2011 Dodge Ram Evaporator Core Replacement

This 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 had a serious Evaporator core leak so on today's video we tackle the dash removal and get the HVAC box out to swap the Evap core.
#DODGE #RAM #AC

[@kevinhocke1]

Very informative video. I will be doing this same project this week. How long did the job take?

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

It's about a 6-8 hour job for someone mechanically inclined. If this is your first time doing any major auto then this will definitely be a weekend job

[@druhill9098]

If you take this to the shop, how much will this pain will be worth??

[@Haas839]

@@druhill9098 quoted me $1100

[@m1andonlytwice]

I was just quoted $1,295 to replace.

[@TASCLLC]

It costs $2295 here. Luckily it was covered under my warranty plan.

[@robv4053]

For the DIYers watching this, as many already commented, the truck doesn't need to be stripped out this much. Here's the short of how to proceed and not damage in order to remove the box to replace either the heater core, door actuators, or the condenser: 1. Roll front passenger window down, and move seats all the way rearward and then disconnect battery. 2. Evacuate refrigerant and drain coolant or clamp off the heater hoses ahead of the firewall. 3. Place a fender protector or moving blanket through the passenger window to drape over door panel - this will make sure the protruding studs from the box don't scrape it up. 4. Remove center console from truck. 5. Remove the A-pillar trims, trim on either end of dash, kicks, and under the wheel. 6. Drop the column - no need to remove. Wrap the wheel and column in a moving blanket, towel or similar to protect. Cover seats with moving blanket or towels now. 7. Remove the 3 bolts at either end of dash, 2 bolts at the top against windshield and 2 down where the console was. Disconnect the harnesses on the passenger side 8. Get a helping hand and lift and tilt the dash back and bring the passenger side further back. Hold it up and back with a strap hooked to the the rear clothes hook, driver's headrest or such. 9. You can now get to the box to remove fasteners and wire connectors, and don't forget the fasteners on the engine side of the firewall. 10. Pull it out, and regardless if replacing the heater core or condenser, check the other one and clean thoroughly. Be sure to check brand new and reused parts for leaks before reassembling! Simple vacuum or pressure test will save your sanity! Also, I honestly replace both while in there and also the actuator!It's an extra $150 in parts, but a lot of savings in the long run... DO inspect all of the doors. If you find any broken, stop and order aftermarket repair kit! This is also when you want to add the cabin air filter to keep the condenser clean if, like the truck in this video, it's not there from the factory. Do not buy the "kit" from the internet as they make a ridiculous profit. You can buy the door from the Mopar parts counter and the filter from anywhere. I like Wix personally. 11. When you reinstall, make absolutely certain to replace the anti-rattle padding as the factory had and make sure the seals for the firewall pentrations are intact! If you don't, it will aggravate you if DIYing or cause you to redo the project if a pro! 12. Reassemble in reverse order, vacuum and recharge the air conditioner, and reconnect the heater lines and add coolant. Burping the core of air takes some work because of where it sits in the system.

[@kendallengman2249]

When you say actuator is that the same as an A/C receiver drier/accumulator? Like $25

[@robv4053]

@Kendall Engman No, the HVAC box in which the heater core and AC condenser are mounted contains several doors that open and close to switch between heating and cooling, directing air flow to defroster, floor, etc, and those doors are controlled by electronic actuators, which is a fancy name for a small motor assembly. They are prone to wearing out, and sometimes the doors in the box break. Best time to check and replace is when the box is out. One of the actuators mounts to the front of the box, meaning it is right against the firewall when the box is in place. So it can only be replaced when out of the truck, which is why I just replace when the box is out with a new one as preemptive maintenance.

[@kendallengman2249]

@@robv4053 ok hell yeah thank you looking online now

[@kendallengman2249]

@@robv4053 so replace all actuators and doors since it’ll all be out. Blend door usa a good company you trust?

[@robv4053]

@Kendall Engman At a minimum, inspect the doors. 3rd Gen RAMs have the problem most frequently, and 4th Gens the older they are. Yes, I have used that company, and their replacements are high quality and perfect fits. As for the actuators, at least the one that's against the firewall and unserviceable otherwise. I generally use OE Mopar replacements.

