A/C - '97 XJ Sport, 4.0L

I guess most of us know about the evaporator issue with this vintage of XJ. Mine was determined to be leaking following 2-2.5 years of diagnosis and 2 charges w/UV dye.

Many people claim this is a real pain but how many choices do we have? None; as I have an infant that is clearly more sensitive to temperature than I am. Obviously, I must repair the system.

I'm posting this message to determine how much of this work I should perform before having the remaining work performed by a service facility. Here are some relavant points:

1 - Professional flush is required. I think this is beyond me due to equipment. The receiver/dryer should be replaced a part of the flush procedure.

2 - Can I remove a dash. Sure I've removed a few; be patient and careful. This means I can replace the leaking evaporator. Do I stop here and reassemble?

3 - Replace the expansion valve? Yes, but my concern is should I do this as well? I think yes. This may be the best natural break point between my efforts and the service facility.

4 - What about the accumulator? Again, I say yes. Should I add this to my list of issues to perform?

5 - The next step is the flush & receiver/dryer replacement.

6 - Is my '89 A/C system affected by these same issues?

Can anyone here add something useful to my analysis. A potential repair attempting to reach $2k is a difficult thing to digest but my choices are few. I'm not the type to think a vehicle should be traded for these reasons. Besides, car payments are worse!

I've actually found independents seem to provide higher estimates and state more of the system hardware should be replaced in view of the location of the evaporator. I think it's also likely they might be replacing more AC components to ensure a lengthy period before additional system work is required resulting in a more satisfied customer. This seems like a good practice. The dealer estimated $1100.

Thanks & please advise,

Rick

Why all the flushing and replacing. If the Evaperator is leaking replace it and recharge the system. Perhaps I do not fully understand the problem.

in an a/c system flush no parts are replaced- at the dealership i work for a evac and recharge run $165.00-most independant shops will overcharge you by saying components need to be replaced-most dealers charge a 1 hr diag for a dye test this will determine if you have any leaks for a small fee- local parts houses sell a dye kit for around $70 cheaper than a dealer and not that difficult to perform. as far as changing the components your self it is not that hard if you really want a/c but if you have a shop do it get a second opinion because $1100 sound high.

According to everyone I've talked to and read the dryer should be replaced whenever the system is opened, now that seems a bit extreme to me but if you have had a leaking system thats zeroed out several times like mine has I think it's a good idea. I'm going to have the dealer do mine, bmja gets a hefty discount from our club sponsored dealer, I just need to build up the war chest a bit more after buying 5 new tires and wheels for the daughters TJ. I figured I could go this summer again sans A/C but when the temp here hit 95F on tues with 98% humidity I changed my mind... living in a 65F environment where my servers are for 8 hours a day and then walking out to 90F+ degrees real world is not good for you physically and this looks like it is going to be a long hot summer if it's like this in the first week of june...

You definitly want to have the dryer replaced along with a full system evacuation/pull down test. The reason behind replacing the dryer, and the evactuation is that freon becomes highly asidic when exposed to air. The pull down test will inshure no leaks are present.

All,

Thanks for your responses. In using the search utility I did find one situation similar to my current one and some respondents indicated they used NAPA evaporators and were happy with these. I will also price all NAPA parts (evap., accumulator, expansion valve & receiver/dryer) to determine how this compares to dealer cost.

Do any of you have experience with NAPA evaporators in your XJ?


CMNCHE,

If you open the AC system a flush is a very good thing to perform (virtually mandatory). Is there any difference between a flush I can perform compared to that a professional would provide? I do not know. Flushing is useful because the temperatures and pressures an AC system experiences are not trivial. A clean system is a prerequisite for proper operation and longevity. Even the Jeep Service Manual states you should replace the receiver/dryer as part of the flush (remember, you opened the system; hence, air & moisture - in the form of relative humidity or dew point - get into the system at the same time). In other words; repace all leaking AC system hardware - except the dryer - and assemble the system. Evacuate the system with a vacuum pump and see if it holds vacuum. If it does then it's okay to open the system to replace the dryer and seal the system again. Now you need to flush. If your receiver dryer is your leak then life is that much better because you have to replace it anyway!


ripkord99,

Actually, the dealer estimate is the lowest I've received. I'm just concerned about having them perform the work and increase the fee during the process or, worse yet, having the system need additional major service in the "near future" (always a vague factor).

Thanks,

Rick