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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
I have a 2000 Cherokee w/ a 4.0 I need to replace my evaporator. I have been quoted $1k from a local shop to replace it. Should I try leak stop? Or attempt the repair myself?
How quickly does it lose a charge? If its pretty fast then stop leak probably wont do much. It will also gum up the rest of the system. Replacing it yourself is not difficult, just time consuming. It took me around 3-5 hours. There's tons of writeups on this site and others that will get you through it.
The last charge I did lasted roughly 2 weeks .. The shop put dye in it 7 different times and they could never find a leak. The only thing they couldn't check was the evap. Thanks for the info brielly1
When my evaporator was leaking, oil and dye ran out the passenger footwell vent. Maybe check there with a black light. I replaced mine myself and it took a couple of days, but I wasnt in any hurry
When my evaporator was leaking, oil and dye ran out the passenger footwell vent. Maybe check there with a black light. I replaced mine myself and it took a couple of days, but I wasnt in any hurry
Did you go through the glove box? Thanks for the help!
Did you go through the glove box? Thanks for the help!
To check for leaks, just look up the footwell vent to the left of the glove box. Not that this is a guarantee but you might see something. In order to replace the evaporator, the entire dash board needs to come out, or at the very least needs to swing away from the firewall on the passenger side. There are a lot of good writeups about how to do it. It's not too difficult but it's time consuming since the entire dash has to come out
The last charge I did lasted roughly 2 weeks .. The shop put dye in it 7 different times and they could never find a leak. The only thing they couldn't check was the evap. Thanks for the info brielly1
To check for evaporator leaks a shop should be able to do this:
To inspect the evaporator coil for leaks, insert
the electronic leak detector probe into the center
instrument panel outlet. Set the blower motor switch
to the lowest speed position, and the mode control
Never use AC leak sealers unless it's an old dog you're just trying to get a little more time out of before it hits the boneyard. The way those sealers work is they harden on exposure to atmospheric moisture, which will be present in the leak area. You can imagine what will happen the next time the AC system is opened up to work on it. The sealer will just harden up wherever it happens to be. (A friend of mine found this out the hard way.)
Do not use stop leak; there is only one fix and that is replace the evap.
Take it from someone who's been there and tried the tricks.
In my experience, not one bit of dye showed up anywhere but on the evap itself; and that was very very little. And mine leaked way faster than yours.
Here is my rig that day;
Ill be happy to help with any questions! Just ask away!
Its a big job so unless you have the tools and know how let a shop fix it,If you can't afford it go old school roll the windows down.And really a grand is kinda cheap a friend had a shop do the same thing to his focus for 1600.And while they are in there replace the heater core also.
Do not use stop leak; there is only one fix and that is replace the evap.
Take it from someone who's been there and tried the tricks.
In my experience, not one bit of dye showed up anywhere but on the evap itself; and that was very very little. And mine leaked way faster than yours.
Here is my rig that day;
Ill be happy to help with any questions! Just ask away!
Thanks for the info! Where did you get your info on how to do it? Your way looks the best I've scene
Tips I can remember right off hand...
Remove center console; no matter what anyone tells you, it is way easier to just go ahead and remove.
Get an impact drill; not only for 90% of the job but to save your windshield.
Get the white plastic AC line removal tool; fuel line disconnect wont work for all of it and the AC tool is way better.
Buy the evap locally and do not buy it first. You will need to bring in your old one and make sure it matches up using the best of your abilities. It's not that they are different types, just bad manufacturing (just my experience).
You do not have to remove the dash or a single wire harness.
Drop steering column and then pivot. As you can see in my pic I just used a tie down to get that bit more room.
I had no luck with the plastic ac line disconnect tool. The metal tool worked for me but I did have to file it down (metal was too thick). The 7/16 wobble head socket is a must for the hvac bolt behind the cylinder head.
I had no luck with the plastic ac line disconnect tool. The metal tool worked for me but I did have to file it down (metal was too thick). The 7/16 wobble head socket is a must for the hvac bolt behind the cylinder head.
05-11-2016, 12:45 AM
00 Cherokee AC evaporator
