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Originally Posted by PunknDarla
Hello. I am picking up our coach Thursday. It is a 2000 INTRIGUE 36 foot. We are excited beyond belief. Never thought we would have something this nice and are looking forward to vacations in it. It does have a problem the owner told me about. The coach Air conditioner doesn’t work. He said they just run the generator going down the road and use the roof air. I am okay with that but would like to get the other fixed anyway. I don’t know if an RV repair shop or diesel shop is the one to take it to. Any suggestions on where to take it. We live on the Arkansas/Oklahoma border right near Fort Smith.
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Congratulations on your purchase. My wife and I have a 2000 CC 36' intrigue single slide as well. I just finished rebuilding the dash A/C system.
I had multiple leaking o-rings, and a catastrophic internal failure of the dryer that sent desiccant clear to the evaporator at the front of the coach and clogged the expansion valve, causing it to stick closed. I also experienced a clutch failure on the compressor. Needless to say, I didn't need to have the system refrigerant evacuated as it had long since escaped due to the leaks. NOT GOOD FOR THE PLANET, but how was I to know?
After removing the dryer and compressor, I flushed the high side line in both directions (using a pressurized flush container I purchased from Amazon) twice using de-natured alcohol and once using acetone (careful with the acetone, it will remove paint in short order). I was able to locate parts via the internet for everything except the Parker-Hannifin expansion valve. This included a new (NEVER USE A REBUILT) compressor, dryer and trinary pressure switch.
So, I replaced all 9 o-rings (high side and low side at the compressor, dryer, pressure switch, condenser and evaporator) available at your local auto parts store, disassembled the thermal expansion valve and thoroughly cleaned it with wax and grease remover, installed the new parts, vacuumed the system to -30 inches of vacuum for 2 hours and let it sit over night to check for leaks. It held vacuum for the full 24 hours, so I added 5lbs of r134a refrigerant and, voila...the system worked perfectly. 48 degree air on a 85 degree Florida day.
I know this is a long STORY, but the work is not difficult (although you will have to drive the front of the coach up onto some ramps to work the evaporator portion). It is time consuming and does require thorough working knowledge of the A/C system and it's various components. You would also need access to a set of gauges, a vacuum pump and compressed air.
I estimate that I have about 40 hours in the repair, including my helper's (dear wife) time. At today's shop rates and materials markups, I can easily see $5,000.00 for a repair of this nature. If you are only low on refrigerant, it will be a completely different scenario and your cost should not exceed $500.00. Much less if you are capable of doing the repairs yourself.
Like others, I would recommend a local to you automotive repair shop or, even better, a shop that specializes in A/C repairs. They should be able to diagnose the failure and recommend a proper repair.
I am fortunate in that I own all of the required tools collected over years of custom car building. I have heard tell that to own one of these land yachts a guy should be handy or flush with money. Maybe both! Either way, I would avoid RV repair shops (excepting a few in Junction City, OR) at almost all cost.
Still, it is, by far the best way to travel this great land. Again, congratulations on your purchase and do not be afraid of the maintenance (and IMHO, don't defer maintenance) the 2000 model year Intrigue systems are relatively simple...you know, if your idea of simple is, say, a 50's Chevy vs just about any new car! CC made some of the best affordable coaches ever to hit the road and your 2000 Intrigue definitely falls into the sweet spot of the production run.
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