AC Problems and Advice Needed

Hello all, I hope this finds you well.

I just got my AC fixed about 1 month ago after it had been out for months. The valves were replaced and the system was recharged. About a week ago I felt it blowing hot and it is obvious that something is wrong. I took the truck back and they inspected it and are now saying that the evaporator is leaking.

I was quoted over 2 grand for the replacement, I would do it myself but the job of taking the whole damn dash apart seems like a bear. I don't want to spend that kind of money.

Some observations are that the system blows but has a hiss of sorts when turned off, almost trying to exhale as hard as you can with no air in your lungs. The far left vent seems cooler than the vent to the left of the center console/nav screen. The air actually seems a bit cooler with the recirculation mode off. These are just some observations but its fu**ed.

All I can think to do is get more opinions/quotes and then:
1) Have the place I like most fix it.
2) Fix it myself.
3) Do nothing and deal with heat.

Any advice is welcomed.

Best Regards

 

This sounds like a low refrigerant condition which being you recently had the system charged would indicate a leak.
Evaporator leaks can be difficult to verify but if it's leaking bad enough and there's dye in the system alot of times you will have dye coming out of the drain with the condensate and also have a refrigerant/PAG oil smell come out of the vents when you first turn the blower on after it has sat for a few hours.

 

I have not noticed any odors?

 

The smell isn't always present but it's just something I've noticed with alot of vehicles with evaporator leaks.
Does the system have dye in it (newer trucks (starting around 2012 I believe) have dye in them from the factory)? If so go over the A/C lines, compressor, condenser, and A/C drain with a UV light (the dye will glow bright green).

 

the AC is also used to dry the air blowing on the windshield in Defrost mode
if that is a concern in your climate