The air conditioning has developed a habit of stopping working

BOB R.

MEMBER
2001 DODGE SHADOW

I have a 2001 Dadge Ram 1500 automatic with a 318 cu. In engine and 100,000 miles on it. Recently the air conditioning has developed a habit of stopping working and not restarting. When the truck is first started the A/C works fine for about ten minutes and then will gradually stop blowing cold air. It seems like the A/C clutch disengages and wont reingage. If the truck is stopped for a period of time and restarted this same thing will happen. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Sunday, August 5th, 2007 AT 3:54 PM

1 Reply

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

This could be due to freezing A/C lines after the A/C stays on for a little while.
Typically, A/C lines can freeze due to having moisture in the system. As the water will freeze with the compressor on and prevent he refrigerant from flowing and that stops the A/C from working. As you shut down the vehicle it thaws out and works again for a little while, until it freezes again.

It is possible to have a leak that allowed the moisture to enter the system. Moisture can also enter if any of the components was changed, which allowed moisture in.

One way you can check for leak in the A/C system is by adding dye to the refrigerant. As the system cycles the dye will leak out (if there is a leak), which is easier to find.

Here is a helpful video of how to find A/C system leaks:

https://youtu.be/yrhWKlQEPWw

Please let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

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