[@billyfox384]

By far the best evap video I have ever seen. After watching the video, pulled the dash out in 2hrs.. So easy when you don't waste time removing parts that don't need to come apart. PLEASE make more videos anytime you do another evap... Awesome job. I'm in a small shop and time is valuable when you only have a couple bays. THANKS

[@grease_queendockery148]

For book time 7 hours. I’m on day two and I could have save so much time by dropping the steering column ALOT sooner than I did luckily I had a small box under the cup holder so I don’t have to remove the seat 🤣 thank you for posting this

[@rolannandlal4369]

Thank you guys very much for this video

[@Reckless_In_Texas]

When I last did Mine I didnt take the steering out, i just removed those 4 bolts and it went down to the Ground, removing the seats help out alot

[@rduk5716]

i like how he just tells you what to take off and shows a sped up video of the outside of the truck, while all of the work is done inside of it and they dont show any of it

[@russellherring8206]

Great video. I wish this guy was in my city, I wouldn't worry so much about having this same issue fixed.i have the same center console. 2011 Long Horn Laramie.

[@duffy81]

Good video that helped me, only thing missed is there are nuts on the firewall under the heater core line bracket and under the computer that have to be removed to get the hvac box out of the truck. The video only shows the three inside the cab being removed. Thanks for the video.

[@vern2k653]

No need to remove seats or column. Just drop column, remove the main dash bolts (3 on either sides, 2 up top and 2 down center) then drop the column to the ground. Pull the dash out and hang it with a strap, disconnect some electrical along the sides as need be to pull it back enough to get acces to hvac box. Got it done in book time

[@vern2k653]

Also 2 tens holding the dash in right above the column so once u drop it you get access.

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

@@vern2k653 yes I realize you can do it without removing the seat and dash completely but I prefer to do it this way because it gives much more room to work and less risk of breaking or damaging anything

[@vern2k653]

@@ChrisVaughnTech yes there is a bit more risk but I can’t fathom taking an extra day or 2 when book time only gives us 7 Hrs. I still haven’t broke any dashes doing it this way and it’s worked everytime

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

@@vern2k653 this method only took me a day. I started it in the morning and had it completely back together before 5pm

[@vern2k653]

@@ChrisVaughnTech props to you that’s a lot of work in a day

[@elsiedigali4136]

How much will cost to remove and replace the dashboard for 2012 ram 1500

[@tru3sk1ll]

Threadlocker on the dash components was a nice touch, not needed, but a nice touch

[@darkknightws66]

How do you remove the cebmnter console? I'm getting ready to do the heater core on my 2012

[@traviscombs8234]

I have all bolts off dash but cannot find the one in the other direction driver side please help

[@LivinSalty]

This might be a long shot but I need some help. I have a 2011 Ram 1500. A/C stopped blowing cold 4 months ago, I did a recharge and all has been good for the past 4 months. Until one day it stopped blowing cold again. I tried putting the dye through it and looking for a leak with UV light and saw nothing. So I put another recharge through and the next day it wasn't blowing cold again. Hooked the gauge up and almost all the freon had leaked out. I'm not sure what to do next to try to diagnose it. Someone please help!!

[@rolannandlal4369]

Guys i did not remove the wire harness under the carpet, i just rest the dashboard on the seats area and there was enough room to remove the heater box,i also replaced the resistor

[@danhammond8406]

Ditch the "music". It's terrible and it covers what you are saying.

[@MARLONdaman]

I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT! 👍🏾

[@joebloggins]

I saw earlier in the video it has the centre console between the seats, any chance of a video on how to remove that, I cant for the life of me figure that part out.

[@ernestomartinez4443]

Did you also replace the actuators while you had the unit out?

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

On this particular one I did not since they were all functioning normally and the owner opted not to replace them. I do agree it's a good time to replace everything while you have the HVAC box out.

[@fivele1]

Hi combien de temps pour démonté et remonte

[@jamesmason8259]

Did you have to add some PAG oil to the evaporator when you put it back together? If so, how much?

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

Typically you do not for just a condenser swap.. but it's best to always check and see how much oil was removed when the system was discharged and add back that amount.

