96 Grand Cherokee A/C problem
 

I looked at a 96 Grand Cherokee today. I have never owned a Jeep and I don't know much about them so any help would be really appreciated. The engine and transmission were replaced and only have 16k miles. The seller said that the A/C worked great, but today when I went to test drive it, the A/C was coming on, but there was no air coming out of the vents. Does anyone know why there is no air coming out of the vents, and would it be an easy fix? Other than that, I liked the car a lot but I do not want to buy it if the A/C is going to be a big headache.

Is it blowing cold air out of the defroster vents or not blowing any air at all?
And Welcome to CF!
Dan

It is blowing out of the defroster vents and out of the bottom of the dash, but not through the vents.

Thanks!

It could be the center duct has come loose, or else there is a vacuum leak that won't let it switch over from the defrost duct to the dash vents. You can look under the dash in the lower center and see if the duct is in place.

Ok, thank you for the info. Would these be easy fixes or would I need to take the car to a mechanic?

As long as the dash doesn't have to come out it's an easy fix. The dash removal is a little more involved but still not really a hard job.
It all depends on just what the issue is.
Is the Jeep at a Dealer or a private party?

It is a private party. The seller said that the A/C was working fine before, but it just started doing this. When I asked him about it, he got very defensive and continued to tell me that the A/C worked fine.

Does it have the regular heater/ac controls with 3 knobs, or the Automatic Temperature Control system with 2 knobs and a digital temp. display?
Sometimes the control panel on the ATC system goes bad and must be replaced as a unit.

Could you get me a picture of either or both? I looked at the Jeep this morning, and when I was coming home from looking at it my car broke down and I didn't get home until 4:30...kind of a frustrating day and I don't remember which one it was.

Also, do you have a ballpark estimate as to how much it would cost to replace the whole unit? If it is going to cost too much money I do not want to buy the car.

I don't have a picture but I'll send you a Private Message showing them.

I wouldn't venture a guess because it might just be as simple as a loose vacuum line, or as involved as the vacuum motors and/or control panel being bad. I've never had to replace/repair mine.
Maybe someone with more experience at this will chime in with some more input.
Willys55 has a Grand Cherokee that he's parting out and he knows quite a bit more about them than I do. If he doesn't see this thread you can send him a PM. His name is Russ.

Well I am going to go ahead and make an offer on it. Thanks for all of the help.

Post up some pics if/when you can. I always like to see more ZJ's.