Chrysler Dodge Caravan 2002 Manual page 2314

RS
EVAPORATOR (Continued)
lower half of the door. Tighten the screws to 2 N·m
(18 in. lbs.).
(6) Position the upper intake air housing onto the
top of the evaporator housing over the recirculation
air door and the blower wheel housing. Be certain
that the upper pivot of the recirculation air door is
captured in the pivot receptacle of the upper intake
air housing.
(7) Install and tighten the three screws that secure
the upper intake air housing to the top of the out-
board end of the evaporator housing. Be certain not
to miss the screw located just inside the inboard side
of the fresh air intake opening. Tighten the screws to
2 N·m (18 in. lbs.).
(8) Install and tighten the two screws that secure
the upper intake air housing to the lower intake air
housing. Tighten the screws to 2 N·m (18 in. lbs.).
(9) Engage the two hook formations on the bottom
of the distribution housing in the two receptacles on
the evaporator housing.
(10) Roll the top of the distribution housing up
into position against the evaporator housing.
(11) Install and tighten the three screws from the
dash panel side of the unit that secure the top of the
distribution housing to the inboard end of the evapo-
rator housing. Tighten the screws to 2 N·m (18 in.
lbs.).
(12) Engage the HVAC wire harness in the routing
clips molded into the outside of the HVAC housing
components.
(13) Reconnect the HVAC wire harness connector
for the blower motor with the motor connector recep-
tacle on the bottom of the outboard end of the evap-
orator housing.
(14) Reinstall the expansion valve onto the evapo-
rator inlet and outlet tube fittings. (Refer to 24 -
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING/PLUMBING -
FRONT/EXPANSION VALVE - INSTALLATION).
(15) Install a new foam seal onto the HVAC hous-
ing seal flange around the fresh air inlet opening and
the expansion valve/evaporator tube opening on the
dash panel side of the unit.
(16) Reinstall the heater core tubes into the heater
core. (Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDITION-
ING/PLUMBING -
INSTALLATION - HEATER CORE TUBES).
(17) Reinstall the HVAC unit housing into the
vehicle. (Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDI-
TIONING/DISTRIBUTION - FRONT/HVAC HOUS-
ING - INSTALLATION).
(18) Run the HVAC Control Actuator Calibration
procedure(Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDI-
TIONING - DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING)(Refer to 24
- HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING - DIAGNOSIS
AND TESTING).
FRONT/HEATER CORE
EXPANSION VALVE
DESCRIPTION
The front "H" valve-type thermal expansion valve
(TXV) is located at the dash panel between the liquid
and suction lines, and the evaporator coil. The
assembly consists of an H-valve body and a thermal
sensor. High-pressure, low temperature liquid refrig-
erant from the liquid line passes through the expan-
sion valve orifice, converting it into a low-pressure,
low-temperature mixture of liquid and gas before it
enters the evaporator coil. The expansion valve is a
factory calibrated unit and cannot be adjusted or
repaired. If faulty or damaged, the expansion valve
must be replaced.
OPERATION
A mechanical sensor in the expansion valve control
head monitors the temperature and pressure of the
refrigerant leaving the evaporator coil through the
suction line, and adjusts the orifice size at the liquid
line to let the proper amount of refrigerant into the
evaporator coil to meet the vehicle cooling require-
ments. Controlling the refrigerant flow through the
evaporator ensures that none of the refrigerant leav-
ing the evaporator is still in a liquid state, which
could damage the compressor. The thermo sensor
measures refrigerant suction gas temperature which
is monitored by the a/c control assembly.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - EXPANSION VALVE
WARNING: REFER TO THE APPLICABLE WARN-
INGS AND CAUTIONS FOR THIS SYSTEM BEFORE
PERFORMING THE
(Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING/
PLUMBING - FRONT - WARNING - A/C PLUMBING)
and (Refer to 24 - HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING/
PLUMBING - FRONT - CAUTION - A/C PLUMBING).
NOTE: The expansion valve should only be tested
following testing of the compressor.
-
NOTE: Liquid CO is required to test the expansion
valve. This material is available from most welding
supply facilities. Liquid CO is also available from
companies which service and sell fire extinguish-
ers.
When testing the expansion valve, the work area
and the vehicle temperature must be 21° to 27° C
(70° to 85° F). To test the expansion valve:
(1) Connect a charging station or manifold gauge
set to the refrigerant system service ports. Verify the
refrigerant charge level.
PLUMBING - FRONT
FOLLOWING OPERATION.
24 - 71