[@tru3sk1ll]

@@ChrisVaughnTech If you vacuumed out for 30 minutes and removed all refrigerant, you should definitely put oil back in

[@robvaughn1851]

I have excessive water draining from my 2009 Dodge 1500 with a HEMI. The a/c is cold, but the a/c water is draining really heavy and onto the frame rail below. Do you think my issues is also the evap core?

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

If your A/C is staying cold then your EVAP core should be fine. The evaporator will condensate a decent amount under normal operation so when it's very hot outside and the AC is on full blast you can expect to see a decent amount of dripping water from the drain.

[@codyprice0295]

@@ChrisVaughnTech beautiful reply. Don’t worry about condensation. Condensation is a good thing!! It means the system is drying the cabin air, get worried when there’s no condensation. Freezing lines is a no bueno. Still an easy fix. Freezing can be caused by a blockage, the blockage will be the point where system freezing stops. If you see the ice, replace where the ice stops. A manifold gauge may also reveal a low refrigerant charge. A low - low side charge can also cause a system to freeze. The low side pressure (to a point) is relative to core temperature. So if you have a 38 psi low side pressure, then expect the core to be only a degree or so different. Duct temp may be only a few degrees off of that as well depending on some other parameters like internal cabin temp out side temp etc. a 32 low side pressure indicates that a core could be freezing. In that case, I would check charge, then go for the evaporator temperature sensor to see if it is more than a few degrees difference. If you have a bad Evan core temp reading, it may never cycle the compressor off. That’s a no no and another cause for icing. Another cause for a core freezing could be a variable compressor not changing pump displacement. Seen that a few times to. But usually it causes the high side pressures to ram up high as well causing the pressure switch to disable the compressor.

[@smiley3303]

I am going to do it without messing with AC it is a little tricky but can be done.

[@tru3sk1ll]

Definitely don't have to remove seats, there should be enough play in remaining wires to just set dash on seat, you don't need that much room to remove the ac box

[@clayton1379]

Did you add new compressor oil to replace the old that was in your old AC evaporator core?

[@tru3sk1ll]

that's part of the recharge process, depending on the refrigerant you use, it should have oil in it

[@pzpinkslip123]

they answer is yes dont forgot you vacummed the system out before removing lines

[@gerardoledezma3400]

I'm surprised he didn't take out the engine 😂😂

[@OscarPerez-ec6eu]

I'm needing this job done on my '12. I have all the parts, what would you say is a decent price for a job like this?

[@tru3sk1ll]

All my local shops quotes between 9-11 hours, so it depends on shop rates of $125-$165, $1000 would be low end, $2000 would be high end, just labor

[@michaeltemple895]

Replace everything in the dash while you have it out! Replace the heater core, the fan motor and the dampener motor. I would be FN pissed if one of those parts broke after paying for this repair. I think I'll cut my heater hoses under the hood and connect them.

[@djrommybalibalita5747]

I use to do it like this. ❤️😊 good informative video. U can actually keep seats in and the steering column connected and dropped. Just pull the passenger side dash out enough to pull the box. It’s cool to see everything out tho.

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

Yeah I may do that on the next one but it was definitely easier to work in there with the dash out.

[@djrommybalibalita5747]

@@ChrisVaughnTech I totally agree ! I love to break down as much as I can so I have a clear view of what I’m doing. For sure 🙌 love your videos btw

[@christopherrobertson5492]

How can you do this without taking out the seats and the leaving steering column connected? Also do you have to take out the entire center console? Do you know of a KZbin that shows how? Thank you!

[@WizzRacing]

@@christopherrobertson5492 I seen one one KZbin that you just drop the column in the floor. Rest the console on the Passenger side with the seat belt. Then you can remove the 4 bolts holding the System to the fire wall...3 on the inside. One behind the ECM....I got it out in 2 hours...As the only bitch was them heater hoses...I had to crawl on top on the engine to reach them...

[@kyledevore871]

Thank you! I believe this is my problem on my 2011 ram. I have replaced the ac compressor, looked for leaking dye, refrigerant smell would occur in side of truck. Soooooo….maybe?? Lol

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

If you are smelling refrigerant inside the truck then I can almost guarantee it's the EVAP core leaking

[@kyledevore871]

@@ChrisVaughnTech thank you. That’s what I’m thinking, so going to replace in the coming weeks

[@tru3sk1ll]

@@ChrisVaughnTech 100%

[@gscapes1360]

Did you have to drain and recharge ac?

