04 Cruiser AC problem (I think)

[mscaho]

Ok this poor car has had several problems lately but I think I am down to one now, I just changed the plugs, wires, and air filter and it runs great-as long as the AC is not on.
When the AC is on the car will not idle very well and does not blow cold air, but driving down the road the car runs great and the AC blows cold air. I had it in the shop and they said the fan is seized up and not working, but I checked it after I got it home and the fan is coming on, and when I called them back they now say that it is just the low speed part of the fan that is not working.
Yesterday the car was at idle in a parking lot and I turned the AC on and it discharged some freon (or whatever it is now) out the overflow or pressure release valve of the AC system, could this be because the low speed fan is not coming on and building too much pressure in the system? Also is there a relay for the low speed fan I could check? I thought I read someone had checked theirs somehow.
Thanks

[slartyblarfast]

You will need to replace the fan. You can not replace the relays. The only way the a/c will work at idle is for the fan to run. It may occasionally get cool because the engine gets hot enough to turn on the low speed side on the fan. I see this all the time. The reason that the compressor vented was because the high side got to high because of no airflow over the condensor.

[mscaho]

OK thanks that is pretty much what the repair shop said too. They wanted over $600 for the fan and to replace it. Seemed a little high to me. I see there are some fans for the cruiser on ebay for less than $100, anyone tried any of these? I dont really want to spend over $300 for an OEM, especially if it is not any better than the original. Is this a repair an average person should attempt, or would I be better off taking it to a shop?
Thanks for the help

[CREWZIN]

I had to replace my fan about 2 years ago. The ones on eBay (if new) should be fine. If you have any mechanical abilities at all and you did some repairs on your own, you should be able to replace it yourself. The fan comes out from the top, held on by 4 bolts. Top radiator hose comes off, electrical connection to the fan, front grill and cross bar off or loosened. The radiator has to tilt forward to make room for the fan to be lifted out.

[bobs turbo pt]

its not as hard as it looks let us know how you make out good luck

[mowerman]

Good day to log in doing the same repair for the same thing on a '05 plus adding in a oil pressure guage.

[mjb457]

I had same problem out of the 3/36warranty on my '03 PT ,,I called Chrysler customer service & they paid all except $100.00 There must be an ongoing issue here.Id persue that route thru whatever dealership you normally use! good luck...

[mscaho]

Well I got the new fan installed yesterday and the AC blows nice and cold and the car runs great, replaced the plugs and wires too about a week ago. Probably runs better than when we bought it.

Thanks Crewzin for the tips and the pic, helped alot, and saved me a BUNCH of money. Repair shop wanted over $600 for parts and labor. Got my fan off EBAY for $86 so I saved over $500 doing it myself.

Thanks again

[CREWZIN]

.....another happy customer. Glad to be of service.

[sawdust123]

msacho,

My '03 had similar symptoms as yours; rough idle with AC on (but my AC worked at idle). I changed the wires first and had a few days of happy running. Then the problem returned. I decided to change the plugs next and that is when I discovered the real problem. The valve cover gasket was leaking oil onto the plugs. The oil was running down the plug threads until it fouled the plug. When you changed your plugs, did any of the threads seem wet with oil? This indicates your gasket is leaking.

As for the AC not working due to the fan, I'll have to check that out. My AC recently started to feel weak. It gets the card cold eventually though. I was first going to check the refrigerant level.