cover port valve with a rag when you do this as refrigerant is under pressure and will spray as soon as you touch port valve pin. Careful with your eyes and hands when releasing pressure. Measure pressure repeatably ( with engine running, A/C on and valve kit closed) until you hit 40 psi.
Another detailed post on How to Recharge A/C.
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