[@tru3sk1ll]

Of course

[@itaintrocketscience]

What an absolutely ridiculous amount of work. After all these years, car makers can’t make an HVAC system that is accessible from passenger side? I own this model and year of truck ( no problems with ac yet) Seems like it would be easy for ram to make a hinged HVAC box. Just a thought

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

It's a pretty crazy process on most makes and models these days. The only ones I've seen that were easy were some of the older box Chevys

[@seeharvester]

Tell me about it. I have the same year 3500 diesel and the ac just started blowing hot. This video made me sick to my stomach. I'm hoping mine is the compressor though, since I noticed it making a peculiar noise a few weeks ago. 70K miles on the truck that I bought new. I wonder what would cause the evaporator to leak in the first place. BTW, I read that they make an aftermarket filter for these that I had thought about getting, because of the musty smell when you turn it on. Mold and mildew from high humidity where I live. Know anything about that? Poor design to not have a changeable filter like my old Chevy had. And it was also very easy to access.

[@NellyEIEI]

@@seeharvester there's videos on here that cover how to add a filter. I did it on my 2011 ram 1500

[@tru3sk1ll]

Literally all they would have to do is make the dash in two parts with a small crease down the middle or around the passenger side of stereo, if you could remove just the right dash, it would eliminate about 50% of this job and make it a lot easier IMHO, but cosmetically that crease people don't like to see it

[@Htown82]

How much is the total cost of a job like this (Labor+parts) ?

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

Usually this is about $1500 parts and labor included. The parts are inexpensive. The labor is where it gets expensive with this job

[@tru3sk1ll]

@@ChrisVaughnTech True but while you have that out, it makes monetary sense to swap heater core and expansion valve, and also the seals while you are in there, $500 more in parts but theoretically not more labor

[@wayneflett6816]

Cleaner outside then on the inside ? You missed opportunity to show bled doors

[@michaeltemple895]

I will never buy another Ram because of this. I have replace two heater cores in my life and did each of them in less than an hour.

[@maxpower001]

The dash can just hang out just enough to remove evap box

[@xavierramirez330]

Yeah this is too much for same results. This is the hard way

[@danielflores623]

How much would this kind of repair cost?

[@tru3sk1ll]

$1k-$2k just labor

[@DennisSmithIsTheBest]

I was quoted 2796 yesterday from 3 differeent shops smh, rockauto for evap,heater core cost 100.00.

[@tru3sk1ll]

@@DennisSmithIsTheBest $100 seems low even for a Chinese one, but I don't doubt it, the labor makes more sense once you do the job

[@Biggie1231]

How much does a job like that cost. ?

[@tru3sk1ll]

$1k-$2k

[@itszo4168]

Wow what an absolute horrifying job I will have on my hands.. If I send this to a mechanic I will pay over a grand easy to have my A/C fixed.. Tempted to just forget about it and ride with the windows down.

[@dexterhampton4422]

Wish I could just drop my car off to y’all lol

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

Soon....

[@TaylorZ2]

Great video but please lose that awful background music! You're well spoken and have a good speaking voice but the background music detracts badly.

[@DHazex]

This only pays 5 hrs fml

[@tru3sk1ll]

My Book says 11 hours

[@wbforsure2104]

Not a good tutorial but I guess it'll get the job done. These only take 3hrs. Many unnecessary steps in this vid but like I said this vid is the scenic route.

[@ChrisVaughnTech]

So because you can do it faster this isn't a good tutorial?? Lol I explained exactly why the seat and console need to be removed and this is the procedure according to ALLDATA. If you can do the job in 3 hours then this video is clearly not intended for you lol

[@williamreagan8316]

One guy said, I would also drop my truck off, where is your garage, close I wish, near Hudson NY?

[@madmax-ko1nt]

This is beyond fucking disgusting how much you have to fucking do just to get an evaporator core out

[@TheSundograin]

Well, you missed the whole consul part of the job. Thanks.