A/C problems |
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dsmiths
Senior Member Joined: 10 Oct 2011 Location: Southern Ind Online Status: Offline Posts: 866 |
Topic: A/C problems Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 9:29pm |
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As usual Techntrek was right, I own an A/C Delco tech shop and we do a lot of a/c repair, line broke and the probably r-134a leaked out with refrig oil and set off the detector, I would maybe like a new unit if they will, there are inherent weak spots in this system, if they (weld) braze or solder this problem it will reoccur, my best guess without looking at is that some line or componet is not properly supported and the vibration during towing caused it to fail. It will happen again more than likely. I hope they reapair to your satisfaction.
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Dane and Donna Smith
2011 RP-172 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 lift kit prodigy wireless brake controller |
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g4royce
Senior Member Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Location: PortStLucie FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 335 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 6:46pm | |
Our local RV dealer saw the crack as soon as the cover was taken off the a/c unit. The crack/leak is where the coils go into the compressor. We were told that this is the weakest part of this system. The design of an RV a/c allows for a certain amount of movement cause by normal driving & towing, but when bad luck + hitting a big bump in the road at some point (may be prior to your receiving the unit) + the a/c tech at the a/c factory didn't secure the copper coils as much as they could've = stress on the weakest area. At some point that area cracks and the coolant leaks. Sometimes it's a larger crack and sometimes it's a tiny hairline crack that gets bigger until suddenly it all leaks out. The a/c is designed as a closed system so in addition to having the crack repaired, the weak areas need to reinforced to help prevent future incidents and a valve needs to be added to the system to enable the coolant to be refilled. The RV dealer said the cost of the repair after dealer mark-up would be close to that of a new unit. So most RV dealers say it cannot be fixed and suggest buying a new one. If the unit is under warranty, they just replace it with a new one as it is easier than trying to schedule with an a/c tech during high season. In our case, our local dealer gave us the contact info for a local a/c repair guy and told us to deal with him directly (for ease of scheduling and cost savings). They said the whole job should cost no more than half the cost of a new unit if that. Since the a/c itself is less than 2 years old and the rest of the system tested ok, the dealer thought it was worth repairing. Greg's parents' neighbour is an RV dealer and also told us the same thing, plus since it's all off warranty because we are the second owners, we can try and do the repair ourselves if we are comfortable with soldering. Just wanted to add that our local dealer is not the dealer that sold us our unit (which was bought from WI as the model was discontinued).
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ChaiPod
2009 RP152 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6 |
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this_is_nascar
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Location: NJ Online Status: Offline Posts: 466 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 4:53pm | |
I'm glad you said this, as it jogged my memory that may help the OP. To the OP, the A/C is warranted a bit longer than the standard R-Pod. I forget the specifics, but it's something like "if the R-Pod has a 1-year warranty, the A/C has 2-years". Something along those lines.
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"Ray & Connie"
- 2017 R-Pod RP-180 - 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road |
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barbanjoe
Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2010 Location: Arizona Online Status: Offline Posts: 126 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 4:47pm | |
When I looked at the paperwork that came with the pod (new) , I purchased a 5 year warranty on both the refrigerator and a/c unit. I also had another year added to the pod from forest river, all 3 were less than the cost of replacing one component. Since I am in Az , my a/c runs constantly except 6 weeks in december and january, I guess since I have the warranty it works perfectly!
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BarbanJoe
010 Rpod 171 02 Jeep 4x4 12 Ram 1500 |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 4:44pm | |
I had the squeaky fan, too. They said they tightened some bolts which fixed it.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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this_is_nascar
Senior Member Joined: 24 Jan 2010 Location: NJ Online Status: Offline Posts: 466 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 4:18pm | |
What's your basis for this comment? I don't believe I've read of anyone else on this forum that had a refrigerant leak. I've had my squeaky fan kit replaced, but that's it for the A/C.
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"Ray & Connie"
- 2017 R-Pod RP-180 - 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road |
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g4royce
Senior Member Joined: 20 Nov 2010 Location: PortStLucie FL Online Status: Offline Posts: 335 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 12:56pm | |
Ours has the same problem: Compressor kicks in but no cold air.
The solution is to 1) get a new a/c unit (it should be replaced completely free of charge if on warranty) or 2) find an a/c repair guy during low-season and ask him to repair the crack in the pipe, weld an input nozzle and fill it back up with coolant. So the next time this happens (and it will happen again) it'll just need the crack repaired and the coolant refilled. Solution #2 is apparently the best way to go if you're off warranty as these a/c units are notorious for cracking their pipes on bumpy rides and leaking coolant. So buying a new machine doesn't guarantee a certain lifespan. |
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ChaiPod
2009 RP152 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6 |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 10:45am | |
The description of a mist sounds like the refridgerant leaked out, which definitely means it is "kaput"! Hopefully you vented the area.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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KDHfan
Newbie Joined: 30 May 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Online Status: Offline Posts: 24 |
Posted: 11 Jul 2012 at 10:07am | |
I was wondering if there's been any other mention of A/C problems with the new Rpods (other than they're outrageously LOUD!)?
On our fourth trip out with our new 182G, our A/C decided it didn't want to work anymore. Of course, it was in the middle of our 6-day vacation and during the hottest stretch of the summer for the NE. While playing some cards (thermostat set at 70), we noticed a mist coming out of the A/C unit (it set off the smoke alarm)... and it was caput. We turned it off for a couple hours... nothing. Read the instructions and ran the fan to de-ice for a couple more hours... nothing. Luckily, my brother was at the site next to ours and we were all able to stay with him for the night (32-footer). The next day we packed up and headed for home. We weren't sure who to contact for warranty work, so we went straight to Dometic and cc'd our dealer. Both contacted us the next day for service. Our dealer is 2-1/2 hours away (they were the closest Rpod dealer) so, going from a list given to us by Dometic, we went with another RV dealer about 10-minutes away. Anyone have an idea of what happened? A bad compressor, maybe? Has anyone else had this happen? Suggestions/comments appreciated. Thanks! |
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Mark, Beth, Nolan & Madeline
2012 182G... "NoMad" TV - 2012 Nissan Armada SB/WDB |
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